Update on Higher Ed Attacks
A new school year calls for a news update: the attacks on universities have continued. The latest at Carolina came just this week as the conservative group The Oversight Project requested the syllabi of 74 UNC courses using keywords including “DEI,” “LGBTQ+” and “anti-racism.” This follows a gutting of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hiring […]
FDOC: First Day of Class. First Day of Crisis.
It’s a great day (and week) to be a Tar Heel! Thousands of students have descended on campus to start the 2025-2026 school year. It should certainly be an interesting one. Many of us have fond memories of arriving on campus for the first time – getting settled in our dorms, making new friends and […]
A Commitment to Tenure
With all the uncertainty going on in academia and higher ed at this time, it’s more important than ever that Carolina protect tenure for our talented faculty. A few weeks ago, we covered a recent Board of Trustees meeting where a tenure vote for eligible faculty was conspicuously absent from the agenda. The incident was […]
Carolina’s Accreditation – Bring Your Own Referee?
We received overwhelming response to last week’s newsletter about recent threats to the independence of Carolina’s alumni association. This week, we wanted to cover another topic that has been in the news recently but perhaps isn’t getting the attention it deserves: the overhaul of university accreditation. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on […]
Carolina Alumni’s Independence is Under Fire
Just as Carolina is the oldest public university in the country, Carolina Alumni (previously known as the UNC General Alumni Association) is the oldest independent alumni association, founded in 1843 by 31 UNC graduates, including Governor John Motley Morehead. Despite its independence, the association keeps close ties to the University – including being headquartered on […]
Remembering David Gergen
The world lost a great man in David Gergen last week. Gergen was noted for his many jobs in politics and public service – including serving in the administrations of four U.S. Presidents of both political parties. What is less known to many is the roots of his service mindset. Gergen grew up in Durham. […]
No Time to be Cavalier
Happy Independence Day. To many, this day is about fireworks, cold beers and enjoying some time away from the office. If you’re looking for something to celebrate about the United States of America today, look no further than our world-class institutions of higher education, and, of course, the oldest public institution and our most cherished, […]
Coalition for Carolina statement on the resignation of University of Virginia President James E. Ryan:
Jim Ryan, the President of the University of Virginia, is a leader who says what he means and has pushed the institution he leads to be “great and good.” Who could take issue with such an aspiration? Yet, his presidency is apparently the necessary ransom to keep UVA from losing research funding and the jobs […]
What the hell is happening with tenure?
Granting tenure at Carolina used to be a routine yet rigorous process. With this Board of Trustees, those days are over. Just read yesterday’s headlines: WUNC: UNC trustees approve faculty tenure after monthslong delay WRAL: UNC Board of Trustees approves 33 delayed tenure appointments after faculty outcry The Chronicle of Higher Education: UNC Chapel Hill […]
Next Week’s Webinar and Roberts’s Remarks on Research
Join us for our next webinar: Teaching and Using Artificial Intelligence at UNC-CH Monday, June 2, 2025 at 3:30pm ET RSVP HERE Roberts’s remarks on research: At the Coalition for Carolina, we’ve been forcefully advocating for leadership at a time of great uncertainty for Carolina and institutions of higher education. This past week, we were […]