The UNC System will be relocating from Chapel Hill to Raleigh. This comes after Gov. Roy Cooper signed the 2022-2023 state budget in November, allocating $11.4 million for the planning + design of UNC System offices in downtown Raleigh.

Let’s break it down

This relocation will likely mean parts of the state government campus in downtown Raleigh will be overhauled. The News & Observer reported last month that, in addition to the $11.4 million in funds for relocation, the state budget includes another $1.8 million to, “study the complex and moving offices.”

The relocation could also prove beneficial for future collaboration with the NC Community College System. In November, Senate leader Phil Berger said that synergies could be developed by having the UNC system, NC Community College System, the state Department of Public Instruction + the state Department of Commerce in the same location.

So, when will the relocation take place? A provision of Section 40.1 in Senate Bill 105 states that “all staff and operations shall be relocated to the leased space on or before Dec. 31, 2022.”

A brief history of the UNC System

The history of the UNC System begins in 1789 when the NC General Assembly made UNC Chapel Hill the first public university in the US. This remained the status quo until 1931, when the Assembly added NC State + UNC Greensboro, then UNC Asheville, UNC Charlotte, and UNC Wilmington in 1969.

In 1972, the Assembly officially established the UNC System (yes, that means 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the institution) and added 16 public universities, with a 17th constituent institution added in 2007. The System’s move to Raleigh is the first in its 200+ years in NC.