State Endorses Female Higher Education, 1891

The Main Building and Brick Dormitory at UNC Greensboro, circa 1892. Image from UNC-Greensboro Libraries.

On February 18, 1891, the State Normal and Industrial School—now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro—was chartered.

First established as a school for female teachers, it became the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina in 1932, joining the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State College as part of the Consolidated University System. Becoming coeducational in 1963, the college was renamed the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.A group of five UNC Greensboro students pose for a picture in the 1890s. Image from UNC-Greensboro Libraries.

The State Normal School was built on 10 acres in western Greensboro in Guilford County. It opened in October 1892 with 223 students and 15 faculty members. Originally, the school offered degrees in three departments: education, domestic sciences and business.

Joining the Consolidated University System in 1932, UNC-G functioned as the leading college for women in North Carolina throughout the early and mid-20th century. It continued to widen its course offerings, and today hosts more than 150 undergraduate and graduate programs in fields as diverse as education, the liberal arts and business.

The integration of men and minority students at UNC-G expanded and diversified the university in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1995, Patricia A. Sullivan became the first female chancellor of the University.

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