UNC Charlotte became the fourth campus of the University of North Carolina in July of 1965. In the fall of 1965, the new UNC Charlotte seal was chosen by a committee of students (the three upper-class presidents), three faculty members, and the school publicity director, who served as chair. Final approval was given by Acting Chancellor Bonnie Cone.

UNC Charlotte seal’s elements are: the modern arches (the tulip design from the canopy of the Kennedy Building) at the top to symbolize that this is a twentieth century university; two Cs in the middle to represent Charlotte College, from which the new campus sprang; and the pine cone at the bottom for the Old North State [land of the longleaf pine]. The date on the seal is 1946, the year in which the institution began as the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina.