THE UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA AT PEMBROKE
Mission, Vision, Core
Values, and Distinctiveness of the University
History of The
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
The Campus
MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY
Founded in
1887 as a school for the education of American Indians, The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke now serves a distinctly diverse student body and
encourages inclusion and appreciation for the values of all people. UNC
Pembroke exists to promote excellence in teaching and learning, at the graduate
and undergraduate levels, in an environment of free inquiry, interdisciplinary
collaboration, and rigorous intellectual standards.
Our
diversity and our commitment to personalized teaching uniquely prepare our
students for rewarding careers, postgraduate education, leadership roles, and fulfilling
lives. We cultivate an international perspective, rooted in our service to and
appreciation of our multi-ethnic regional society, which prepares citizens for
engagement in global society. Students are encouraged to participate in
activities that develop their intellectual curiosity and mold them into
responsible stewards of the world.
UNCP
faculty and staff are dedicated to active student learning, engaged
scholarship, high academic standards, creative activity, and public service. We
celebrate our heritage as we enhance the intellectual, cultural, economic, and
social life of the region.
VISION STATEMENT
The
University of North Carolina at Pembroke will challenge students to embrace
difference and adapt to change, think critically, communicate effectively, and
become responsible citizens. Working from a strong foundation in the liberal
arts, we will increase opportunities to infuse our curriculum with
interdisciplinary innovation while promoting undergraduate and graduate
research as well as international opportunities.
CORE VALUES STATEMENT
The
faculty and staff of UNC Pembroke are guided by the following set of core
values:
1) The commitment to serving the
local region
2) The creation, exploration,
evaluation, and articulation of ideas
3) The value of a liberal arts
foundation as the basis of self-realization and lifelong learning
4) The importance of honor and
integrity to learning and leadership as we educate students to be stewards of
the world
5) The appreciation of the
American Indian history of the university and local community
6) The appreciation of diversity
and respect for the dignity and worth of every individual
7) The commitment to prepare
graduate and undergraduate students to succeed in an ever-changing and
increasingly technological global environment
8) The accessibility of education
which leads to the enhancement of the economy and culture in the region
9) The maintenance of a
sustainable, safe, healthful, attractive, and accessible campus
INSTITUTIONAL
DISTINCTIVENESS STATEMENT
The
University of North Carolina at Pembroke distinguishes itself from peer
institutions by offering an affordable, highly personalized, student-centered
education to diverse students. Founded in 1887 as an American Indian institution
to serve the Lumbee people, UNCP is now also comprised of students, faculty,
and staff who possess differing attributes based on race,
ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, national origin, age,
political affiliation, religion, and other characteristics. Diversity grounds intellectual
pursuits and provides us with opportunities for discovery and ways to integrate
all individuals and groups into the larger community, respecting and valuing
their uniqueness while simultaneously advancing the University’s historical
tradition UNC Pembroke thus
prepares its students for life and leadership within a diverse society.
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY
OF NORTH CAROLINA AT PEMBROKE
On March
7, 1887, Croatan Normal School was established after legislation sponsored by
Representative Hamilton McMillan of Robeson County was enacted by the General
Assembly of North Carolina. The law, which was in response to a petition from
American Indians of the area, established a Board of Trustees and appropriated
$500 to be used only for salaries. A clapboard, two-story building was
constructed by local Indians at a site about one mile west of the present
location, and the school opened with 15 students and one teacher in the fall of
1887. For many years, the instruction was at the elementary and secondary
level, and the first diploma was awarded in 1905.
The school
was moved to its present location in Pembroke, the center of the Indian
community, in 1909. The General Assembly changed the name of the institution in
1911 to the Indian Normal School of Robeson County, and again in 1913 to the
Cherokee Indian Normal School of Robeson County. In 1926, the Board of Trustees
added a two‑year normal (teacher training) program beyond high school and
phased out elementary instruction. The first ten diplomas were awarded in 1928,
when the state accredited the school as a “standard normal school.”
In 1933,
two-year college (junior college) coursework was added. In 1936, the third year
of the normal and college curriculum was added, and, in 1939, a fourth year was
added after the institution received a “senior college” rating. The first
four-year degrees were conferred in 1940. In recognition of its new status, the
General Assembly changed the name of the school in 1941 to Pembroke State
College for Indians. Between 1939 and 1953, it was the only state‑supported
four‑year college for Indians in the nation. The scope of the institution
was widened in 1943 when non‑teaching baccalaureate degrees were added,
and, in 1945, when enrollment, previously limited to the Indians of Robeson
County, was opened to people from all federally‑recognized Indian groups.
In 1949, the General Assembly shortened the name to Pembroke State College.
The Board
of Trustees approved the admission of white students up to 40 percent of the
total enrollment in 1953, and, following the Supreme Court’s school
desegregation decision, opened the College to all qualified applicants without
regard to race in 1954. Growth of over 500 percent followed during the next
eight years. In 1969, the General Assembly changed the name again to Pembroke
State University and designated the institution a regional university. Such
universities were authorized “to provide undergraduate and graduate instruction
in liberal arts, fine arts, and science, and in the learned professions,
including teaching” and to “provide other graduate and undergraduate programs
of instruction as are deemed necessary to meet the needs of their
constituencies and of the State.”
Three
years later, in 1972, the General Assembly established the 16‑campus
University of North Carolina with Pembroke State University as one of the
constituent institutions. The new structure was under the control of the Board
of Governors, which was to coordinate the system of higher education, improve
its quality, and encourage economical use of the state’s resources. The Board
of Governors approved the implementation of the Master of Arts in Education
program by Pembroke State University in 1978, as well as several new
undergraduate programs. Since that time, additional baccalaureate programs have
been added, including nursing, and master’s level programs have been
implemented in Business Administration, Public Administration, School
Counseling, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Pembroke
State University celebrated its centennial in 1987. On July 1, 1996, Pembroke
State University officially became The University of North Carolina at
Pembroke.
In 2000, a
major in applied physics and four new Master of Arts programs were added. An
Office of International Programs and the
Esther G. Maynor Honors College were also
instituted to enhance scholarship. Since then, the University has added new
baccalaureate programs, including Spanish, environmental science, and
geo-environmental studies, as well as new graduate degrees, including the
Master of School Administration (M.S.A.), the Master of Arts in Teaching
(M.A.T.), and the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.). Many classes at the
undergraduate and graduate levels are available through distance learning,
including the Internet.
UNCP was
declared “North Carolina’s Historically American Indian University” on July 5,
2005.
On March
14, 2012, the university began a 14-month celebration of the 125th
anniversary of its founding.
THE
CAMPUS
Located
along the western edge of the Town of Pembroke in Robeson County, North
Carolina, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke occupies 200 acres. It
is easily accessible by automobile, 10 miles from Interstate 95 and two miles
from U.S. 74. Commercial airline service is available at the Fayetteville
Regional Airport and at the Southern Pines/Pinehurst Airport, each 40 miles
from the campus. A map of the campus
is available on the University website at www.uncp.edu/map.
The main
entrance is off Odum Street, which runs north from NC 711. Lumbee Hall (1995) houses the Chancellor’s Office and the Offices
of Academic Affairs, Business Affairs, and Student Affairs, as well as Enrollment
Planning and Recruitment, Undergraduate Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid,
Controller, Student Accounts, Institutional Effectiveness, Human Resources and
General Counsel.
On the
north end of campus are the Walter J. Pinchbeck
Maintenance Building
(2004), named for a former superintendent of buildings and grounds, which
houses offices, maintenance, and the motor pool; the Soccer Field (2006); co-educational residential facilities: University Courtyard Apartments (2001),
University Village Apartments (2003),
and Cypress Hall (2011); the Health Sciences Building (2012), which
houses the Department of Nursing and the Department of Social Work; Sampson Building (2007), named for
Oscar R. Sampson, a former Chair of the Board of Trustees, which houses the
departments of Psychology, Philosophy and Religion, and Sociology and Criminal
Justice; and the Adolph L. Dial
Humanities Building (1980),
named for a professor of American Indian history, which houses the departments
of English and Theatre, Foreign Languages, and History, a lecture theatre, and
the English Resource Center. The north end of campus is also home to athletic
facilities: Lumberton Radiological
Associates (LRA) Field (softball); Sammy
and Onita Cox Field (baseball);
the tennis courts; and the Intramural Field (2002).
At the
center of the campus is the English E.
Jones Health and Physical Education Center (1972, 2005), named for a former
Chancellor, which houses the Department of Health, Physical Education, and
Recreation and has two gymnasiums, a natatorium with a swimming pool and diving
tank, the Mac and Sylvia Campbell Wellness Center, a physiology laboratory, a
small lecture hall, and two racquetball courts. The Auxiliary Services Building (1977, 2006) receives deliveries
and houses the University Bookstore, campus Post Office, BravesCard office,
Printing Center, and Purchasing Services, as well as Receiving and Central
Stores; the Department of Police and Public Safety is located on the west side
of the building. The Givens Performing
Arts Center
(1975), named for former Chancellor Paul R. Givens, houses the Theatre Arts
program and provides an amphitheater‑style auditorium for an audience of
1600. In the James B. Chavis University Center (1987, 2003), named for the
former Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, the first floor houses the
Information Booth, dining hall, Bert’s, Chancellor’s and Faculty dining rooms,
snack bar, bowling alley, TV/games areas, the Hawk’s Nest recreation center, a
24-hour computer lab and student lounge; on the second floor are the Counseling
and Testing Center, Career Center, and the offices of Student Involvement and
Leadership, Greek Life, Intramurals/Campus Recreation, and Student Government.
The University Center Annex (2007)
includes three conference rooms, a large multi-purpose assembly room with a
stage, two dressing rooms and a catering kitchen, and the offices of Housing
and Residence Life, the Indianhead yearbook, and The Aurochs
literary magazine.
Other facilities located in central campus, across Odum Street,
are Carter Hall (2008), which houses
the Division of Information Technology, and Lindsay Hall (2011), home to the offices of Advancement, Alumni Relations,
University Communications and Marketing, the School of Graduate Studies, and
Sponsored Research and Programs. Beside University Road, along the western edge
of central campus, is the Irwin Belk
Athletic Complex (2002), home of Braves football and track and field; it
includes Grace P. Johnson Stadium
(2007), Lumbee Guaranty Bank Field
(2002), the Dick and Lenore Taylor Track
(2002), and the Bob Caton Field House
(2007).
Also located in the center of campus, the Business Administration Building (1969, 1995) houses the School of
Business and the Department of Public Administration, a computer lab, and the
Interactive Video Facility. The Education Center (1976) houses the School of Education, the
Office of University-School Programs, the Teacher Education Licensure Office,
the Teaching Fellows Program, and curriculum and computer labs for Education
majors. West Hall (1965) houses additional
office space.
Most
residence halls are located near the center of campus. In addition to Pine Hall (2000) and Oak Hall (2007), there are two women’s residence halls, Mary Irwin Belk Hall (1970) and North Hall (1972).
The south
of campus is a quadrangle with a water
feature and amphitheater (2002), the Lowry
Bell Tower (1981, 2003), and a gazebo. The D.F. Lowry Building (1965, 2007), named after the first graduate of the Croatan
Normal School, contains the College Opportunity Program, Disability Support
Services, the DoIT Help Desk, the University Writing Center, the Center for
Academic Excellence, the Center for Adult Learners, and a study room. Locklear Hall (1950, 2005), named for
American Indian educator Anderson Locklear, houses a gallery, classrooms, and
studios of the Art Department. Jacobs
Hall (1961),
named for former Board of Trustees chair Rev. L.W. Jacobs, houses Upward Bound,
Student Support Services, and other offices, while Wellons Hall (1965), named for former university President Ralph D.
Wellons, houses additional office space. Moore
Hall (1951,
2005), named for Rev. W.L. Moore, the first principal and teacher at the
Croatan Normal School, contains the Music Department classrooms, auditorium,
library, and studios, as well as practice rooms and facilities for the marching
band and choirs.
The
southeastern edge of the quadrangle is bordered by historic Old Main (1923, restored 1979), the oldest
structure on campus and the only campus building listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. Its first floor houses the offices of
Multicultural and Minority Affairs and Community and Civic Engagement, as well
as broadcasting studios (WNCP-TV), WNCP radio, and the Museum of the Native
American Resource Center. On the second floor are the offices of the
departments of American Indian Studies, Geology and Geography, and Mass
Communication and the student newspaper, The Pine Needle. The Herbert G. Oxendine Science
Building (1967,
2004), named for a former academic Dean, provides classrooms, laboratories,
computer labs, and offices for the departments of Biology, Chemistry and
Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and
Political Science.
Along the
southwestern border of the quadrangle is the Mary Livermore Library (1967, 1997), named after a former religion
professor. The library provides access to approximately 392,000 volumes, 41,000
periodical titles (print and electronic), Special Collections (university
archives), and a depository for U.S. government documents, as well as extensive
electronic resources. West of the library is Student Health Services (1967, 2003), which provides
health care and health educational services, the former Nursing Building (1965, 1987), home of the College
of Arts and Sciences and the Esther G. Maynor Honors College, and the Chancellor’s Residence (1952, 1999).
The
southwestern corner of campus contains the West
Office Building (2001), which houses the Office of Distance Education;
adjacent to it are the Dogwood Building (2004),
which houses the Thomas Family Center for Entrepreneurship, the International House (2006), home of the
Office of International Programs, and
Magnolia House (2008), home of Aerospace Studies and Military Science.
The Regional Center (2004) is located off campus, about three
miles east of Pembroke on NC 711, at the Carolina Commerce and Technology
Center (COMTech).