The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will install Dr. Carol L. Folt as its 11th chancellor on University Day, Oct. 12. Folt will deliver an installation address during the ceremony at 2 p.m. in Polk Place, on the steps of South Building.
The public is invited to attend the free ceremony, which will begin with a processional of faculty, students, staff, alumni, visiting dignitaries and other leaders. A reception following installation will be outside of Wilson Library. In case of rain, the ceremony will be held in the Dean E. Smith Center. Parking is available in the Dean E. Smith Center lot, with shuttle service beginning at 12:30 p.m. Parking also will be available at other locations around campus.
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.”
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 installation festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, with a lecture on Carolina’s history by James L. Leloudis, history professor and associate dean of Honors Carolina, at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. On Friday, Carolina faculty will participate in three panel discussions on innovation, water–the topic of Carolina’s two-year academic theme– and the future of the U.S. public research university, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Carolina Inn. The events are free and open to the public.
A special concert, “The World Comes Here: Celebrating the Performing Arts at Carolina,” curated by Carolina Performing Arts, will be presented at 8 p.m., Friday, at Memorial Hall. Admission is free, but tickets are required. Visit http://www.carolinaperformingarts.org or the Carolina Performing Arts box office beginning at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10, to reserve tickets.
Folt Fest, the official student-only celebration to welcome Folt to Carolina, will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Polk Place. The event, sponsored by the Order of the Bell Tower, student government, Carolina Union Activities Board and the UNC Student Alumni Association, will feature food and fun.
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.
For updates on University Day activities, visit: http://installation.unc.edu/. For more about Chancellor Folt, visit: http://www.chancellor.unc.edu
Photo link: http://tinyurl.com/l97c99l
News Services contact: Tanya Moore, (919) 962-4515, tanya_moore@unc.edu