Campus Alert Archive
Meredith

Bomb Threat Targeting Meredith's Art Building Forces Summer Evacuation in a Wave of North Carolina Campus Threats

NCbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the morning of June 30, 2022, a caller threatened the Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, prompting police evacuation of the art center and adjacent Martin Hall. Raleigh Police Department officers swept both buildings and found no device; Meredith was one of at least eight North Carolina colleges receiving bomb threats that morning. Governor's School summer classes were delayed until 2:00 PM EDT.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Meredith College
Private Liberal Arts · NC
Meredith College Campus Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction300 chars
Meredith College Campus Alert: A bomb threat has been received targeting the Art and Design building. The Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center and Martin Hall are being evacuated immediately. Please vacate these buildings now and move away from the area. Raleigh Police are on campus. Await further instructions.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The threat was called into the Raleigh Emergency 911 Operations Center -- not Meredith Campus Safety directly -- and RPD coordinated with campus to initiate the evacuation
Martin Hall was evacuated as a secondary precaution due to its proximity to Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center, reflecting standard protocol of expanding the evacuation perimeter
Meredith's summer population was smaller than during the academic year, but Governor's School -- a state-sponsored residential program for gifted high school students hosted at Meredith -- was in session
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction298 chars
Meredith College Campus Alert: All Clear. Raleigh Police have completed a sweep of Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center and Martin Hall. No device was found. Both buildings are safe to reenter. Governor's School classes will resume at 2:00 PM. RPD will continue a presence on campus through the end of the day.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear preceded the 2:00 PM Governor's School class restart, indicating RPD completed the sweep in the morning hours
RPD maintained a visible campus presence through the end of the day even after issuing the all-clear -- a standard precautionary measure during coordinated multi-campus threat events
This was part of a wave affecting at least eight NC colleges the same morning, suggesting a coordinated or copycat threat rather than an institution-specific grievance
Context

Background

Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college in southwest Raleigh, North Carolina, founded in 1891 by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. With approximately 1,600 students, it is one of the largest women's colleges in the United States. The college hosts the Governor's School of North Carolina, a prestigious five-week residential summer program for gifted high school students, on its campus each summer. On the morning of June 30, 2022, an anonymous caller threatened the Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center by calling Raleigh Emergency 911 Operations Center and reporting a bomb in the "Art and Design building." RPD responded immediately, evacuated Gaddy-Hamrick Art Center and nearby Martin Hall, and conducted a full sweep of both facilities. No device was found, and an all-clear was issued. Governor's School classes -- normally running through the afternoon -- were delayed until 2:00 PM EDT as a precaution. RPD maintained a visible campus presence for the rest of the day. Meredith was one of at least eight North Carolina colleges receiving bomb threats that morning, including several community colleges across the state, suggesting a coordinated wave rather than a targeted attack on Meredith specifically. The summer 2022 period saw a national spike in campus bomb threats following the February 2022 wave targeting HBCUs, with threats increasingly targeting a broader range of institutions.
Analysis

Key Findings

Meredith College is among the largest women's colleges in the United States; this 2022 bomb threat is notable as the first major security incident at the institution in the public record
The presence of Governor's School -- a state-funded high school residential program -- on campus during the threat expanded the population at risk beyond the normal college community
The coordinated nature of the June 30, 2022 wave (eight NC colleges targeted on the same morning) mirrors the HBCU bomb threat waves of February 2022 and reflects a national pattern of coordinated campus bomb threats in 2022
RPD's extended campus presence after the all-clear reflects a threat-environment approach -- treating the all-clear as risk reduction rather than risk elimination in a multi-threat context
Outcome
No explosive device was found. RPD gave an all-clear following the sweep of both buildings. Governor's School summer program classes resumed at 2:00 PM EDT. The threat was part of a coordinated wave targeting at least eight North Carolina colleges on June 30, 2022, including Durham Technical Community College, Edgecombe Community College, Johnston Community College, Lenoir Community College, Martin Community College, Vance-Granville Community College, and Wayne Community College.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Bomb Threat at Meredith College -- The Meredith Herald
    meredithherald.com
  2. Official
    Bomb Threats -- Meredith College official emergency planning page
    meredith.edu
  3. national media
    Bomb threats disrupt campuses across the country -- Inside Higher Ed
    insidehighered.com
Tags
bomb-threatunfoundedwomens-collegeprivate-liberal-artsnorth-carolinaraleighgovernors-schoolsummer-sessioncoordinated-threat2022-waveUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion