First State University

UNC—Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia compete for the claim of first state university. Each has a fair case to make: Georgia was the first to be chartered, and UNC the first to open. The practice of public support for higher education predates both schools, and even the formation of th...

Beat Dook Parade

The practice of misspelling the name of UNC—Chapel Hill's rival as "Dook" probably began in the 1930s, when "Beat Dook" banners were common at pep rallies. The annual Beat Dook Parade, sponsored by Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, began in 1948 with a procession of twenty-eight c...

Brauer Hall

Brauer Hall has been the home of the School of Dentistry since it opened in 1969. Originally known simply as the Dental Education Building, it was renamed in 1972 for John C. Brauer, the founding dean of the School of Dentistry. Brauer was dean of the dental school at the University of Southern Cali...

Hospitals

The North Carolina legislature appropriated funds for a teaching hospital at the university as part of the plan to create a four-year school of medicine at UNC. The hospital opened in 1952 and was named North Carolina Memorial Hospital in honor of North Carolinians who had given their lives in milit...