The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill describes itself as the first public university in the United States. William Richardson Davie wrote the 1789 act that established it, the cornerstone of its first building, Old East, was laid in 1793 and students arrived in 1795.
It is the flagship institution of the University of North Carolina System, and its Board of Trustees advises the UNC Board of Governors. The university reports 22,007 undergraduate and 12,092 graduate and professional students, 4,538 faculty members and 9,849 staff members. Lee H. Roberts, a former state budget director who served as interim chancellor, was elected the 13th chancellor by the UNC System Board of Governors in August 2024.