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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), founded in 1789, is the oldest state university in the United States, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Our Founder/CEO&CTO Hiroyuki Chishiro worked at UNC as a visiting scholar from September 2012 to August 2013 (page 15 of JSPS SAN FRANCISCO Volume XXVII Issue March 2013 for his study abroad experience).
The academic level of the university is very high because it is selected as one of the Public Ivy, a prestigious state university in the United States .
Public Ivy is the state version of the Ivy League, which consists of prestigious private universities in the United States.
UNC has a large number of international students and is well known worldwide.
UNC's school colors are white and Carolina blue and this web page also uses Carolina Blue (RGB: #7BAFD4).
The Department of Computer Science, where Hiroyuki Chishiro was a visiting scholar, is ranked 20th in the 2021 World Academic Ranking of Universities.
Incidentally, the University of Tokyo (No. 1 University in Japan) is ranked between 101st and 150th, which shows the high level of computer science at UNC.
Other fields are also at a high level, with Professor Oliver Smithies receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007 and Professor Aziz Sancar receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015.
Both professors made headlines in 2016 when they presented the university with their Nobel medals.
Other awards include first place in Best Online MBA Programs.
If you would like to know where UNC is located in Chapel Hill and the nearest international airport, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, please click the following.
These are introductory videos of UNC.
Famous UNC Alumnus "Michael Jordan"
UNC has a high level of academics as well as sports.
The most famous athlete from UNC is the basketball god Michael Jordan.
Hiroyuki Chishiro is a Michael Jordan fan, so he often wears not only basketball shoes (bashes) but also T-shirts, jerseys, sandals, etc.
You can also buy a lot of merchandise with both the UNC logo and Jordan's "Jumpman" logo on it.
There are also many stores selling University and Jordan merchandise on Franklin Street, the street in front of the University.
Tar Heels: UNC's Sports Teams
UNC's sports teams are called Tar Heels.
The name Tar Heel comes from the early history of North Carolina.
North Carolina was a major supplier to the maritime industry.
Workers who distilled turpentine oil from pine tree sap and burned pine branches to produce tar (dry distillate) always had tar and pitch on their heels because they worked barefoot in the hot summer.
They worked for low wages and were disparaged as "rosin heels" or "tar heels" (rosin is made from pine needles). (Rosin is the residue from the distillation of turpentine oil from pine needles.)
During the Civil War of 1861-1865, North Carolina soldiers inverted the meaning of the term and turned the expression into a compliment.
They called themselves "Tar Heels" to boast of their state.
Others began to call it "Tar Heel," and North Carolina became widely known as the "Tar Heel State".
When UNC teams began playing intercollegiate sports in the 1880s, they needed nicknames.
There was no discussion about what to call the team or how to describe the spirit of the school.
They were then, and always have been, "Tar Heels".
When they cheer for UNC sports teams, they shout "Go Heels!" (short for "Let's Go Tar Heels!").
UNC's signature phrases include as follows.
- Once a Tar Heel, always a Tar Heel: A phrase that shows the high level of UNC's school spirit.
- A Tar Heel for Life: A phrase that means almost the same thing as Once a Tar Heel, always a Tar Heel
- Great Day To Be A Tar Heel (GDTBATH): A phrase used to recruit Tar Heels
If you would like to know more about UNC fight songs, please click the following.
Rameses: UNC's Ram Mascot Character
Rameses is UNC's ram mascot character.
Three versions of Rameses appear at UNC sporting events.
- Members of the UNC cheerleading team in anthropomorphic ram costumes
- Anthropomorphic ram costume (@Rameses_UNC)
- Live Dorset Horn sheep named Rameses attending a football game with horns painted Carolina blue (@RJ_UNC)
Very cute sheep!
The origins of the Ram as UNC's mascot date back to 1924.
Jack Merritt, ace and fullback on UNC's football team in 1922, was nicknamed the "Battering Ram" for his performance on the field and for an initiation ceremony he created for male freshmen.
Vic Huggins, then UNC's head cheerleader, proposed the idea of a ram mascot to Athletic Business Manager Charles T. Woollen, who approved the idea.
Charles gave Vic Huggins $25 to purchase the ram.
Rameses the First was shipped from Texas in time for the pep rally.
Rameses' first appearance was at a pep rally before a football game against Virginia Military Institute on November 8, 1924.
After the pep rally, Rameses was taken to Emerson Field.
The game was scoreless through three quarters, but late in the fourth quarter, Van Hackney was called upon to attempt a field goal.
Before taking the field, he rubbed Rameses' head.
Just seconds later, Hackney kicked a 30-yard field goal to win the game with a final score of 3-0. (The only points scored were Hackney's three field goals.)
Rameses has been on the sidelines at UNC football games ever since.
Today, Rameses is under the management of the Hogan family of Chapel Hill.
The origins of the costumed version of Rameses date back to the 1987-1988 season.
Auditions were held and Eric Chilton, a senior from Mount Airy, North Carolina, was selected as the first mascot.
Because auditions were held in the middle of the school year, he only served for six months and played in a few basketball games in early 1988.
The costume was locally made and had a different look than the one used today.
Remeses Jr.
Rameses Jr. (RJ for short) made his debut on the evening of October 26, 2015, at the UNC men's basketball team's annual Midnight Madness event, Late Night with Roy.
Brown Walters, director of UNC-Chapel Hill's mental program, told The Daily Tar Heel, a local newspaper, that it took a year to come up with the concept of RJ.
The RJ was conceived as part of an effort to expand the scope of UNC's mental program.
RJ's design was developed to appeal to children, featuring a non-muscular body, Carolina Blue blue horns and blue eyes, and Jordan Brand apparel.
Brown Walters said that young children are intimidated by the current version of the Rameses costume.
Here are images of Rameses and Rameses Jr.
Rameses looks a little angry, so it is easy to understand why small children are scared of him.
On the other hand, Rameses Jr. has a cute face that looks like he belongs in a children's cartoon.
Representative Facilities at UNC
Here are representative facilities at UNC.
Old Well
Old Well is a symbol of UNC.
Old Well was designed by artist Eugene Lewis Harris (1856-1901), who graduated from UNC in 1881 and served as university registrar from 1894 to 1901.
Many people often take pictures of it.
Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower
Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower, like the Old Well, is a symbol of UNC.
The idea of a Bell Tower on the UNC campus was originally proposed by John Motley Morehead III in the 1920s, but was repeatedly rejected by the university due to conflicts over location.
When the proposal was finally approved, construction began with funding from two sponsors, Morehead and Rufus Lenoir Patterson, Jr.
Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower is named after these two sponsors.
UNC Student Stores (formerly Daniels Student Stores)
UNC Student Stores are stores where students can buy things they need for classes and daily life.
You can buy books, computers, university goods, and more.
Of course, there are Michael Jordan goods collaborated with UNC.
These are introductory videos of UNC Student Stores.
Coker Arboretum
Coker Arboretum is an arboretum located on campus, created by Professor William Chambers Coker in 1903.
In addition, Coker Arboretum is an ideal place to refresh yourself after a long day of study or work.
These are introductory videos of Coker Arboretum.
Dean Smith Center (Dean E. Smith Center)
Dean Smith Center (Dean E. Smith Center) is a men's basketball stadium.
With a capacity of 21,750 people, it is a very large facility for a single university.
Basically, only club players are allowed to play on the court.
The center's namesake, Dean Smith, was Michael Jordan's college basketball coach.
He won the national championship in 1982, when Michael Jordan was a freshman in college.
Locals call it by the nickname Dean Dome.
The basketball court at the Dean Smith Center will be called Roy Williams Court beginning August 24, 2018 in honor of Roy Williams, UNC's coach from 2003-2021!
The court will be open to the public on all days of the week.
But on days when there are games, you must have a ticket to enter.
Here is a picture of Roy Williams Court. Fourth from the right is Roy Williams!
Here are videos of Dean Smith Center.
Below is a video tour of the men's basketball team locker room at Dean Smith Center.
Be sure to check out the previous generations of Air Jordans in UNC's school colors of white and Carolina blue (light blue)!
At 2:53 of the above video, I quote Michael Jordan. We can see that you have a lot of love for the University of North Carolina. Us too!
ALL MY SUCCESS
SINCE I LEFT CHAPEL HILL
ARE CREDITED TO CAROLINA.
THE UNITY AND THE BOND THAT IS ESTABLISHED
IN YOUR SHORT TIME AT CAROLINA IS SOMETHING THAT
LASTS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
BEING A TAR HEEL IS SOMETHING WE CHERISH
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO US OR
NO MATTER WHERE WE GO IN THE WORLD.
Michael Jordan
Carolina Basketball Museum
Carolina Basketball Museum is a men's basketball museum.
UNC has won the NCAA Tournament six times (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, and 2017).
Of course, Michael Jordan's jerseys and other memorabilia are also displayed, so Michael Jordan fans can definitely enjoy themselves.
Here are videos of Carolina Basketball Museum.
Kenan Memorial Stadium
Kenan Memorial Stadium is the stadium for the men's football team.
With a capacity of 51,000, it can accommodate as many spectators as Tokyo Dome (55,000).
It is also used for events celebrating the U.S. Independence Day.
Kenan Memorial Stadium takes its name from William Rand Kenan Jr.
Here are videos of Kenan Memorial Stadium.
William Donald Carmichael Jr. Arena (formerly known as Carmichael Auditorium and commonly known as Blue Heaven)
William Donald Carmichael Jr. Arena (formerly known as Carmichael Auditorium and commonly known as Blue Heaven) is a multipurpose arena on the UNC campus and is home to four teams: women's basketball, volleyball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling.
William Donald Carmichael Jr. Arena is named after William Donald Carmichael Jr., former vice president and brother of All-American basketball player Cartwright Carmichael.
Before moving to the Dean Smith Center, the men's basketball team compiled an impressive 169-20 record at Carmichael Arena.
Here are William Donald Carmichael Jr. Arena introductory videos.
On January 19, 2023, Hiroyuki Chishiro went to see the UNC women's basketball team and Duke University win a game 61-56.
Summary
We introduced the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), which is a university with a high level of both academic and athletic excellence.
UNC is very well equipped and is very active in both academics and sports.
Remember, UNC is the alma mater of Michael Jordan!
Go Heels!
Book your travel arrangements here if you would like to learn more about it!