Faculty members have always played a key role in the work of the Carolina Population Center. When CPC was first created in 1966, the field of population research was very new, and scholars doing population research were not always aware of others' interest in the same issues.

Under Freymann's directorship, UNC faculty members were involved with the Center by simply having a stated primary research focus in population studies. In 1966, Freymann formed the Center as an interdisciplinary organization involving 77 faculty members from 20 academic departments on campus. He called this group "Faculty Concerned with Population Studies." See List of Faculty Concerned with Population Studies, 1966, below.

As CPC brought increased attention to the field of population studies on campus, and as it successfully developed population projects in the state of North Carolina and throughout the world, more faculty members from North Carolina became interested in the Center. Freymann acknowledged the growing interest by welcoming faculty members from many colleges and universities to become affiliated with CPC. In 1972, there were 51 Faculty Associates from other colleges and universities, in addition to the 75 faculty from UNC. This involvement of academics from many institutions disturbed UNC administrators, resulting in a broad review of the role of faculty in the Center's activities. See List of Faculty Associates from Other Campuses, 1972, below.

With the departure of Freymann in 1974, and after Tom Hall resigned as director in 1977, Udry stepped in with a directive to develop a formal way that UNC faculty members were to be affiliated with CPC. Within a month of becoming director, Udry created the Fellows program.

The Fellows program was designed so that UNC faculty would be the "permanent scholarly body" and the core of the Center, and were "given the authority to elect subsequent Fellows under a set of guidelines which they developed and adopted." (Center Grant, 1983). Udry appointed the initial group of 33 Fellows from 13 academic departments. View list of initial group of 33 Fellows. Interview clip: Mabry recalls the origins of the Fellows program [AUDIO].

In 2006, the Fellows program had 57 Fellows from 16 departments, and 3 Fellows Emeriti. In total, there have been 102 CPC Fellows elected since 1977. See List of Fellows, 1977–2006, below.

Advisory Council

Udry also developed the CPC Advisory Council, a group of Fellows appointed to advise the Director on a broad range of issues related to the Center. Known first as "Fellows Council" and changed to "Advisory Council" in 1981, it was designed to allow input from different academic disciplines, and from Fellows who were at different stages of their academic careers. In 1981, Udry settled on having five Fellows serve on the council, each for a five-year appointment. Each year one Fellow is added to the council, and one Fellow is rotated off. See List of Advisory Council members through the years, below.

Advisory Council Members, 1977 - present

* data missing for 1979–1980

** From October 1977 to December 1978, Fellows were appointed to Council for six-month terms. Beginning in 1979, terms became one year. In September 1981, Fellows Council was renamed Advisory Council, and appointments were changed to five-year terms.

This list can be reorganized by Fellow Name or by Council Term by selecting the appropriate column heading.