Higher Education

Partnerships at UNC fostered by Folt will outlive her tenure

Here's a compilation of the financial growth Chancellor Folt championed for on-campus programs and student scholarships. 

With 15 days left as UNC's chancellor, Folt looks back at her controversial tenure

After replacing former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp in 2013, Chancellor Folt has outlasted numerous scandals and gained respect among faculty, staff and students alike. From her first day on campus as the first female chancellor, Folt and the position she occupied has been inundated by firsts and lasts.  Folt’s accelerated departure has been met with letters of support and criticism. As students look with uncertainty at the new vacancy and the state of the University in the coming semester, one thing is certain: Folt's tenure will be remembered, for better or worse. 

BOG approves Folt's resignation, pushes official resignation to Jan. 31

Folt announced her plan to resign on Monday with intentions to resign following spring commencement. In the same announcement, she ordered the removal of Silent Sam's pedestal. It was removed early Tuesday. 

Here's what's left unfinished in Chancellor Folt's final days

All the initiatives started by Carol Folt but left behind after her announcement of her resignation.

C-STEP at UNC extends to two more community colleges and adds STEM initiative

The C-STEP program has been linking transfer students and community colleges to four-year universities since 2006. It recently added two more community college partners to its cohort. 

Sunday's Silent Sam demonstration brought one group, but where was the other?

Counter-protesters emphasized the importance of continuing to fight, even if the supporters of Silent Sam don't show up.

Will the federal government shutdown impact UNC?

Although the recent government shutdown is predicted to have minimal impact on UNC, problems could still arise.

Board of Governors denies Chancellor Folt, UNC's Silent Sam proposal

The UNC-system Board of Governors rejected the plan to house Silent Sam in a new on-campus on building on Friday.

Thousands of grads, student athletes and national faculty protest Silent Sam proposal

“We are academics. We are scholars. We know our history. There’s a role for civil disobedience and for disobeying the law when it is unjust.”  Professors, TAs and students both graduate and undergraduate have become groups of signatories on various letters protesting Silent Sam. With the letters being shared publicly, opposition to the statue's on-campus relocation has gleaned national support. 

BOG member Thom Goolsby chastises Silent Sam plan a week before he casts his vote

“If you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being nothing to anyone.”

Three major changes in UNC leadership this year

Margaret Spellings, Dr. Bill Roper and Winston Crisp have given up their current positions within the UNC system this year. 

Folt explains Silent Sam decision amid student and community backlash

More details of Silent Sam plan emerge at Faculty Executive Committee meeting

On Monday morning, Chancellor Folt and the Board of Trustees officially made their recommendation to the Board of Governors about where to house Silent Sam, the heavily debated Confederate statue that was toppled in August. 

Silent Sam to be housed in new freestanding building, Folt and BOT recommend

The new building would be a center meant to contextualize UNC's history, Folt said at the Monday morning meeting. 

We sat down with Margaret Spellings just months before her early resignation

Margaret Spellings hosted an informal conversation for media members the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 28. Spellings reflected on her time in North Carolina and answered questions from various media members about her resignation and future plans. The UNC-system president will officially resign on Mar. 1, 2019. 

Survey to UNC-system alumni will tell us if their degree prepared them for life

The survey attempts to discover the practical value of a UNC degree.

'Expectations should be lowered': What a Democratic U.S. House means for higher ed

New education policy, if passed through government, could shape the future of Pell Grants and university research. Here's how. 

Blue Cross N.C. partners with UNC Medicine to focus attention on rural medical care

Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina announced last week that as part of a larger commitment to improving community health initiatives, the company will invest $800,000 in a new program within UNC’s School of Medicine aimed at improving access to primary care physicians in Rockingham County. 

Here's what you missed at Friday's BOG meeting

The UNC-system BOG met to present awards to two N.C. professors and accept an additional grant for students. Two UNC students spoke to the board about Silent Sam and online stalkers.   

From course approval to free speech, UNC professors join discussion on academic freedom

 “It seems like the general consensus that academic freedom is the goal of the left, and academic suppression is the goal of the right. We also need to think about how to promote more diverse conversations on campuses, not have this just be the bastion of the liberal elite.”