Milestones 2002-2018

UNC’s Board of Trustees votes to transition from NCAA Division II to Division I athletics.

The new 500-seat Holmes Dining Hall is completed on West Campus.

UNC repatriates the totem pole nicknamed “Totem Teddy,” which came to campus in 1914 and inspired the university’s mascot, to its rightful owners, the Tlingit Indians of Angoon, Alaska.

The Monfort College of Business becomes the first and only business college to earn the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

UNC earns reaccreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.

The State of Colorado begins funding higher education through College Opportunity Fund stipends for students instead of direct appropriations, allowing universities greater flexibility in tuition setting.

UNC, CU and CSU work together to create the Colorado School of Public Health, the state’s first school of public health.

UNC is one of three recipients of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, recognizing an innovative assessment system created by UNC’s elementary and secondary teacher education programs.

The new North Hall and South Hall, suite-style residence halls for more than 700 students open on West Campus.

The volleyball team becomes the first Bears team to win a Division I postseason championship and first team to advance to a Division I tournament since UNC’s move from Division II.

UNC earns its third straight Top 25 Peace Corps ranking for the number of graduates who have served in the organization.

UNC is one of only two U.S. universities offering the top five sport management courses in the world as ranked by SportsBusiness International magazine.

The Arbor Day Foundation awards UNC its Tree Campus USA designation, a national program honoring universities for effective campus forest management and campus engagement in conservation goals.

UNC and Colorado School of Mines create a joint program to address the national shortage of teachers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

U.S. News and World Report ranks UNC a top online graduate education program for the second years in a row.

The Higher Learning Commission notifies UNC that it has earned reaccreditation, and its next reaffirmation of accreditation will be in 2024-2025.

UNC’s joint teacher preparation program with Colorado School of Mines is one of four in the country selected as a national model.

UNC breaks ground on the Campus Commons, a 114,000-square-foot, $74-million building at the heart of campus that will provide an integrated support hub for students, showcase UNC’s world-class arts programs and welcome visitors.

The university restructures its efforts to be a welcoming and inclusive campus and names a vice president for campus community and climate.

UNC launches the public phase of a $45-million comprehensive campaign to support scholarships, faculty development, programs, research and the Campus Commons.

The women’s basketball team plays in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament, and the men’s basketball team wins the College Insider Tournament.