University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Institute of Marine Sciences

The Institute of Marine Sciences was established in 1947 as the Institute of Fisheries Research. It was made possible largely by the efforts of R. E. Coker, chairman of the University of North Carolina Department of Zoology, and by a grant from the Knapp Foundation. The name of the institute changed to Institute of Marine Sciences in 1967. The institute's purpose is to conduct and support research, both basic and applied, in marine science and to promote the conservation and development of marine resources. The institute has facilities in Morehead City, N.C. Its director reports to the university's provost.

From the description of Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1937-1999. WorldCat record id: 26707553

The Institute of Marine Sciences was established as the Institute of Fisheries Research and Development in September 1947 by the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina. In July 1948, its name was shortened to Institute of Fisheries Research. The institute's inauguration was made possible by a four-year matching grant from the Knapp Foundation, Inc., of New York and by the cooperation of the North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development. It was this state department that secured a facility (formerly the Morehead City Naval Section Base) to house the institute and provide laboratory facilities.

The origins of the institute can be traced to the ideas and interests of Professor Robert E. Coker of the University of North Carolina Department of Zoology, who would be named the institute's first director in 1947. In the fall of 1944, acting on Dr. Coker's informal suggestion, Consolidated University President Frank Porter Graham wrote to Chancellor Robert B. House requesting the submission by Coker of a proposal for a study entitled Marine Biology as an Economic Resource of Eastern North Carolina. In January 1945, Dr. Coker submitted a draft in which he suggested the establishment of a research institute.

Dr. Coker's proposal was discussed by various advisory and administrative groups prior to President Graham's appointment of a Consultative Committee of the Consolidated University to make a final recommendation concerning it. The Consultative Committee endorsed the proposal for an institute but recommended a preliminary survey of fisheries resources. Consequently, in September 1946, the Survey of Marine Fisheries of North Carolina was begun.

The Survey of Marine Fisheries, made possible by a gift from University of North Carolina alumnus George R. Lurcy and by a grant from the General Education Board, was directed by the university's Department of Zoology and Bureau of Business Services and Research. It was intended to be completed in several months and to precede the establishent of the Institute. However, it grew into a much larger project than anyone had foreseen and was not officially over until the publication of its 555-page report in 1951.

The Knapp Foundation's grant for the establishment of the institute was conditioned on matching funds from the state, which for the first biennium, were provided by the state's giving the institute direction of appropriations made by the 1947 General Assembly for a survey of off-shore shrimping grounds and for the rehabilitation of the oyster and other shellfish. The 1949 General Assembly matched the Knapp grant with an appropriation made through the Department of Conservation and Development. Since 1951, the General Assembly has made appropriations directly to the university for the operation of the institute.

In 1967, because of the broadening scope of its program, the Institute of Fisheries Research was renamed the Institute of Marine Sciences. The purpose of the institute was to conduct and promote research in marine science and to improve conservation and development of marine resources. In fulfilling this purpose, the Institute often has worked with the state, principally through the Department of Natural Resources and Community Development (formerly the Department of Conservation and Development). The institute's facilities are available to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty and students with research interests in marine biology, physical and chemical oceanography and related fields. The staff of the institute contributes to the educational program of the university through lectures, seminars, and the direction of graduate students.

In 1968, the Curriculum in Marine Sciences was established, bringing together the faculties and facilities of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh to offer graduate training in oceanography. Ties between the curriculum and the institute have been and remain close.

From the guide to the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1937-1999, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)