For a university known for being world class in journalism, media and communication, Carolina’s leaders could use a tutorial.
Tar Heels have been bombarded with dismaying headlines recently, and university leadership has stayed all too quiet as the university faces crises big and small.
The football program is an embarrassment. The program’s general manager, Michael Lombardi, resigned after claims of harassment, rumors of drug use among coaches and players, and claims of sexual misconduct among the recruiting staff, players and coaches.
This is on the heels of a rocky first season for Coach Bill Belichick where – putting aside an underwhelming record on the field – the off-the-field antics of players and staff were concerning and showed a lack of leadership at the top.
Bill Belichick may have acquired a few Super Bowl rings, but coaching college sports is an entirely different animal. These young athletes need mentorship, guidance and good role models. In decades past, UNC athletics has been home to many storied coaches who not only produced great results on the field and the court, but also shaped the character of the athletes they coached. Those coaches – the likes of Dean Smith, Roy Williams and Mack Brown – took that part of the job seriously. It’s why Carolina athletics subscribes to the ethos of Coach Smith’s “Carolina Way.”
Bill Belichick’s football program does not meet the standard of the Carolina Way. Unfortunately, this letdown is unsurprising. When university leaders circumvent established process, the results will be the undermining of the values Carolina holds dear.
The Board of Trustees – led at the time by John Preyer – injected themselves into the decision to hire Bill Belichick, disregarding the guidance of the Director of Athletics, who did not support hiring Belichick. Now Coach Belichick is the highest-paid public employee in the state of North Carolina – and all UNC has to show for it are lousy headlines and HR fiascoes.
Here is a video of alumnus Billy Ball explaining how Belichick came to coach football at UNC Chapel Hill.
As we’ve recounted in the months and years past, the headaches from the football program are just one piece of a troubling legacy of former trustee Preyer and others. They fast-tracked the creation of the School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL) without receiving proper faculty input, tampered with the admissions process for new students, continually undermined the tenure process for deserving faculty, and involved themselves in appointments and hiring outside of their purview – with the most notable being Bill Belichick.
While we are frustrated with everything that led to this moment, Preyer no longer leads the Board of Trustees, and we are encouraged by some of the Board’s newer members and how they are fulfilling their duties in the role. They seem to be returning to their normal lanes.
Now, some instigators of the university’s current problems are gone, but the problems themselves are at a tipping point. Carolina needs a strong leader to take charge, and all eyes are on our chancellor, Lee Roberts.
Chancellor Roberts has demonstrated the ability to help Carolina thrive in terms of our academic prestige, as we continue to win top marks for the quality of our research and our student body. The past couple years have been very difficult for institutions of higher education as they face federal assaults and widening budget gaps. While Carolina has faced its own challenges, the Chancellor stepped up when it came to threats like the Trump higher education compact, and we commend him for that leadership.
But on many topics important to Carolina’s current reputation and its future, we’d like to hear more from the Chancellor. There’s been too little transparency on topics including the investigation of SCiLL and its general operations, and there has been too much secrecy around important deliberations like the future of the Smith Center.
Now, the football program is grabbing all of the headlines, and with the season only beginning, it is sure to continue. We need strong leadership from the Chancellor to correct the narrative. Bill Belichick might lead the football team, but Lee Roberts leads Carolina. Ultimately, the buck stops with him. We are counting on him to “just do the right thing” – both in general and for Carolina.
Leadership and honest, open communication go a long way when the university faces difficult situations.
A couple weeks ago, a mentally unwell man entered a Greenlaw Hall classroom during a watch party for a popular TV show and harassed attendees. Several Black student groups were hosting the event, and many of the man’s comments were racially charged and threatening. Law enforcement handled the situation appropriately, but students and faculty alike were disappointed in the information they received following the incident, as it took three days for the administration to acknowledge what happened on campus.
But, then, on Friday, Sept. 11, a statement came through Tar Heel inboxes. It was seven paragraphs from university leadership reiterating Carolina’s commitment to the safety of students and faculty, denouncing hateful speech and racism, and issuing an unequivocal condemnation of the incident that took place and those like it. It was well crafted and reassuring, even if a little slow in coming.
Carolina is at a crossroads. Our Chancellor must rise to the occasion. We believe he can and will.