The University of North Carolina Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a public

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated

institution in the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

system. UNC Asheville is a member and the headquarters of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

History

UNC Asheville was founded in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College, part of the Buncombe County public school system. It was the first tuition free public college in the United States. It was located in the Biltmore School in south Asheville on Hendersonville Road (U.S. 25). In 2001, Biltmore School was recognized by the Save America's Treasures program. During the Great Depression, the college started charging tuition. 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. In 1936, the name changed to Asheville-Biltmore College, and control was transferred to the Asheville City Schools. Overlook_Castle_in_1920

In 1949, the college relocated to the 20,000-square foot Overlook Castle, also known as Seely's Caste, which included 29 acres on the crest of Sunset Mountain. Evelyn Grove Seely, widow of

Fred Loring Seely Fred Loring Seely (December 22, 1871 – March 14, 1942) was an American newspaperman, chemist, inventor and philanthropist. Born to Uriah and Nancy Hopping Seely, in Monmouth, New Jersey, Fred Seely first worked for the Parke-Davis pharmaceut ...

, sold Overlook to the college $125,000; she also donated $50,000 to the acquisition fund. The college renamed the house Seely Hall, as requested by the seller. The house, no longer part of the college, was named to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1980. In 1961, Asheville-Biltmore College moved to the present UNC Asheville campus in north Asheville. That year, the college desegregated with the enrollment of Etta Mae Whitner Patterson. 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. UNC Asheville desegregated its faculty in 1981, along with all schools in the

. It is one of three

baccalaureate college The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the United States. It was created in 1970 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Adva ...

s within the University of North Carolina System, and has been classified as a Liberal Arts I institution since 1992.

Administration

The university has been led by Chancellor Nancy J. Cable since 2018. On October 13th, 2022, it was announced she will be stepping down on December 31st, 2022. At that point, Interim Provost Kimberly van Noort will become interim chancellor. The university operates under the guidance and policies of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Members of the board are appointed by the governor of North Carolina. As part of the seventeen-campus

System, UNC Asheville also falls under the administration of the system's president, Peter Hans. The UNC System is administered by the UNC Board of Governors, which is elected by the North Carolina Legislature, and advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly.

Chief executive officers

Presidents/Deans

*1927–1932: S.B. Conley, Dean *1932–1936: A.C. Reynolds, President *1936–1941: Charles A. Lloyd, Dean *1945–1946: William H. Morgan, Dean *1946–1947: Clarence N. Gilbert, Dean *1947–1947: R.A. Tomberlin, President *1947–1962: Glenn L. Bushey, President *1962–1969: William E. Highsmith, President

Chancellors

*1969–1977: William E. Highsmith *1977–1977: Arnold K. King, a''cting'' *1977–1984: William E. Highsmith *1984–1990: David G. Brown *1990–1991: Roy Carroll, ''interim'' *1991–1993: Samuel Schuman *1994–1994: Larry Wilson, ''interim'' *1994–1999: Patsy Reed *1999–2005: James H. Mullen, Jr. *2005–2014: Anne Ponder *2014–2015: Doug Orr, ''interim'' *2015–2017: Mary K. Grant *2017–2018: Joseph Urgo, ''interim'' *2018–2022: Nancy J. Cable *2022-present: Kimberly van Noort, ''interim''

Campus

The campus includes 365 acres in a small city setting. Noteworthy campus features include: * Bob Moog Electric Music Studio is named for

Robert Moog Robert Arthur Moog ( ; May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was an American engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthes ...

, former professor and inventor of the

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014 ...

Botanical Gardens at Asheville The Botanical Gardens at Asheville (BGA), also known as the Asheville Botanical Gardens, is an independent non-profit botanical garden located on 10 acres at 151 W. T. Weaver Boulevard in Asheville, North Carolina. Dedicated to the study and pro ...

is adjacent to campus and features 600 plant species on ten acres with walking trails * Carol Belk Theatre seats 200 people and is used for Theatre UNCA and other performances * Kimmel Area with seating for 3,200 people is used for basketball and concerts * Lookout Observatory for astronomical research is open to the public for stargazing and includes a collection of images from the universe * N.C. Center for Health & Wellness, including biofeedback lab and meditation space * Wilma Dykeman Writers-in-Residence home * S. Tucker Cooke Gallery is used for student and faculty art exhibits * Earthworks from the Civil War Battle of Asheville are preserved on campus.

Academics

Curriculum

UNC Asheville operates on a semester calendar. It offers four-year undergraduate programs leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science degrees in 36 majors, and is classified by the

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the United States. It was created in 1970 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Adv ...

as a Baccalaureate College–Arts & Sciences (Bac/A&S). The University's most popular majors include biology/biological sciences, business administration and management, computer science, digital arts, English language and literature, mass communication/media studies, psychology, and sociology. It also offers joint degrees with North Carolina State University, including a 2-2 B.S. in engineering, a 3-1 B.S. in engineering, and a joint B.S. in engineering in mechatronics concentration. All students complete a capstone or culminating academic experience. UNC Asheville founded the

National Conference on Undergraduate Research The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) was established in 1987 at the University of North Carolina at Asheville to promote undergraduate research in universities throughout the United States. Undergraduate students are invited t ...

and has hosted the event five times. Some sixty percent of student complete undergraduate research or creative project. Around 20% of students partipate in study abroad or study away. More than 48 of its graduates have received Fulbright Fellowships. Located on campus, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute has some 220 faculty and offer more than 350 classes each year.

Faculty

UNC Asheville had 222 full-time faculty members the fall of 2022, with 87% holding terminal degrees in their field. Another 99 faculty serve part-time. Faculty teach all classes, there are no teaching assistants. Nearly sixty percent of the classes have less than twenty students. As of 2022, the student-faulty ratio is 14:1.

Admissions

UNC Asheville's acceptance rate for the fall of 2021 was 82%. At that time, total enrollment was 3,233, with 57% female students and 43% male students. As of fall 2020, students come from 43 states and seventeen countries; 12% of the current study body is from outside of North Carolina. The student demographics are 73.57% White, 8.84% Hispanic, 5.11% Black, 1.68% Asian, and 5.08% unknown. 87% of the enrollees are full-time students. There are deadlines for admissions and either a ACT or SAT is required. In the 2020-2021 academic year, 35% of students received a

Pell Grant A Pell Grant is a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled ...

Library

D. Hiden Ramsey Library is located in the center of campus. It includes the Media Design Lab and the crAFT (Creativity, Art, Fabrication, and Technology) Studio. The library's holdings include Special Collections and University Archives which started in 1977 as the Southern Highlands Research Center and focuses on the history Asheville and Western North Carolina. Annually, the library gives the Ramsey Library Community Author Award; the winner receives a yearlong residency in the library.

Rankings and reputation

In 2022-2023, UNC Asheville's ranking in U.S. New & World Report 8 in Top Public Liberal Arts Schools and 136 in National Liberal Arts Colleges. It also ranked 130 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Program for institutions that do not offer a doctorate.

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4 ...

ranked UNC Asheville as number six for Green Matters, number nine for LGBTQ-Friendly, number 25 for Best Quality of Life, number 22 for Most Politically Active Students, and number 15 for its College City. The 2022 edition of ''The Fiske Guide'' named UNC Asheville a best-buy; the list only includes ten public and ten private universities from across the United States. In 2019, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine ranked UNC Asheville number 494 in Top Colleges, number 176 in Public Colleges, and number 165 in Liberal Arts Universities. Washington Monthly ranked UNC Asheville number 76 on its 2022 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: Southeast and number 77 for its national Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking.

Student life

Organizations and activities

There are more than sixty campus clubs and organizations. Student activities include Greek organizations, with 2% of males belonging to a fraternity and 1% of females belonging to the one sorority. Some 44% of students participate in a service learning project, while 11% participate in intramural sports. UNC Asheville's Student Government Association (SGA) consists of two branches, an eighteen-seat Student Senate and an executive branch comprising a president, vice-president, and Cabinet. UNCA Out is a student group dedicated to students that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, two-spirit, intersexed, and straight allies. UNC Asheville’s Concerts on the Quad features weekly outdoor concerts during the summer months. The North Asheville Tailgate Market opens Saturdays, April through November, and features around forty local vendors.

Dining

UNC Asheville Dining Services are located in Brown Dining Hall. In 2019, it served 265, 318 meals to 67,279 dinner. It donated to Food Connections, weekly.

Housing

In the fall of 2021, 46% of students live on campus.

Athletics

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 Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non- football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). ...

. The university's colors are blue and white. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, and both indoor and outdoor track and field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, diving, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball.

Notable alumni

* Kristina Abernathy - neteorologist at The Weather Channel *

Sarah Addison Allen Sarah Addison Allen (also known by the pen name Katie Gallagher) is an American and New York Times bestselling author. Biography Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, Allen attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville The Uni ...

– author * Anne-Marie Baiynd – author and

technical analyst In finance, technical analysis is an analysis methodology for analysing and forecasting the direction of prices through the study of past market data, primarily price and volume. Behavioral economics and quantitative analysis use many of the same ...

* Timothy Lee Barnwell – photographer and author *

Molly Burch Molly Burch (born October 23, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter. Based in Austin, Texas, her music often reflects themes of heartbreak and loss. She is the lead vocalist and writer. Burch studied jazz vocal performance at UNC Asheville and ...

– singer-songwriter * Tony Campana – professional baseball player *

Cliff Cash Clifton Freeman Cash is an American stand-up comedian from North Carolina. His album ''Half Way There'', released on January 8, 2021 on Stand Up! Records, reached No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart. Personal life Cash was born in Gastonia, North ...

– stand-up comedian * Wiley Cash – author *

Michael Cogdill Michael Cogdill (born George Michael Cogdill, June 11, 1961) is an American journalist, News presenter, anchor, novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. His work as a journalist has appeared on NBC’s ''Today (U.S. TV program), Today Show'', ...

– journalist, news anchor, novelist, screenwriter, and film producer *

Matt Dickey Matthew Dickey (born November 18, 1989) is an American basketball player who is best known for his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville). A 6'1" point guard, Dickey guided the Bulldogs to consecutive ...

– basketball player *

Ryan Dull Ryan Christopher Dull (born October 2, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, New Yo ...

–

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

player * Wilma Dykeman – writer and environmentalist * Jason Faunt – actor *

Kenny George Kenneth George Jr. (born 1986) is an American former college basketball player. Somewhere between and , he was the tallest basketball player in the United States during the two years he played for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, and may have been ...

– tallest player (7'7") in NCAA men's basketball history *

Joey Harrell Joseph Harrell Jr. (born May 11, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Harrell, a 202 cm forward, hails from Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Du ...

– former professional basketball player * Keith Hornsby – professional basketball player * Todd Interdonato – college baseball coach * Ashley Johnson – member of Puerto Rico national soccer team *

Lassi Hurskainen Lassi Elias Hurskainen (born 8 April 1987) is a Finnish TV presenter and footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for UNC Asheville Men's Soccer before graduating from UNC Asheville in Fall of 2011. After moving back to Finland, Hurskainen played ...

– professional soccer player * Veronica Johnson – meteorologist at at

WJLA-TV WJLA-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Washington, D.C., affiliated with ABC. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group (alongside dual Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF hannel 45in Baltimore), and is also siste ...

Autumn Kent Autumn Kent is an American mathematician specializing in topology and geometry. She is a professor of mathematics and Vilas Associate at the University of Wisconsin. She is a transgender woman and a promoter of trans rights. Education Kent rec ...

– mathematician specializing in

topology In mathematics, topology (from the Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a geometric object that are preserved under continuous deformations, such as stretching, twisting, crumpling, and bending; that is, without closing ho ...

and

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

* Kevin Mattison – former professional baseball player *

Alana McLaughlin Alana McLaughlin is a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces and current MMA fighter. She has a professional record of 1-0-0, having made her debut fight in Miami at Combate Global on September 10, 2021. She is the second openly trans wo ...

–

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

fighter * Troy Miller - golf course architect * Nick McDevitt –

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

head coach * Henry Patten – tennis players *

Josh Pittman Abdul Joshua "Josh" Pittman (born July 14, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in numerous countries throughout his career. Pittman played college basketball at University of North Carolina at Asheville, and was na ...

– former professional basketball player * J. P. Primm – basketball player *

Jaleel Roberts Jaleel Roberts (born October 14, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Mantarrayas de La Paz of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA). He played college basketball for UNC Asheville. Hig ...

– professional basketball player *

Ann B. Ross Ann B. Ross is an American author noted for her series of ''New York Times'' bestsellers set in her home state of North Carolina This comedic cozy mystery series features Miss Julia, whose name appears at the beginning of each title in the ser ...

– author *

Andrew Rowsey Andrew Rowsey (born June 18, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs and the Marquette Golden Eagles. Early ...

– professional basketball player * Jalen Seegars – basketball player * Mike Shildt –

manager *

Topper Shutt Charles "Topper" Shutt is Chief Meteorologist at WUSA (TV), WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C. and forecaster for WHUR-FM. Career In 1981, Shutt began his television weather career with CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, working as a weather producer and ...

– chief meteorologist at WUSA-TV in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

* Bryan Smithson – professional basketball player * Brad Sowder –

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winning meteorologist * Stemage (Grant Henry) – guitarist and composer * Dwayne Sutton – professional basketball player *

Patrick Tate Patrick Tate (born May 19, 1987, in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American soccer player who last played for Charleston Battery in the USL Second Division. Career Youth and College Tate attended South Mecklenburg High School and played on ...

– former professional soccer player * Roy A. Taylor – member of U.S. Congress *

MaCio Teague MaCio Teague (born June 11, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Baskets Oldenburg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears. High school career As a sop ...

– professional basketball player *

Jethro Waters Jethro is a male given name meaning "overflow". It is derived from the Hebrew word ''Yithrô''. People named Jethro * Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (1920–1989), mandolin player in satirical country music duo Homer and Jethro * Jethro Franklin ...

–

winning documentary film maker and videographer * Ty Wigginton –

player *

Susana Žigante Susana Renata Žigante (born 22 September 1994) is an American-born Croatian Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper, and has been capped to the Croatia women's national football team, Croatia ...

– professional soccer player

Notable faculty and staff

Academics

* Wiley Cash – author and writer in residence * Richard Chess – literature and language professor, director of the Center for Jewish Studies and the Creative Writing Program. * Jane Fernandes – former provost and vice-chancellor *

Grant Hardy Grant Hardy is professor of history and religious studies and former director of the humanities program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He earned his B.A. in ancient Greek in 1984 from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. in ...

– historian * Tommy Hayes – former faculty, author, and founder of the Great Smokies Writing Program *

David Brendan Hopes David Brendan Hopes (born 1950 in Akron, Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most pop ...

– professor of literature * Elliot Mazer – audio engineer and record producer *

– inventor of the

and former research professor of music *

– literature instructor *

Sylvia Wilkinson Sylvia Jean Wilkinson (born 1940) is an American author. She was born in Durham, North Carolina, United States She graduated from Woman's College, now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, in 1962. She received her master's degree from H ...

– author and former faculty

Athletics

Steve Adlard Stephen Keith Adlard (23 October 1950 – 18 September 2018) was an English footballer and first-class cricketer. Life Adlard played professional football for several seasons in England, as a goalkeeper. He was a member of the Nottingham Fo ...

– former director of soccer and former professional soccer player * Eddie Biedenbach – former men's basketball coach and professional basketball player * Jim Bretz – former baseball coach *

Herbert Coman J. Herbert Coman (October 20, 1920 – July 13, 2009) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Asheville (then known as Asheville-Biltmore College) from 1947 to 1950. ...

– former football coach * Janet Cone – athletic director *

Michelle Demko Michelle Demko (born September 27, 1973) is an American former soccer player and coach who played as a midfielder, making one appearance for the United States women's national team. Career Demko played for the Seminole Warhawks in high school ...

– former women's soccer coach *

Don Doucette Don Doucette (born February 23, 1952) is an American former college basketball coach. During his first season coaching the UMass Lowell River Hawks, Doucette won 15 games for the first winning season in program history. He led the River Hawks t ...

– former basketball coach *

Ed Farrell Edward Farrell (born ) is a former American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1970 to 1973 and Davidson College in Davidson, North C ...

– former athletic director *

Scott Friedholm Scott A. Friedholm (born March 14, 1975) is an American college baseball coach and former catcher. Friedholm is the head coach of the UNC Asheville Bulldogs baseball team. Amateur career Friedholm attended Walpole High School in Walpole, Massachu ...

– baseball coach * Jerry Green – former basketball coach * Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick – former women's basketball head coach * Katie Meier – former assistant women's basketball coach * Mike Morrell – basketball coach * Matt Myers – former baseball coach *

Ryan Odom Robert Ryan Odom (born July 11, 1974) is an American men's college basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the VCU Rams men's basketball team. He was previously the head coach of the Lenoir–Rhyne Bears, the UMBC Retrievers, and ...

– former assistant basketball coach * Matt Reid – former baseball coach * Mike Roberts

– The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

former baseball coach * Tom Smith – former baseball coach *

Sammy Stewart Samuel Lee Stewart (October 28, 1954 – March 2, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1978 to 1987. Stewart had the best earned run average (ERA) in the American League (AL) in 1981 ...

– former baseball coach and former professional baseball player * Monte Towe – former assistant basketball coach

References

External links

*
UNC Asheville Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:North Carolina At Asheville, University Of Educational institutions established in 1927 University of North Carolina Ashville University of North Carolina at Asheville Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Buildings and structures in Asheville, North Carolina 1927 establishments in North Carolina Public liberal arts colleges in the United States