FROM THE HILL
UNC Opens Winston House in the Heart of London
Carolina is putting down roots in
the old country.
In May, the University dedicated
Winston House, an all-purpose compact
satellite campus in the “academic heart” of
London. Situated in Bloomsbury in Bedford
Square, the last intact Georgian square in the
city, Winston House will be a classroom site
for the Honors London and Oxford study
abroad program. It also will act as a hub to
PAUL WELB Y
An 18th-century
townhouse, Winston
House is around the
corner from the
British Museum. It is
within walking distance of the
University of London
and the London
School of
Economics, as well
as Yale University’s
and New York
University’s
European home
bases.
connect the University to the international
academic community and will be accessible
to faculty, students and alumni for academics,
meetings and conferences, and as a concierge
service for Tar Heel visitors to London.
The program brought to a close a four-year search for a permanent presence in
Europe when it purchased the property last
fall. The house will serve as the University’s
European Studies Center.
“I think this is a very important part of
the much broader University commitment,
particularly to globalizing the undergraduate experience,” said James Leloudis ’ 77,
associate dean for honors in the College of
Arts and Sciences, associate professor of
history and director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence.
The dedication included academic seminars designed to show what it is like to be
a student there. Provost Bernadette Gray-Little; Madeleine Levine, interim dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences; and James
Horner Winston ’ 55, the building’s namesake, were among those attending.
Winston, of Jacksonville, Fla., donated $1
million of the $5 million needed to acquire
and renovate the building; all of the money
was raised through private donations.
Christopher Armitage, professor of English and adjunct professor of peace, war and
defense and the on-site faculty director of
the Honors London and Oxford study
abroad program, has taught in Winston
House the past fall and two summers,
before the renovation was complete. “It is a
splendid acquisition by the University,” he
said. “The location is absolutely superb.”
An 18th-century townhouse, Winston
House is near the British Museum and
within walking distance of the University
of London, the London School of Economics and Yale University’s and New York
University’s European home bases. The
facility is managed by employees in the
honors program and the Johnston Center.
The programs and opportunities the facility
offers also will be open to alumni and
other students.
High-tech video conference technologies, which will be used to create a virtual
campus and connect students at Chapel Hill
to students and faculty abroad, have been
installed, Leloudis said. “The idea [is] that
there’s a benefit not only for students going
to London, but also for students who may
never go to Winston House, for students
back on UNC’s campus.”
Ideas gained from exchanges within
Winston House and through international
connections can be brought back to enrich
the state of North Carolina, Leloudis said.
He said many private universities have
international facilities such as Winston
House, but a smaller number of public universities have undertaken similar projects.
Service Scholars
Program
Comes of Age
Ninety-six students
wore Carolina blue-and-white cords with
their Commencement
regalia in May to distinguish them as
Public Service
Scholars. The program,
now four years old,
guides students
through a service component that averages
about 450 hours
each. Participation in
the program, run
through the Carolina
Center for Public
Service, has risen
from 78 students the
first year to 1,117. Of
those, 833 are native
North Carolinians.
Public Service Scholar
graduates have a minimum 2. 5 GPA, have
completed at least
300 hours of service,
have taken a service-learning course and
attended skills-training
workshops.
