{"id":21713,"date":"2017-10-02T14:46:51","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T18:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=21713"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:36:55","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:36:55","slug":"univ-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=21713","title":{"rendered":"Gov. Roy Cooper to deliver keynote address at University Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gov.
Gov. Roy Cooper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina\u2019s 75th governor, will deliver the keynote address at this year\u2019s University Day on Oct. 12.\u00a0The celebration marks Carolina\u2019s 224th birthday and will be held at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n

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University Day, which the campus first celebrated in 1877, marks the 1793 laying of the cornerstone of Old East, the nation\u2019s first state university building, and the beginning of public higher education in the United States. Classes will be cancelled from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and all members of the Carolina community are invited to attend the festivities, which will include a traditional processional starting at the Old Well and moving into Memorial Hall for Cooper\u2019s address.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to have Gov. Cooper, a double Tar Heel, deliver the keynote address at the celebration of the 224th birthday of the nation\u2019s first public university,\u201d said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. \u201cUniversity Day is when we celebrate our past while thinking about aspirations for Carolina\u2019s future. It is particularly appropriate to have the governor, the son of a school teacher who knows the importance of a strong education, join us as we recognize the service of those who continue to advance the work of this great public university for the betterment of the people of North Carolina.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Previous celebrations have featured speeches from distinguished members of the faculty and honored visitors. President John F. Kennedy spoke in 1961, as did Bill Clinton in 1993. North Carolina governors have made University Day a traditional stop during their first term of office \u2013 including Luther Hodges, Jim Hunt, Terry Sanford, Jim Martin, Mike Easley, Bev Perdue and Pat McCrory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other University Day convocation highlights will include the presentation of Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards, a practice begun by the faculty in 1971 to recognize Tar Heels who have made outstanding contributions to humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s recipients are:<\/span><\/p>\n