In March, the North Carolina legislature appointed five new members to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. The new members will start their terms on July 1 and will attend their first full round of meetings on July 21 and 22. The new members are: John Fraley, House appointee Kirk Bradley, Senate appointee … Continue reading “Did You Know? New UNC Board of Governors Members”
Last week, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees came under fire for “viewpoint discrimination” over its decision not to offer tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones, who will join UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism in July. An anonymous source reported that the decision was “a very political thing.” But politics needn’t have come into … Continue reading “It’s Not About ‘Politics’—The Brouhaha over Nikole Hannah-Jones”
The recent hiring of New York Times columnist Nikole Hannah-Jones as a faculty member in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism raises serious red flags about how the university is being run. Last week, the Martin Center’s Jay Schalin reported on Hannah-Jones’s appointment to the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC. Hannah-Jones … Continue reading “UNC’s 1619 Project Hire: A Case Study of Failed University Governance”
To the editor: “A Chancellor Search Tainted with Suspicion and Shrouded in Secrecy” is a great example of political corruption in higher education—as viewed from the outside. Politically connected players have always used their advantages to leverage even more benefits when they can get away with it. No wonder this looks like corruption to faculty … Continue reading “Letter to the Editor: Conflicts of interest in university governance”
The recent appointment of Darrell Allison to the chancellorship of Fayetteville State University (FSU) has sparked a controversy. The UNC Board of Governors’ (BOG) announcement elicited immediate pushback from those in the campus community and the story quickly attracted national attention. Allison was a member of the UNC BOG until last September when he abruptly … Continue reading “A Chancellor Search Tainted with Suspicion and Shrouded in Secrecy “
A new leader took the helm of the University of North Carolina system during a tumultuous time. In the midst of a global pandemic, Peter Hans was elected UNC system president on June 19, 2020 and assumed the role in August. The position was previously held by interim president Bill Roper, who stepped in after … Continue reading “A Conversation with UNC System President Peter Hans”
Some new faces might be on the UNC Board of Governors this year, as 12 members’ four-year terms are set to expire. The state’s Senate and House of Representatives will each be able to fill six open positions. They may choose to reappoint or replace current members. The nomination process in the Senate is currently … Continue reading “Did You Know? The UNC BOG Nominations Process”
While annual tuition increases are the norm across higher ed, the University of North Carolina system has bucked this trend and kept tuition level for 5 years now. Though some fees have increased in recent years, the UNC system has made a commendable effort in keeping prices low for North Carolina’s students. In 2016, the … Continue reading “Did You Know? UNC System Keeps Tuition Frozen for 5th Year”
The members of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors are charged with a solemn duty: to oversee and guide the state’s public university system. Although some of their day-to-day responsibilities might seem mundane, many of the decisions they make shape the system’s standards, values, and the extent to which the university’s dual mission … Continue reading “Don’t Rock the Boat: UNC BOG Members Rarely Vote ‘Nay’”
All students enrolled in UNC system institutions are required to have health insurance coverage. They also pay a Health Services Fee to their university. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, The UNC System endorses a cost-effective Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) that covers additional health care expenses not included in the Student Health Fee. This … Continue reading “Did You Know? North Carolina Students Pay For Health Services Twice”