More than two centuries ago today, our University’s founders laid the cornerstone of the first building of the first state university in the United States of America.
We commemorate this event with University Day.
The purpose, according to UNC’s website, is to remember the University’s past and celebrate its future. The occasion recognizes outstanding contributions that Tar Heels have made to the world.
To students, this often translates into a three-hour block during which we do not have to attend class.
During my two previous University Days at UNC, I considered the event to be nothing more than a time during which professors donned their academic regalia and walked around the Old Well.
But this year, the past and the future highlighted at the event will relate to my own passions for water and global health.
This year’s distinguished speaker, Jamie Bartram, is the director of the renowned UNC Water Institute and a distinguished professor at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. He also chairs the University’s Water Theme Steering Committee.
One of the four alumni to be recognized at the event, Greg Allgood, who graduated in 1981, travels the world distributing water purification packets to those without access to safe water sources.
He led a team in developing the easy-to-use technology, which has been lauded for preventing illness and saving lives around the world.