Winds of Change - College 2017 - 59

University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Pembroke, N.C. * uncp.edu

UNCP PHOTO/WILLIS GLASSGOW

he Pembroke campus of the University of North Carolina
system has a heritage closely tied to American Indians in the
area, especially the Lumbee Tribe. After the local Native people
petitioned for a school, the institution was founded in
1887 as the Croatan Normal School to prepare Native
teachers. Its first building, a two-story wooden structure,
was built by local Native Americans, and the school
continued to grow.
Following the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 school
desegregation decision, what was by then Pembroke State
College began admitting students without regard to race,
and enrollment rose rapidly. In 1969, the school was
designated a regional university, renamed Pembroke State University. When the 16-campus state university system was established
three years later, UNC Pembroke was part of it. In 2005, the
governor officially declared the
University of North Carolina at
Pembroke "North Carolina's Historically American Indian University."
UNC Pembroke is now a four-year,
master's granting institution that
educates a diverse student body of
more than 6,000 in an inclusive
environment. U.S. News & World
Report has rated the school as one of
the most diverse in the country, with a
minority enrollment of 62 percent, 15
percent of which is American Indian.
That diversity is echoed in the school's

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location in Robeson County, historic center of the Lumbee and one
of the most diverse counties in the country.
A significant campus focal point is the Museum of the Southeast
American Indian (formerly the Native American Resource
Center), an integral part of the Southeast American Indian
Studies Program. In addition to its collections and exhibits,
the museum is a resource for scholarly research and
community outreach.
Academically, a point of pride for the school is its
interdisciplinary approach and commitment to active
learning and personalized teaching. With a student-faculty
ratio of just 16:1, and with 45.1 percent of its classes enrolling
fewer than 20 students, focused instruction goals are achievable in the
classroom. Other numbers to know are the average freshman retention
rate of 68 percent, and the four-year graduation rate of 20 percent.
Some kind of need-based financial aid is
supporting the education of 79 percent of
UNC Pembroke students. Within one year of
getting a diploma, 90 percent of graduates
are either employed or in graduate school.
Students can choose from among 41
undergraduate programs and 18 graduate
courses of study. And when they aren't
hitting the books, there are more than 90
clubs and organizations, including an AISES
College Chapter, as well as the school's Jones
Health and Physical Education Center, which
houses fitness facilities and Braves athletics
(NCAA Division II, Peach Belt Conference).
2017-2018 SPECIAL COLLEGE ISSUE * WINDS OF CHANGE 59

http://www.uncp.edu http://www.aises.org

Winds of Change - College 2017

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