News & Messages

Welcome message from Chancellor Carol L. Folt

Dear Carolina Community,

Welcome to the start of another exciting year at Carolina. The energy skyrocketed over the weekend during move-in, Convocation and Fall Fest, and we are so excited to greet our new and returning students, faculty and staff.

This year we are joined by 4,081 new undergraduates from the largest undergraduate applicant pool in Carolina’s history. That includes 701 new Covenant Scholars and 775 new first generation college students. In addition, we welcome 1,800 new graduate students and 749 transfer students.

It is a special time on campus, and the momentum we experienced last year really carried over into summer and will extend into fall. Here are a few highlights:

  • The Board of Trustees approved historic resolutions to rename Saunders Hall to Carolina Hall and develop curation and education initiatives to provide historical context.
  • GSK and Carolina created an HIV Cure center and company to find a cure for HIV/AIDS.
  • Carolina athletics posted strong academic results and placed fifth in the 2014-2015 Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking of the best collegiate athletic programs.
  • Carolina received the Deshpande Foundation’s first Entrepreneurial University Award.
  • UNC-Chapel Hill launched a Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence with a five-year, $20 million grant.
  • The University continues work with our accrediting agency and the NCAA and established a new cross-institution Ethics and Integrity Working Group, and Policies and Procedures Working Group.
  • UNC Core, the Friday Center’s new distance-learning program designed for service members and veterans, was launched.
  • Philanthropy reached $447 million – Carolina’s highest year by more than $104 million.
  • Exciting new seasons were announced for arts venues across campus; fall sports began; and Carolina Conversations continues. I encourage you to extend your Carolina journey beyond the classroom and experience as much of these as you can (More information can be found on the unc.edu homepage).

I want to offer my sincere thanks to the thousands of employees who make our campus beautiful, welcoming and safe. I also want to share my deep appreciation for our generous supporters and alumni, outstanding students, dedicated faculty, committed staff — and the larger community that cares about the University.

I look forward to seeing you out and about, and invite you to follow me on Twitter (@ChancellorFolt) and to stay connected with our University using Twitter (@UNC), Facebook (/UNCChapelHill), Instagram (UNCChapelHill) and Snapchat (UNC-ChapelHill).

Carolina’s great work is growing; the best is yet to come.

Sincerely,
Carol L. Folt
Chancellor