While instruction in botany at the university can be traced to the 1880s, it was not until 1902 that, William C. Coker was hired as the first Professor of Botany. Shortly thereafter, Botany emerged as an independent department. Under Coker's leadership the botanical program expanded and developed into one of worldwide reputation. During the 1950s and 1960s, declining enrollments and increasing emphasis on biological sciences caused repeated attacks on the department's existence as a separate entity. In the early 1980s such attacks led to the appointment of a special committee to investigate the feasibility of combining the Departments of Botany and Zoology. The committee's recommendation that such a merger be made was approved, and on 1 July 1982 the botanical program was absorbed into the new Department of Biology.
From the guide to the Department of Botany of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1922-1989, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)
