Time to Lead!
As we shared last week, and as we all know from reading the news every day, the University is facing perilous, unpredictable times. Nearly every day brings some new uncertainty. Now is the time for the Board of Trustees to work hard and advocate for the University. As the UNC System’s flagship campus and one of the most respected in the […]
Application Status: Rejected Due to Preyer Commitments?
The response to last week’s piece about Bill Belichick and faculty salaries was overwhelming. If you missed it in your inbox, you can check it out here. Whether or not you think Belichick is the right fit for UNC, it’s clear there is concern about UNC’s priorities when weighing sports versus academics – and the […]
Belichick scored big. Where’s faculty’s payday?
We’ve kept mum so far, but surely, you’ve gotten an earful from your Carolina friends: here comes Bill Belichick. And as we all know, it didn’t come cheap. Belichick scored a five-year, $50 million contract – double that of his predecessor Mack Brown. Still, there had been speculation that Belichick might swap his Carolina blue […]
UNC Trustees Exposed for Inappropriately Meddling in Admissions
Just in time for the holidays, a story broke about the secret gifts a few UNC Trustees have been giving their well-connected friends: improper and unfair advantages in the UNC admissions process. In December, the publication The Assembly attained a slew of text messages through a public records request that exposed the undue influence Trustees […]
Fealty, Power Grab, Politicization, and, ‘the Enemy’
More Politicization of Higher Education “Ben Sasse, the Nebraska senator, arrived in Florida in February 2023 to help cement a … makeover of one of the nation’s top five public universities. The University of Florida had lured the senator with an unusual $10 million, five-year contract, possibly the most lucrative ever for a public university president. Gov. […]
Vote to Support Carolina
As we head to the polls over the next few weeks, there are many important national issues, and several high profile local issues, that make the headlines each week and will influence our votes. A local issue that is not making a lot of headlines is how the outcome of the election will impact UNC […]
The Installation of Chancellor Lee H. Roberts
For your convenience, we are including access to a video of the entire Installation Ceremony for Chancellor Lee Roberts. Below is extracted text of the speech that he delivered after he was sworn in as the 13th Chancellor of the University of North Carolina. ______________________________________________________________________________ Welcome, everyone. President Hans. Chief Justice Newby. Chair Murphy. […]
Trustees Held Accountable for Bad Behavior
On Thursday, trustee John Preyer read the following statement at a regularly scheduled trustees meeting: “[In] May of 2024, a legal complaint was filed against the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, alleging violations of the North Carolina Open Meetings Act. The board disputes the lawsuit, but the lawsuit has […]
SCiLL Looks Like What We Feared: Origins May be Destiny
We vowed to keep an open mind about the new School of Civic Life and Leadership that was mandated at UNC by trustees and the legislature. But the school looks more and more like what we were told it wouldn’t be: a center for right-wing views and something removed or exempt from normal university hiring […]
We Hope Lee Roberts Can Right the Wrongs at UNC
Our Coalition hopes that Lee Roberts will be the right leader at the right time for the University of North Carolina. We are cautiously optimistic that our new chancellor will protect against interference by legislators and trustees that has eroded UNC’s academic excellence, integrity and independence. His selection had been widely expected since April, when […]