Aided by women’s education advocate Charles Duncan McIver, who served as the institution’s first president, UNCG was founded as a women’s college in 1892. The school was built on ten acres given to the university by R.S. Pullen and R.T. Gray and established by legislative enactment.

Upon opening, what we presently know as UNCG was called the State Normal School, later becoming the State Normal and Industrial College and the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina. It did not become the University of North Carolina at Greensboro until 1963, the first year that men were admitted to the school.

UNCG’s relatively intimate 210-acre campus includes 30 academic buildings and 24 residence halls. The statue of Minerva is one of the campus’ most recognizable landmarks; the Roman goddess of wisdom has long been a campus icon, her printed image appearing on diplomas as early as 1894. A statue of founder Charles Duncan McIver stands outside of the Jackson Library and is affectionately known as “Charlie” to students and faculty. The library and water tower are two other notable sites on campus.

Greensboro prides itself on containing the amenities of a large city while maintaining a small-town feel. North Carolina’s third-largest city, Greensboro’s population is approaching 250,000. Often dubbed a “tournament town,” the city hosts quite a few NCAA and ACC sports events; in 2006, the city was the site of both the men’s and women’s ACC basketball tournaments.

Greensboro is also known for its diverse arts community. The Eastern Music Festival, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and the Triad Stage Company are a few standouts in the city’s prolific arts scene.

Students can shop at the Four Seasons Town Centre, a mall on the southwest side of the city, as well as the Friendly Center, an open-air shopping area on Friendly Ave. The newly renovated downtown area features such attractions as NewBridge Bank Park and various nightlife spots. For those seeking adventure outside of the city, the Raleigh-Durham area is a little over an hour’s drive away.

The Rawk is a boulder on campus on which students write messages almost every day. The stone was donated by members of Alpha Phi Omega in 1973.

It is said that anyone who walks underneath the clock tower will not graduate on time.

On Founder’s Day, alumni place a wreath of flowers at the foot of Charles’ McIver’s statue.

After graduating, students are given a Spartan pin and a daisy.

Mary Christina Coble (2001) is an artist.

Claudia Emerson (1991) won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Alejandro Moreno (2001) is a striker for Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew.

Kaneasha Shackleford (2000) is one of the youngest female pastors in the country.

UNCG’s athletics program dates back to the 1940s when the school was still a women’s college. The university hosted a national women’s golf tournament in 1948 and national tennis tournament in 1965. Today, there are 16 UNCG Spartans teams competing in the NCAA’s Division I, including baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling.

In 2004, the men’s soccer squad made it to the regional semifinals in the NCAA tournament. The team lost to UC-Santa Barbara in a 1-0 overtime match.

The students who have dedicated themselves to cheering for their teams at every game belong to a group called the Blue Crew.

In 1993, the film House of Cards starring Tommy Lee Jones was filmed on campus.

In 2006, the National Phi Beta Kappa Society named UNCG’s chapter the most outstanding at a public university.

Former Poet Laureate of North Carolina Fred Chappell taught English at UNCG for 40 years.

Located on College Ave: -Guilford Hall: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. -Mary Foust: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. Home of the Ashby Residential College. -South Spencer: 2 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. -North Spencer: 2 floors, upperclassmen. Home of the Cornelia Strong Residential College.

High Rises: -Cone: 9 floors, freshmen only, co-ed. -Grogan: 8 floors, mixed class years, co-ed. -Reynolds: 8 floors, freshmen only, co-ed.

On the Quad: -Bailey: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. -Cotten: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed, no air-conditioning. -Gray: 3 floors, all classes, female only, 20-hour quiet hours. -Shaw: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. -Jamison: 3 floors, upperclassmen, female only. -Hinshaw: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. -Weil/Winfield: 3 floors, freshmen only, co-ed.

Gray Drive: -Ragsdale/Mendenhall: 3 floors, freshmen only, co-ed. -Moore/Strong: 2 floors, mixed class years, co-ed, home to the MAD (Make a Difference) Community service program. -Phillips/Hawkins: 5 floors, mixed class years, co-ed.

Apartments: -Spring Garden Apartments: 5 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed. - Tower Village: 3 floors, upperclassmen, co-ed.