About Us

For current Graduate School news, please visit Carolina Graduate School Magazine

Advancing Carolina Graduate Education

The Fountain is an annual publication of The Graduate School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated to highlighting the achievements of graduate students and the significant need for private funding to support their efforts. The magazine is fully supported by private funding and is distributed to nearly 10,000 donors, alumni and friends of The Graduate School.

Originally produced biannually, The Fountain was first introduced in the spring of 1999. The Fountain has focused on diverse themes such as university-corporate partnerships, graduate students serving North Carolina, the importance of mentoring and the lasting legacy of private funding.

About The Fountain

In front of Bynum Hall, which houses The Graduate School, stands a spectacular fountain. It is a popular gathering place and welcomes visitors to the University. The title of this magazine, which was first published in 1999, is inspired by this landmark. The Fountain showcases the pursuits and accomplishments of individual graduate students, while also reflecting the dynamic, holistic, multi-disciplinary view of graduate education at Chapel Hill.

  • The fountain was a gift from the undergraduate Class of 1988 to honor Chancellor Emeritus Christopher Fordham III, who also served as Dean of the School of Medicine, and died in 2008.
  • A volleyball court once graced the area on which Fordham Fountain now stands because Bynum Hall served as a gymnasium from 1905 to 1937.
  • The Fordham Fountain was completed November 1995.
  • Stone amphitheatre seating and brick walkways surround Fordham Fountain to create a venue for outdoor class meetings and small ceremonies.

A special thanks to our donors: The Fountain is produced exclusively with private funding.