The 1950s was an era for change on the campus of the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina. The campus itself changed dramatically, as many old landmarks such as the McIver Memorial Building and the McIver family house on the corner of College Avenue and Spring Garden Street were torn down. Part of Walker Avenue was also demolished to make way for the construction of a new library and home economics building. A new student union, named for Harriet Elliott, was also constructed to replace the Students Building which had been razed in 1949.

The administration also changed, as this decade alone saw three different people in the position of Chancellor or Acting Chancellor. The decade began with retirement of Walter Clinton Jackson in 1950, and saw the position change hands to Edward Kidder Graham, William Pierson, and finally Gordon Blackwell. 1956 also marked the beginning of integration for the College, with the admittance of JoAnne Smart and Bettye Ann Davis Tillman as the first African-American students to enroll.

Milestones...

1950 - Edward Kidder Graham was named Chancellor

1956 - William Whatley Pierson was named Acting Chancellor

1957 - Gordon Blackwell was named Chancellor