University leaders and faculty prepare for UNC's 226th birthday

On Saturday, University leaders, faculty and alumni will gather to celebrate the 226th anniversary of the nation's oldest public university.

University Day is celebrated each year on Oct. 12 and marks the day that the cornerstone of Old East, the first building constructed on campus, was laid. The day is meant to celebrate the birthplace of public higher education in the United States.

“University Day for me personally is about the spirit of innovation, because I am an entrepreneur, but also the spirit of service and serving others and really making individuals’ loads lighter” said Bernard Bell, the executive director of the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Bell, along with UNC faculty Rick Luettich and Anita Brown-Graham, are guest speakers for University Day this year and will discuss the accomplishments of UNC's service work.

The celebrations will begin with a 10:30 a.m. procession to Memorial Hall. Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz will make remarks on UNC's work across the state, followed by speeches from three featured speakers and awards for distinguished alumni and faculty.

“What's significant for me on this particular University Day is how service and innovation intersect,” Bell said.

This year's ceremony will focus on the theme of the University being both of and for the public. 

Luettich, a professor, the director of UNC's Institute of Marine Science and the director of UNC Center for Natural Hazards Resilience, described the "for the people" portion of this theme. 

“It really is very much the fabric of what we do," Luettich said. "We are not an ivory tower, basic research program that simply is curious about things in who-knows-where and does research on them."

Luettich said that the Institute focuses on ensuring that its work is implemented and leaves an impact rather than focusing purely on academics, success and publications.

Brown-Graham, a professor of public law and government and the director of ncIMPACT, said that the work that happens at UNC has an impact on the state as a whole. 

“It means in many ways that even for people who will never set foot on campus, nor will their children, there are the positive effects of campus on their lives,” Brown-Graham said.

The University will honor four alumni with Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards. Additionally, the Edward Kidder Graham Faculty Service Award, which recognizes outstanding service by UNC faculty, will be presented to Dr. Giselle Corbie-Smith, a Kenan Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Medicine and Department of Social Medicine, and director of the UNC Center for Health Equity Research.

Corbie-Smith is receiving the award for her work in health disparities research. 

She said that her work is with community, not on or to community. “To be of good service, we need to be in partnership with those people” Corbie-Smith said. 

Being of service to the state and the people is what drew Corbie-Smith to the University originally, she said.

When asked about the importance of University Day, she said that she sees it as a day to celebrate the past and look toward the future. 

Bell said University Day goes beyond celebrating UNC's birthday. “The goal is to celebrate the University’s past and its future," Bell said. "There have been opportunities to celebrate, there have also been times to reflect."

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