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A Year in Review 2021-2022
The 2021-2022 academic year was a memorable one at Carolina.
The Class of 2020 returned to celebrate their achievements. A junior won a gold medal in Tokyo. Three Tar Heels were named Rhodes Scholars. And after a hiatus because of the pandemic, many Carolina traditions returned to campus.
Take a look back at some of the biggest stories that shaped this year.
Fall 2021
Welcoming the newest Tar Heels
Carolina welcomed more than 7,500 new students to campus to kick off the academic year, and many Week of Welcome traditions returned, including Sunset Serenade and New Student Convocation.
Meet the Class of 2024Press the play button above
50 years of women’s athletics
Carolina Athletics honored 50 years of women’s athletics, celebrating the many champions, legends and leaders who have shaped the landscape of women’s sports in Chapel Hill. In the 1971-72 academic year, women’s basketball, field hockey, volleyball, fencing, swimming and diving, tennis and gymnastics became varsity sports as part of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, marking the first official season of women’s athletics at Carolina.
From year one to year 50 of intercollegiate women’s sports in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels have been winners. Consistent victories have helped set a standard for the entire athletic department. Of Carolina’s 55 national championships, 39 came from women’s teams.
Commencement celebrations
Chapel Hill took time to celebrate in the fall as the University held two Commencement ceremonies to recognize two classes of graduating Tar Heels.
In October, we welcomed back the Class of 2020 for a three-day celebration that included tailgates, Bell Tower Climbs and reunions. The weekend concluded with a long-awaited graduation ceremony where graduates received words of advice from retired men’s basketball coach Roy Williams.
In December, Carolina recognized more than 1,300 graduates at the annual Winter Commencement and celebrated all that those graduates achieved in the face of adversity.
World-class academics
Carolina continued to hold its place as one of the best-ranked universities for value and academic programs this year.
In the fall, U.S. News & World Report ranked Carolina fifth among public universities for the 21st consecutive year and named UNC-Chapel Hill the best value among public universities for the 17th time. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Carolina 52nd among the world’s top 1,600 research universities.
In addition to the rankings, three Tar Heels — Takhona Hlatshwako, Justin Hadad and Kimathi Muiruri— were named Rhodes Scholars.
Top fall stories
Carolina junior wins a gold medal at the Paralympics
Emma Schieck reached the pinnacle of the sport she loves when she won a gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Paralympics as a member of the U.S. sitting volleyball team.
A pandemic game changer
Clinical trials led by Drs. William Fischer and Tim Sheahan at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that a new pill treatment eliminates the COVID-19 virus in patients.
A 3D printed vaccine patch offers vaccination without a shot
Researchers from Carolina and Stanford University have developed a microneedle vaccine patch that outperforms needle jab to boost immunity.
Carolina Ultimate Frisbee teams bring more national titles to Chapel Hill
Carolina's Pleiades won its first USA Ultimate College Championship and Darkside earned its third title this past December. The titles are just the latest chapter in the teams’ history of success.
Spring 2022
A historic milestone
We kicked off 2022 by announcing that the Campaign for Carolina, the University’s campus-wide fundraising drive, eclipsed the $4.25 billion milestone. The generosity of individuals and private foundations made this momentous accomplishment possible.
The University is already putting that money to work in programs, buildings, scholarships and other efforts on campus and beyond. While the true impact of the Campaign for Carolina will be measured over decades, many campaign commitments are already at work supporting Carolina’s key strategic priorities.
A season to remember
A No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels advanced to the program's record-setting 21st Final Four, where Carolina faced Duke for the first time in tournament history. With an 81-77 win over Duke, Carolina advanced to the national championship. Though the action was in New Orleans, thousands of fans in Chapel Hill cheered on the Tar Heels from the Dean Smith Center and Franklin Street.
Relive the celebrationsPress the play button above
The return of a spring tradition
April 8 marked a return to the on-campus celebration of Arts Everywhere Day, which featured performances, installations and activities across campus. This year’s theme was “Grounded Growth,” which represented how artists and the Carolina community has grown during the pandemic and the role of the arts through these times.
Arts Everywhere is making the arts a fundamental part of Carolina’s culture and daily campus life. Celebrating the arts supports students’ pursuit of meaningful lives by helping them imagine new possibilities and foster a creative mindset to solve the world’s most complex problems.
The Class of 2022
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill celebrated the graduation of nearly 6,200 Tar Heels at Doctoral Hooding and Spring Commencement in early May. Thousands of friends and family members joined the University to applaud the achievements and success of the Class of 2022.
Meet the graduatesPress the play button above
Top spring stories
Improving opportunities for North Carolina youth
As part of its five-year Carolina Across 100 initiative, the University will work with 20 community collaboratives to expand and deepen education and employment pathways for young adults aged 16-24 who are out of school and work.
Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Team heads to national competition
Carolina's Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Team faced off against 35 other schools for a national title. It was the team’s first time advancing to the national championship in over five years.
Lewis Black returns to the classroom
Comedian and Carolina alumnus Lewis Black sat down with undergraduate students enrolled in an “Comedy and Ethics” course to discuss his career, his time in Chapel Hill and what makes them laugh.
The Curtis Media Center becomes Carolina’s newest building
The innovative learning space is a leading educational technology hub that features a broadcast and podcast studio, a makerspace and state-of-the-art classrooms.