AN ACADEMIC LEADER, East Carolina University has served the region and state for nearly 100 years.

Founded in 1907, the university has more than 20,000 students pursuing degrees in the humanities, fine and performing arts, sciences and medicine. In addition to the Brody School of Medicine, the university's health sciences division includes the School of Nursing, the state's largest, as well as the School of Allied Health Sciences.

Innovation is our hallmark. The university offers more than 100 bachelor's degrees, nearly 80 master's degrees and 13 doctoral degrees. A new systems engineering degree has increased the scope of programs focusing on advanced industry and technology.

With a mission of teaching, research and service, East Carolina University is an outpost for the east; a hub of ideas, cultures and seeds for the future.

In addition to its academic programs, East Carolina University offers a performing arts series that draws hundreds of visitors each year to experience the world's best orchestras, ballet troupes and theater. Moreover, the East Carolina Playhouse and East Carolina Dance Theatre, sponsored by the Department of Theatre and Dance, produce a season of dance, drama, and musical productions each year, as does the East Carolina Summer Theatre.

Lectures, art exhibits, speakers, faculty recitals, and other events open to the community take place on campus throughout the year.

The East Carolina Pirates compete in Division 1-A as a member of Conference USA. The Pirate baseball team enjoys its new home, Clark-LeClair Stadium, which opened in March.