Carol L. Folt will be installed as Carolina’s 11th chancellor on University Day, Oct. 12, in Polk Place, on the steps of South Building.
During the ceremony, she will give an address about the University’s future, and five alumni will be honored with Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards. The free public ceremony will begin with music and a processional of faculty, students, staff, alumni, visiting dignitaries and other leaders. The scheduled part of the ceremony are:
- 1:30 p.m. – music by the UNC Wind Ensemble and the Carolina Choir and processional;
- 2:00 p.m. – program begins.
A reception following installation will be on Polk Place, outside Wilson Library. In case of rain, the ceremony will be held in the Dean E. Smith Center.
Parking details are on the Chancellor Installation website.
University Day marks the laying of the cornerstone of Old East, the nation’s first state university building, in 1793. The day has become the traditional inauguration day for new chancellors since 1957. UNC President Tom Ross will preside at the ceremony, and Sarah Parker, chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office. Distinguished speakers include representatives from the UNC Board of Governors, the University’s Board of Trustees, faculty, students, staff and the UNC General Alumni Association.
“This is an exciting day for Carolina,” said Lowry Caudill, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We hope the students, faculty, staff and everyone in the Carolina community will join us to hear Chancellor Folt’s vision for the University and to celebrate 220 years of public higher education in America.”
Installation festivities begin Oct. 10
Installation festivities also include:
- Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Lecture titled “What’s a University For? Reflections on Carolina, Past and Present” by James L. Leloudis, history professor and associate dean of Honors Carolina. George Watts Hill Alumni Center.
- Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. Carolina faculty participate in three panel discussions on innovation, water – the topic of Carolina’s academic theme – and the future of the U.S. public research university. Carolina Inn. Free and open to the public.
- Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. A special concert, “The World Comes Here: Celebrating the Performing Arts at Carolina,” curated by Carolina Performing Arts is sold out. All tickets have been reserved. Please visit the Memorial Hall Box Office or call 919-843-3333 for information on adding your name to the waiting list. Memorial Hall.
- Oct. 13 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Folt Fest, the official student-only celebration to welcome Folt to Carolina, in the Pit. Sponsored by the Order of the Bell Tower, student government, Carolina Union Activities Board and UNC Student Alumni Association. Food and fun.
During the ceremony, Carolina will present five Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Awards, created in 1971 to recognize “alumni who had distinguished themselves in a manner that brought credit to the University.” This year’s recipients are: Stuart Bondurant, professor and dean emeritus of the UNC School of Medicine; William Easterling III, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University and founding director of the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment; Karol Mason, U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs; Todd Miller, founder and executive director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Ocean, N.C.; and Gary Parr, vice chairman of Lazard Ltd., a global financial advisory firm.
The UNC Board of Governors unanimously elected Folt as chancellor in April, and she started work on July 1. An internationally recognized environmental scientist and award-winning teacher, Folt served as interim president of Dartmouth College during 2012-2013. She also was Dartmouth Professor of Biological Sciences at the prestigious Ivy League institution. Folt is the first woman to lead Carolina.
Read more about Chancellor Folt.
Published September 6, 2013. Updated October 9, 2013.