University of North Carolina Wilmington

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The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a public university located in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Contents

1 History
2 Residential Accommodations
3 Campus Dining
4 Academics

4.1 Academic Profile
4.2 Randall Library
4.3 2006 Rankings

5 Athletics
6 People

6.1 Notable Alumni
6.2 Chief Executives

7 Clubs
8 Points of interest
9 Notes
10 External links

History

The school opened its doors for the first time on September 4, 1947 as Wilmington College. At the time the school operated as a junior college, offering freshman-level courses to 250 students during the first school year, and was under control of the New Hanover County Board of Education. Wilmington College earned accreditation from the North Carolina College Conference in 1948 and became a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges. Further accreditation came in 1952 when the institution was so honored by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 1958 Wilmington College was placed under the Community College Act of North Carolina thereby passing control from the New Hanover County Board of Education to a board of trustees. The college was now state-supported and under the supervision of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education.

Wilmington College became a senior college on July 1, 1963 when the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation allowing the school to offer a four-year curriculum and award bachelor's degrees. Six years later, July 1, 1969, the name of the school was changed to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, making UNCW the fifth campus of the University of North Carolina system. On August 22, 1977 UNCW was authorized to offer its first graduate programs at the master's level.^{[#endnote_history]}

Currently, UNCW has over 11,000 students enrolled and nearly 500 full-time faculty members. The school offers 73 bachelor's degrees and 28 graduate degrees.^{[#endnote_numbers]}

Residential Accommodations

UNCW has the smallest percentage of on-campus students in the entire state school system. Most students live off campus, especially upperclassmen. This is due to the suburban and non-pedestrian nature of Wilmington rather than the quality of Campus Life. In fact, many students have praised the quality of on-campus accommodation in comparison with other state schools. Galloway is the oldest dorm on the campus and has the typical arrangement of shared bathrooms for the entire hall and is the exception to the high quality accommodations at the university. Galloway is typically considered to be a freshman dorm and has a social atmosphere. Graham-Hewlett and Belk dormitories are configured in a suite-style arrangement with four individuals sharing a bathroom. Belk is the only dorm on campus which is exclusively female, as all other dorms are coed. Constructed in the 1980's, Schwartz dormitory has shared bathrooms but is distinguished by its unusual square layout in contrast with the typical hall style dorms. Several of the floors on Schwartz are designated as "study floors" and require the residents to abide by stricter regulations. The newer dormitories include Honors, International, and Cornerstone Hall. These dormitories were constructed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and are considered to be the most luxurious and well-maintained residences on campus. In addition to the dormitories, UNCW also has on campus apartments and suites. The Apartments house 4 students, who all have separate bedrooms but share a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. The aparments were extensively renovated in 2002 and now boast marble countertops, tiled bathrooms, and new appliances. The Suites, built in the late 1980s have two separate floorplans. Some suites have twelve residents, and six bedrooms with two residents in each bedroom. Other suites have ten residents who have private bedrooms. All residents of the Suites share bathrooms, living rooms, and kitchens. As of 2006 the Suites have not been renovated. The University has recently begun on the construction of Seahawk Village, a luxury apartment complex designed to compete with off-campus accommodations.

All students who live on campus are subject to University rules and regulations and are required to have an on-campus meal plan. (With the exception of Seahawk Village residents.) All residences have an RA, or Resident Assistant, who is always a student, on each hall and are administered by an RC or Residential Coordinator who is a university staff member who lives on campus in the residence they are responsible for.

With the exception of the apartments, suites, and Seahawk Village apartments, all students are required to show identification to the DR, or Desk Attendant upon entering the various residential buildings.

Campus Dining

UNCW has several options for campus dining. The primary venue for dining on campus is Wagoner Hall, which is a typical college cafeteria. The Hawk's Nest is located in the University Union and has a food court with a Chick-Fil-A, a sandwich shop, a smoothie bar, and a grille. The Seahawk Grille, located in Warwick Center, offers a more varied menu with sandwiches, quesedillas, and sushi. There are several different meal plans available for students.

The quality of campus dining at UNCW is unremarkable, and Wagoner especially has come under criticism for the poor quality and limited variety of its dining options. A renovation of Wagoner in 2002 made the facility more aesthetically pleasing but did nothing to improve the quality of its food.

It has been thought that on campus dining will be greatly improved when the new University Union is completed sometime in fall 2006.

Academics

Academic Profile

The university is organized in to five colleges:

College of Arts and Sciences
Cameron School of Business
School of Nursing
Watson School of Education
Graduate School

The university has 73 undergraduate degree programs, 28 masters degree programs, and one Ph.D. program in marine biology.

Randall Library

[William Madison Randall Library] supports the mission of the University of North Carolina Wilmington through the provision of information resources, services and programs relevant to the needs of its students, faculty and staff. It also serves as a rich cultural resource for the surrounding community and the region. To accomplish this mission, the library provides (1) diverse collections of informational resources in multiple formats; (2) efficient access to informational resources; (3) assistance and instruction in identifying, evaluating and interpreting information; (4) a safe and comfortable facility which stimulates intellectual curiosity and reflective thinking; and (5) programs that connect scholars and interested individuals with information and expertise to inspire lifelong learning.

2006 Rankings

Kiplinger:

3rd "Best Value" for in-state students among public universities in North Carolina.
32nd "Best Value" for in-state students among public universities in the United States.

U.S. News & World Report:

Top 10 public regional undergraduate universitites in the south.^{[#endnote_rankings]}

Athletics

The UNC Wilmington athletic teams are known as the Seahawks. They are a member of the NCAA's Division I and compete in the Colonial Athletic Association. There are 19 varsity athletic teams for men and women. UNCW has the best student-athlete graduation for a Division I public universities in the state, with 74 percent.

The Men's Basketball team has won the CAA Championship in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006. In their first trip to the NCAA Tournament, they lost to the 2nd seeded Cincinnati 64 to 47.
In their second trip (2002), the 13th seeded Seahawks shocked the 4th seeded Trojans of USC with a 93-89 overtime win. They were defeated by Indiana in the second round, 76-66.
The third trip (2003) had the Seahawks face off Maryland. Maryland won the game 75-73 with the help of a nearly half court buzzer beater 3-point shot. Freshman John Goldsberry set an NCAA Tournament record by shooting 8 for 8 on 3-point shots.
In 2006 they earned a 9th seed, their highest ever seed, and faced off against the underrated #8 seed George Washington Colonials. GW was slotted to get a #4-#7 seed, so the Seahawks had a tougher 1st round opponent than most #9 seeds. Despite an excellent 1st half, the Seahawks were unable to hold off a huge surge by GW in the second half and lost in overtime 88-85.

People

Notable Alumni

Carl Willis (year of graduation unknown), current pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians
Brett Blizzard (2003), professional basketball player in Italy
Craig Callahan (2003), professional basketball player in Czech Republic

Chief Executives

Presidents

Thomas Tristram Hamilton, Jr. (1947-1949)
John T. Hoggard (1949-1958)
William M. Randall (1958-1968)
William H. Wagoner (1968-1969)

Chancellors

William H. Wagoner (1969-1990)
Dr. James R. Leutze (1990-2003)
Rosemary DePaolo (2003-present)

Clubs

Points of interest

University of North Carolina at Wilmington Arboretum

Notes

↑ [UNCW History] The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Accessed April 21, 2006.
↑ [UNCW Quick Fact Sheet] The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Accessed April 21, 2006.
↑ [UNCW Points of Pride] The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Accessed April 21, 2006.

External links

[University of North Carolina Wilmington Web site]

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