Faculty - The Daily Tar Heel

The Faculty Executive Committee held a special meeting on Dec. 23, 2021 to discuss return-to-campus concerns.

Faculty Executive Committee discusses spring return-to-campus concerns at UNC

By Brianna Atkinson | Dec. 23

The University has no plans to delay the spring semester as of now, Provost Bob Blouin said at a UNC Faculty Executive Committee special meeting Thursday. Any changes to spring semester operations will be announced by Jan. 3, he said. The FEC also discussed concerns about the return to campus amid the rapidly spreading omicron COVID-19 variant, masking protocols and the potential for a vaccine mandate.

The Old Well and the South Building are pictured on campus on Nov. 17, 2021.

UNC faculty governance talked COVID-19, UNC governance, mental health in 2021

By Emily Orland and Claire Tynan | Nov. 30

For every conflict the University has faced in 2021, faculty members on the Faculty Council and Faculty Executive Committee have weighed in on how UNC should navigate these challenges.

UNC's School of Journalism and Media bears the name of Walter Hussman, a top donor, who opposed Nikole Hannah-Jones' bid for tenure.

'We’re hemorrhaging faculty of color': BIPOC faculty feel undervalued at UNC

By Jennifer Tran | Nov. 30

While the number of faculty members of color at UNC has increased gradually in the past decade, many prominent members are choosing to leave the University. “We’re hemorrhaging faculty of color,” Dr. Keisha Gibson, vice chairperson of diversity and inclusion for the department of medicine, said. “This institution — we are absolutely hemorrhaging them.”

Professor Willam Goldsmith opens up his Making Public Policy class on Monday Sept. 29, 2021 in Alumni Hall with in person group discussions.

Students and faculty reflect on the return to in-person classes this semester

By Natalie Varma | Nov. 29

Fall 2019 was the last time UNC had a fully in-person semester. After over a year of operating remotely, students and faculty have had to adjust back to in-person learning, while balancing new teaching formats brought on by the virtual transition.

Since summer 2021, UNC has seen many prominent leaders decide to retire, step down or take opportunities at other universities. They include fives deans and two prominent communications leaders at the University. Graphic by Kendal Orrantia/UNC Media Hub.

‘In a difficult place’: Exodus of leaders hits UNC

By Praveena Somasundaram | Nov. 29

Since last May, nine top leaders have announced their retirement, resignation or departure from the university, including Bob Blouin, executive vice chancellor and provost — a position only second to the chancellor.

The back entrance to South Building is pictured through the Old Well on Oct. 17, 2021.

Op-ed: UNC Chancellor is facing pressure for new provost decision

Nov. 29

"The search for a new provost is coming to an end, and the Chancellor is under significant pressure to make a particular choice. Based on the information that is being relayed to me by multiple sources, our trustees and the UNC System are dictating his choices to the point that he really has none to make."

Letter to the Editor: Been there, done that — I'm not a token faculty hire

Nov. 11

"I’ve been asked repeatedly if the UNC communications department hired me as a token after they received flack over their abysmally low number of minority faculty. Sounds like it."

The Faculty Executive Committee met on Monday to discuss the University's response to student deaths and the process of scheduling wellness days.

FEC discusses mental health, wellness days in Monday meeting

By Anna Neil | Oct. 12

The Faculty Executive Committee discussed the University's response to student deaths and the process of scheduling wellness days at their meeting Monday.

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz applauds during Hubert Davis's introductory press conference on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz: 'I do support a vaccine mandate'

By Praveena Somasundaram | Aug. 24

"I’d love nothing more than for us to be 100 percent vaccinated, here over the next week to 10 days," Guskiewicz said.

Op-ed: The risks are too high

Aug. 18

"Rushing back to the classroom this week puts us all at risk — for that reason, we are publishing an open letter requesting online classes for 4-6 weeks, signed by over 500 faculty members."

Op-ed: Returning to campus safely requires mandatory vaccination

Aug. 12

"If the UNC System really wants a successful fall semester, then provide this campus with delegated authority to make our own public health decisions. The clock is ticking, and we are waiting."

A small group stands near the Old Well behind South Building on Sept. 12, 2020.

Op-ed: Let's create a Coalition for Carolina

Jul. 7

"Most importantly, the current governance structure means that we are unable, as an institution, to live our values. The faculty, staff and students cannot change this situation alone. We need all those that love Carolina to come to our aid in a concerted, organized, sustained effort to reform the way our campus is governed and chart a forward course."

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and MacArthur Fellow Nikole Hannah-Jones, poses for a portrait. Photo courtesy of John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Nikole Hannah-Jones declines UNC's offer, will join Howard University instead

By Krista Nichols | Jul. 6

Nikole Hannah-Jones has declined UNC's offer, she announced Tuesday during an interview on “CBS This Morning," and will instead be the inaugural Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University.

UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz as pictured after the June 30 Board of Trustees meeting where the Board voted to grant tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones.

'A lot of soul-searching': UNC faculty say there's more to be done after BOT decision

By Lauren McCarthy and Isabella Reilly | Jul. 1

Faculty members are encouraged by the Board of Trustees' decision to approve Nikole Hannah-Jones' tenure, but they say this situation has been nothing new for people of color at UNC. “There's a constant crisis that’s happening,” professor Kathy Williams said. “What they're trying to do is run us out of here. They will not get the satisfaction of wearing me down.”

Moderator Kia Caldwell (African, African American, and Diaspora Studies, UNC-CH), along with panelists Pat Parker (Communication, UNC-CH), Keisha-Khan Perry (Africana Studies, Brown), and Sharon Holland (American Studies, UNC-CH) discuss Black Feminism at a colloquium on February 7, 2017.

Hannah-Jones' tenure case highlights long-standing issues for faculty of color at UNC

By Praveena Somasundaram | Jun. 30

Many faculty of color are leaving UNC following the Board of Trustees’ initial decision to not offer tenure to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. For many, the breaking point came before they knew Hannah-Jones might teach at UNC.

Patricia Parker is Chair of the Department of Communication at UNC. Photo courtesy of Kristen Chavez, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Patricia Parker to become first Black woman director at IAH

By Jackson Moseley | Jun. 24

On July 1, Patricia Parker will enter her role as the director of the Institute of the Arts and Humanities. Parker will be the first Black woman to enter this role. Parker said she is looking forward to the ways that she can serve the UNC community. "I just see it as a distinct honor for me to lead the IAH at this time at this critical time in our nation's history," said Parker. "And I don't take that responsibility lightly."

A list of statements made in support of Nikole Hannah-Jones

Jun. 23

Many UNC academic departments, organizations and affiliates have written statements of support for Nikole Hannah-Jones. The Daily Tar Heel compiled the following departmental statements using their respective websites and public social media posts.

The Statement of Core Values, created by Walter Hussman Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, is in Carroll Hall.

Hussman says he was 'concerned' about his core values of journalism and 1619 Project

By Nicole Moorefield | Jun. 9

Walter Hussman talked to The Daily Tar Heel about his concerns regarding Nikole Hannah-Jones' hiring and her 1619 Project. He said he was concerned that her reputation would overshadow his core values, which are written on the wall of Carroll Hall and printed on the second page of his 10 newspapers.

Op-ed: Set a date to review Hannah-Jones for tenure

Jun. 3

"Should it become clear that Ms. Hannah-Jones will not be given a fair hearing and vote as has every other candidate for the position she will hold, faculty will no doubt leave this university. Why stay when promotion or tenure may be delayed or denied because of someone else’s politics?"

Breaking down the tenure process at UNC and why Nikole Hannah-Jones' case is unusual

By Nicole Moorefield and Lauren McCarthy | May. 31

The word "tenure" has been in the news a lot for the past couple weeks, but what does it actually mean? Here's a comprehensive look at tenure, including the definition, the process, the implications and why Nikole Hannah-Jones' case is an unusual one.