The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), also known as UNC Pembroke, is a public, co-educational, historically American Indian liberal arts university in the town of Pembroke in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. UNC Pembroke is a master's level degree-granting university and one of 17 schools that constitute the University of North Carolina system.
The educational institution that developed into the late 21st century UNC Pembroke has its origins in the circumstances of the post Civil War South. This school was a part of the effort of the Lumbee Nation in North Carolina to preserve their unique identity. Access and authority over their own educational system was understood to be of key importance to retaining Lumbee culture, instilling a sense of pride, and to improving the groups economic and social conditions.
Croatan Normal School was created by the General Assembly on March 7, 1887 in response to a local petition, sponsored by North Carolina Representative Hamilton McMillian of Robeson County. This event occurred in the context of competition for support between the Democratic and Republican parties on North Carolina. Hamilton MacMillian's support for the school was connected to his personnel interest and research on Native American history and culture. The school's initial name, Croatan Normal School, was selected in accordance with the debatable view that this tribe were descendants of the Outer Banks Lost Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh.
The abbreviation UNCP may refer to: