Message Regarding Campus Incident

This message is being shared by the Office of University Relations on behalf of Chancellor Aswani K. Volety and the Cabinet. 

We want to reassure you that the shelter in place issued earlier this evening has now been lifted. UNCW Police along with local, state and federal partners worked swiftly to conduct a full investigation and determined there is no credible threat to campus. We want you to know that the safety and wellbeing of our community remain our highest priority.  

In an abundance of caution, UNCW will cancel classes on Friday, Sept. 19, and all assignments and exams are postponed. Students in fully online programs should consult with their instructors about how this may impact their courses. The UNCW Library will be closed on Friday, but the Campus Recreation Center, campus dining services, and campus shuttle services are operational, but may have reduced hours. Please check websites for weekend schedules.  

The next communication will be sent by 8:30 a.m. Friday morning unless conditions warrant earlier notification.  

All employees should observe Condition 1 (Reduced Operations) of UNCW Policy 08.221. Mandatory employees and employees temporarily assigned as mandatory must report to work or remain at work as directed. All other employees have the option to report late, leave early, or not report at all; however, the employee is responsible for informing his/her supervisory chain in a timely manner of all decisions. Employees may also work remotely with supervisory approval. Employees must use leave for any work time missed in accordance with leave keeping policies.   

Please be aware that much misinformation is circulating on social media. Here are some facts about today’s events: This afternoon and evening, multiple reports came in claiming an armed attacker was on campus. The reports have been investigated and found to be untrue. We intend to thoroughly review each of these sources and provide more details in the coming days. 

We are saddened the UNCW community had to experience this, and we want to thank those who were on campus for your cooperation and patience. We are also grateful for our university police department and the agencies that assisted us.  

Students, faculty and staff should continue to monitor their email and UNCW Alerts for updates and report anything concerning immediately by calling 911 or contacting UNCW Police at 910.962.2222 or police@uncw.edu.