University of North Carolina at Asheville
Motto	Levo Oculos Meos In Montes
Motto in English	I Lift My Eyes to the Mountains
Established	1927
Type	Public
Endowment	$27 million
Chancellor	Anne Ponder
Faculty	182 (part & full time)
Undergraduates	3,609
Postgraduates	35
Location	Asheville, North Carolina, USA
Campus	Suburban 265 acres (1.1 km2)
Colors	Blue and white
Nickname	"Bulldogs"
Athletics	NCAA Division I 12 varsity sports
Affiliations	Big South, University of North Carolina
Website	www.unca.edu

The University of North Carolina at Asheville is a co-educational, four year, public liberal arts university.^[1] The university is also known as UNC Asheville and UNCA. Located in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, UNCA is the only designated^[2] liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system. UNC Asheville is member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Precis of the University's History 2 Academics 2.1 Majors 3 Administration 3.1 Chief Executive Officers 4 Student Government Association 5 Athletics 6 Points of interest 7 Faculty 7.1 Notable Faculty 8 Notable alumni 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

UNC Asheville was founded in 1927^[3] as Buncombe County Junior College, part of the Buncombe County public school system. In 1930 the school merged with the College of the City of Asheville (founded in 1928) to form Biltmore Junior College. In 1934 the college was renamed Biltmore College and placed in the control of a board of trustees. 1936 brought both a further change of name to Asheville-Biltmore College and a transfer of power to the Asheville City School Board.

In 1961 Asheville-Biltmore College moved to the present UNCA campus in north Asheville. In 1963 it became a state-supported four-year college, and awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1966. Its first residence halls were built in 1967. It adopted its current name in 1969 upon becoming part of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, since 1972 called the University of North Carolina System. It is the designated public liberal arts university within that system, and has been classified as a Liberal Arts I institution since 1992.

UNCA has more than 207 full-time faculty members and an enrollment of approximately 3,600 students. Classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a Baccalaureate College—Arts & Sciences (Bac/A&S), ^[4] the university offers thirty-two baccalaureate programs and a master's degree in liberal arts, first granted in 1991.

[edit] Precis of the University's History

Year - Name and Levels
1927 First 86 students (men and women) attended Buncombe County Junior College
1929 First graduating class, merges with Asheville City College, name changes to Biltmore College
1936 Chartered as Asheville-Biltmore College
1957 First two-year college in NC to receive state funds
1958 First African-American student enrolled
1963 Asheville-Biltmore College authorized to offer baccalaureate degrees
1969 College joins the UNC System & chartered as the University of North Carolina at Asheville
1992 Officially recognized as one of the nation’s first public liberal arts colleges
2007 University celebrates 80th anniversary

[edit] Academics

Innovative academic programs, low cost and an interdisciplinary study approach has drawn praise from national college guidebooks. The Princeton Review of "America's Best Value Colleges" ranked UNCA third^[5] on their list of Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges of 2008. The Fiske Guide to Colleges ranked UNCA among top 20 Best Buys^[6] in public liberal arts education, saying, "The University of North Carolina at Asheville offers all the perks that are generally associated with pricier private institutions: rigorous academics, small classes and a beautiful setting. And it does it for a fraction of the cost." The U.S. News & World Report's annual college rankings has placed UNCA fourth in the nation^[7] among public liberal arts colleges. The Princeton Review lists UNCA in "the Best 311 Colleges",^[8] saying, “For students who seek a public education in a smaller campus environment, this is a great choice.”

[edit] Majors

UNC Asheville offers four-year undergraduate programs leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in the these majors.

[edit] Administration

The university is led by Chancellor Anne Ponder the chief administrative officer, along with Provost Jane Fernandes and several advisory groups. The institution operates under the guidance and policies of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

As part of the University of North Carolina's 16-campus university system, UNCA also falls under the administration of UNC President Erskine Bowles and the UNC Board of Governors advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly.

• William Haggard - Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
• William P. Massey - Vice Chancellor for Alumni and Development
• John G. Pierce - Vice Chancellor for Finance and Campus Operations
• Janet Cone - Director of Athletics
• Wilma Sherrill - Special Assistant to the Chancellor
• Thomas Lawton - University Counsel
• Christine Riley - Chief of Staff

[edit] Chief Executive Officers

Chief Executive Officers of the university:^[9]

[edit] Student Government Association

UNC Asheville's Student Government Association (SGA) consists of two branches, an 18-seat Student Senate and an executive branch comprising a President, Vice-President, and Cabinet. Representation in the Student Senate is divided among the four classes, with three additional seats each being given to residential and commuter students. SGA's authority is derived from the Chancellor and the Board of Governors.

[edit] Athletics

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

UNC Asheville's athletics teams are known as the Bulldogs. They are a member of the NCAA's Division I and compete in the Big South Conference. The basketball team is coached by Eddie Biedenbach.

Highlights

• 1984 - The Women's Basketball team won the NAIA National Championship.
• 2003 - The Men's Basketball team won the Big South Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
• 2006 - The Men's Baseball team won the Big South Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
• 2006 - The Women's Soccer team won the Big South Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
• 2007 - The Women's Basketball team won the Big South Tournament and advanced to their first NCAA Tournament.
• 2008 - The Men's Basketball team set a new school record for victories (23) and won a share of the Big South Regular Season Championship. UNCA became the first team in the history of the Big South Conference to advance to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

[edit] Points of interest

• Botanical Gardens at Asheville (adjacent to the campus)
• Asheville Graduate Center
• College for Seniors
• Honors Program
• North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR)
• Teaching Fellows

[edit] Faculty

UNC Asheville has 182 faculty members, mostly holding doctorate degrees.

[edit] Notable Faculty

• Mark Gibney
• Surain Subramaniam
• Ted Meigs
• Bill Sabo
• Dan Pierce
• Ellen Pearson
• Richard Chess
• David Brendan Hopes
• Robert Moog

[edit] Notable alumni

• Roy A. Taylor - Member, US Congress
• Wilma Dykeman – environmental
• Topper Shutt - meteorologist
• Kristina Abernathy - meteorologist
• Ty Wigginton - Major League Baseball player
• Kenny George- former basketball player

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• University of North Carolina at Asheville website
• Brief History of the University of North Carolina at Asheville
• University of North Carolina at Asheville alumni website
• University of North Carolina at Asheville athletics website
• University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Government Association website
• University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Radio, The Blue Echo
• Black Student Association at the University of North Carolina at Asheville
• University of North Carolina at Asheville student newspaper, The Blue Banner

v • d • e University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) Asheville, North Carolina • Botanical Gardens • Big South Conference • Graduate Center • University of North Carolina

v • d • e University of North Carolina system Universities Appalachian State • East Carolina • Elizabeth City State • Fayetteville State • NC A&T State • NC Central • NC State • UNC Asheville • UNC-Chapel Hill • UNC Charlotte • UNC Greensboro • UNC Pembroke • UNC School of the Arts • UNC Wilmington • Western Carolina • Winston-Salem State High School NC School of Science and Mathematics Affiliates NC Arboretum • NCCAT • NCCIU • NCCN • NCSAA • NCSEAA • UNC Center for Public Television • UNC Press Administration History • Legal Mandate • Structure • Presidents • Speaker Ban

v • d • e Council of Public Liberal Arts College (COPLAC) College of Charleston • Eastern Connecticut State University • The Evergreen State College • Fort Lewis College • Georgia College & State University • Henderson State University • Keene State College • Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts • Midwestern State University • New College of Florida • Ramapo College • Sonoma State University • Southern Oregon University • St. Mary's College of Maryland • State University of New York at Geneseo • Truman State University • University of Alberta, Augustana Campus • University of Maine at Farmington • University of Mary Washington • University of Minnesota Morris • University of Montevallo • University of North Carolina at Asheville • University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma • University of Virginia's College at Wise • University of Wisconsin-Superior

v • d • e Big South Conference Charleston Southern • Coastal Carolina • Gardner-Webb • High Point • Liberty • Presbyterian • Radford • UNC Asheville • Virginia Military Institute • Winthrop Associate Member: Stony Brook (football)

Coordinates: 35°36′58″N 82°33′58″W / 35.61619°N 82.56614°W / 35.61619; -82.56614