Correction: Due to a reporting error, the original version of this story said the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory received at $1.5 million challenge grant. The challenge grant is actually worth $3.5 million. The story has been updated and The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
The Board of Trustees met in full Thursday to discuss tension on campus, hear budget proposals and give the state of the University thus far. Here's what you need to know:
Chancellor Carol Folt began her remarks with the acknowledgment of the recent controversy surrounding the Confederate memorial Silent Sam.
“I do believe that as long as Silent Sam stands in its current location it runs the risk to drain energy and goodwill that we’ve worked so hard to maintain on this campus," she said. "And (it) truly does extract us from reaching the important goals we all share.”
BOT chairperson Haywood Cochrane spoke on the legal restraints placed on the University preventing the statue's removal, but said the administration is actively working to maintain safety on campus and resolve the issue within the current government system.
“I stated publicly that if it were my choice I would relocate Silent Sam based on concerns for public safety, but I don’t have that authority under the law,” Folt said.
North Carolina Policy Collaboratory aims to bridge gap between legislature and environmental research
The Collaboratory, a name suggested by Chancellor Folt, was launched in 2016 as a means to meet the interests of legislators with the expertise generated from research opportunities granted to the University. Brad Ives, the associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises, serves as the initiative’s director.
The North Carolina General Assembly granted an $8.15 million commitment to the Collaboratory, in addition to a $3.5 million challenge grant that was recently extended for two more years.
