East Carolina University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
East Carolina University

Former name	East Carolina Teachers Training School (1907–1920) East Carolina Teachers College (1920–1951) East Carolina College (1951–1967)
Motto	Servire (Latin)
Motto in English	"To serve"
Type	Public research university
Established	March 8, 1907; 118 years ago (1907-03-08)
Parent institution	University of North Carolina
Accreditation	SACS
Academic affiliation	ORAU Sea-grant
Endowment	$374 million (2021)
Chancellor	Philip Rogers
Academic staff	1,997
Administrative staff	3,603
Students	28,021
Undergraduates	22,463
Postgraduates	5,558
Location	Greenville , North Carolina , United States 35°36′27″N 77°22′12″W / 35.60750°N 77.37000°W / 35.60750; -77.37000
Campus	Small city, 1,386 acres (6 km2) (total) 530 acres (2 km2) (Main campus); 206 acres (1 km2) (Health Sciences Campus); 650 acres (3 km2) (West Research Campus)
Other campuses	Wanchese
Newspaper	The East Carolinian
Colors	Purple and gold
Nickname	Pirates
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FBS – The American
Mascot	PeeDee the Pirate

East Carolina University (ECU) is a big public university in Greenville, North Carolina. It's the fourth largest university in North Carolina. It's special because it's the only one in the state with schools for medicine, dentistry, and engineering.

ECU started on March 8, 1907, as a school to train teachers. It began with 43 acres and has grown to almost 1600 acres today! ECU has several campuses: the Main Campus, Health Sciences Campus, and West Research Campus. It also has a Field Station for Coastal Studies and an overseas campus in Italy. ECU also helps run the Coastal Studies Institute.

This university focuses on research. It has nine colleges for undergraduate students and a graduate school. It also has four special schools for professional studies. All majors except health sciences are on the main campus. The health science programs, like nursing and medicine, are on the Health Sciences Campus. ECU is known for its high research activity.

ECU has many student clubs, over 400 in total! This includes many fraternities and sororities.

History of ECU

Thomas Jordan Jarvis, known as the "Father of ECU"

East Carolina Teachers Training School (ECTTS) officially began on March 8, 1907. This happened when North Carolina passed a law to create a school for teachers. Thomas Jordan Jarvis, a former Governor, helped start the first buildings. He is known as the "Father of ECU." The school opened on October 5, 1909, in Greenville.

In 1920, ECTTS became a four-year college and was renamed East Carolina Teachers College. They started giving out bachelor's degrees in education the next year. In 1929, they added a master's degree program. The school's name changed again in 1951 to East Carolina College. This showed that it offered more than just teaching degrees.

On July 1, 1967, the college became East Carolina University. It joined the University of North Carolina System on July 1, 1972. Today, ECU is the fourth-largest university in North Carolina. It has over 22,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students.

ECU Campuses

Jarvis Residence Hall on the main campus at ECU

East Carolina University has three main campuses. These are the Main Campus, Health Sciences Campus, and West Research Campus. It also has two sports areas and a field station.

Main Campus

The Main Campus, also called the east campus, is about 530 acres. It is in a city area of downtown Greenville. There are 158 buildings on this campus. Many buildings have a special Spanish-Mission style. This style was inspired by Thomas Jarvis's time in Brazil.

The Main Campus has five areas. These include the Campus Core, Downtown District, and Athletic fields. The Campus Core has 15 dorms for students. A special part of the main campus is the Mall. This is a large grassy area with trees where students can relax.

Athletic Fields

The sports fields for ECU teams are south of the dorms. Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium for football is here. Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum is for basketball. The Murphy Center is a building for training and events. Other buildings like the Ward Sports Medicine Building are also nearby.

The Cliff Moore Practice Facility has fields just for the football team. Clark-LeClair Stadium is the baseball stadium. It opened in 2005 and can seat 3,000 people. The Olympic Sports Complex has stadiums for women's soccer and softball. It also has a track and field area. ECU has spent a lot of money to improve its sports facilities.

Health Sciences Campus

The Health Sciences Campus trains people for healthcare jobs. These include nurses, dentists, and doctors. Many graduates stay in eastern North Carolina to help people. This campus is next to ECU Health Medical Center. This medical center is a big teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine.

The Health Sciences Campus is about 206 acres. It has 62 buildings for learning and research. Important buildings include the Brody Medicine Science Building and the East Carolina Heart Institute. The School of Dental Medicine is in Ross Hall.

West Research Campus

The West Research Campus is about 600 acres. It is located west of the Health Sciences Campus. It has four buildings. A large part of this campus is wetlands. It is used for studying biology and other sciences. It also has a center for health and safety in farming and fishing.

Special Centers

ECU has many special centers and institutes. Some focus on health, like the Brody School of Medicine and the School of Dental Medicine. Others focus on research, like the Coastal Studies Institute. There are also centers for things like sustainable tourism and natural hazards.

Community Dental Centers

The School of Dental Medicine has built 8 community centers. These are in smaller towns across North Carolina. Fourth-year dental students work and learn in these centers. They help people in the community who might not have easy access to dental care.

Field Station for Coastal Studies

This field station is in New Holland, North Carolina. It's a place for students to study coastal issues. It also helps with environmental education and eco-tourism. It's next to the Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuge.

North Recreational Complex

The North Recreational Complex (NRC) is a large sports area. It's about 129 acres north of the main campus. It's one of the biggest recreational complexes in the country. It has lighted fields, a lake with a beach, and walking trails.

Phase II of the NRC opened in 2011. It added a lake where you can rent canoes and kayaks. There are also sand volleyball courts, disc golf, and a zip line.

UNC Coastal Studies Institute

ECU helps manage the UNC Coastal Studies Institute (UNC-CSI). This is a marine research institute on Roanoke Island. It studies things like ocean life, coastal engineering, and maritime history.

Colleges and Schools

The Trustees Fountain at Wright Circle on the main campus

ECU has nine colleges for undergraduate students. It also has a graduate school and four professional schools. The oldest school is the College of Education. ECU offers many different degrees. These include 16 doctoral programs, 76 master's programs, and 102 bachelor's programs.

• The Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences is ECU's liberal arts college. It has 16 departments and is the third largest college.
• The College of Business helps students learn about business. It offers degrees in business and accounting. It also advises small business owners.
• The College of Education is the oldest and largest college at ECU. It trains more teachers for North Carolina schools than any other university.
• The College of Fine Arts and Communication includes schools for dance, design, and journalism. It has been part of ECU since the beginning.
• The College of Health and Human Performance focuses on recreation and exercise.
• The College of Engineering and Technology offers degrees in engineering, computer science, and construction management.
• The College of Allied Health Sciences prepares students for many health jobs. These include physical therapists and speech therapists. It is the largest allied health college in the state.
• The College of Nursing trains nurses. It is known as a Center of Excellence. It produces many nurses for the Mid-Atlantic region.
• The Graduate School handles all master's and doctoral programs.
• The Brody School of Medicine is a professional school for doctors. It is one of five medical schools in North Carolina.
• The School of Dental Medicine trains dentists. It is one of two dental schools in the state.

Research at ECU

ECU researchers have made important discoveries.

• A heart surgeon at ECU, Randolph Chitwood, did the first robotic-assisted heart surgery in the U.S.
• ECU researchers developed SpeechEasy. This device helps people who stutter speak more smoothly.
• Walter Pories, a doctor at Brody School of Medicine, developed a common surgery for weight loss. He also found that this surgery could reverse type 2 diabetes in many patients.
• The Biofeedback Lab helps military members recover from stress and brain injuries.
• A scientist named Jason Bond discovered many new spider species.

Archaeologists from ECU have also made cool finds.

• In 1998, they found a 16th-century gold ring on Hatteras Island. This ring showed a link between The Lost Colony and the local Native American people.
• In 2011, underwater archaeologists found anchors from Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Libraries

Joyner Library clock tower

ECU has several libraries.

• J.Y. Joyner Library is the main library. It has almost 1.9 million books and many other resources. It is the largest library east of Raleigh. It has special collections on naval history and North Carolina.
• The Music Library is a branch of Joyner Library. It has about 93,000 items, including all the audio recordings. It's the biggest music collection east of Raleigh.
• The William E. Laupus Library is for medical and health studies. It is the main library for the health sciences programs. It moved to the Health Sciences Campus in 2006.

Student Life

Student Government

The Student Government Association at ECU helps students. They share student ideas and concerns with the university leaders.

Greek Life

ECU has many social sororities and fraternities. Many of them have houses near campus. Greek life started at ECU in 1958. There are also historically Black fraternities and sororities. Plus, there are many honor and service Greek organizations.

Athletics

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium

ECU's sports teams are called the Pirates. They compete in NCAA Division I sports. The Pirates joined the American Athletic Conference in 2014.

Their facilities include:

• Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium for football, which seats 50,000.
• Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum for basketball, which seats 8,000.
• Clark-LeClair Stadium for baseball, which seats 3,000.

The Murphy Center is a large building for athlete training. It also has banquet rooms and sports history displays.

Diversity

ECU works to support diversity. They have programs to improve cultural awareness. They also try to welcome students from different backgrounds. ECU has several centers that support diversity. These include the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center and the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center. There are also services for student veterans.

Leadership

First President of what is now ECU, Robert Herring Wright

ECU has had six presidents and seven chancellors. Robert Herring Wright was the first president in 1909. When ECU joined the UNC System in 1972, the main leader's title changed to chancellor.

The chancellor is chosen by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. They report to ECU's Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has 12 members. The student body president is also a member. Philip Rogers became the chancellor in December 2020.

Rankings and Awards

Chancellor Ballard accepting the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

In 2016, U.S. News & World Report called East Carolina a top National University. In 2010, Forbes ranked ECU high for its value.

The Brody School of Medicine is highly ranked. In 2012, it was 10th in the country for training primary care doctors. It was also ranked high for rural medicine and family medicine.

ECU has also received awards for supporting its employees who serve in the military reserves. In 2010, it won the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. This is a very high honor from the U.S. Government.

Songs

"Hail to Thy Name So Fair" is ECU's official alma mater song. It was written in the 1940s. The Marching Pirates band plays it at all home football and basketball games. After the national anthem, they play the alma mater. Then they play the "E.C. Victory" song. At the end of football games, the team and students sing these songs together.

Famous Alumni

Many ECU graduates have become famous in different fields.

• Nia Franklin (2015) was crowned Miss America 2019.
• Actresses Emily Procter and Beth Grant went to ECU.
• Screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who created Scream and Dawson's Creek, is an ECU graduate.
• Actress Sandra Bullock attended ECU.
• Football player Marcus Crandell played in the CFL and NFL Europe.
• Pulitzer Prize winners Rick Atkinson (1974) and Dan Neil are alumni.
• Teacher and author Ron Clark founded the Ron Clark Academy.
• James Maynard founded the Golden Corral restaurant chain.
• Kelly King was the CEO of BB&T bank.
• NFL players David Garrard and Chris Johnson played football at ECU.
• WWE leaders Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon graduated from ECU.
• Scott Avett from The Avett Brothers band studied at ECU.
• CFL Hall of Famer Henry "Gizmo" Williams is an ECU graduate.

See also

In Spanish: Universidad del Este de Carolina para niños