2021 has been a tumultuous year for UNC, from controversy over the failed Nikole Hannah-Jones hire, to the handling COVID on campus and most recently the appointment of Chris Clemens as the new provost. Last week, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz joined 97.9 The Hill to reflect on the past semester.
He said it’s been a “challenging, yet rewarding” fall semester. Guskiewicz said he is especially proud of the way UNC handled in-person learning during the pandemic.
“It was just great to be back in person,” Guskiewicz said. “We heard from so many students, and parents of students, about the importance of being together, in person. We know that’s where our students thrive and can learn best. Also, our faculty, that’s where they do their best work in that in-person environment.”
Guskiewicz said the spring semester will begin with many of the same safety protocols in place like the Carolina Together Testing Program and continuing the indoor mask mandate on campus.
While the university’s pandemic response was largely considered a success this semester, UNC students grappled with a mental health crisis. Guskiewicz said the pandemic created additional challenges for students.
“As a parent myself of students, and as a faculty member here for 26 years, and our chancellor, I feel for the suffering and pain that sometimes our students are experiencing that goes unnoticed,” he said. “We’re going to get this right.”
Guskiewicz said several initiatives are coming in the spring to address mental health, including increased teletherapy sessions and mental health first-aid trainings, which would teach participants how to handle crisis scenarios.
New mental health initiatives won’t be the only thing different at Carolina next semester. Also coming in the spring is a new provost. Earlier this month, Chris Clemens was appointed to the position to take over outgoing provost Bob Blouin. Clemens will begin the role in February.
Since the announcement, several news organizations raised questions about whether his appointment violated North Carolina Open Meetings Laws and faculty raised concerns about the power of the Board of Trustees in the search process.
Despite those concerns, Guskiewicz said he has confidence in Clemens.
“I’ve worked with Chris for over 15 years here at Carolina,” Guskiewicz said. “I think he’s going to do an outstanding job. He’s helped us move a number of initiatives forward. He has served in a variety of leadership roles.”
Chair of the Faculty Mimi Chapman said she believes Clemens’ appointment is part of a larger issue about outside pressure reshaping the university to align with a political agenda. In an op-ed published in The Daily Tar Heel, she said interference from groups like the UNC Board of Trustees, donors or the General Assembly undermines the authority of the chancellor’s leadership.
Guskiewicz said, however, UNC continues to be a place of shared governance, which includes opinions of all stakeholders in decision-making processes.
“The university is now, and has been, one of great collaboration and often one of great tension,” Guskiewicz said. “Sometimes there are competing priorities, but in my job, I’ve got to weigh all that input then make a decision at the end of the day.”
The power of outside influence has caused issues in retaining and recruiting faculty members, especially faculty of color. Professor William Sturkey told 97.9 at the For ‘Em on the Hill discussion on higher education, he currently estimates 90 percent of Black faculty are looking elsewhere for employment opportunities.
Guskiewicz said he has heard those concerns, however, he said faculty leave for a variety of reasons.
“Our retention rate of faculty has remained very high over the past several years; I anticipate it will remain high this year. But we want to learn, we are working hard at conducting exit interviews, whenever somebody does leave faculty and staff.”
Guskiewicz said he hopes the spring semester will continue to fulfill the Carolina promise for faculty, staff and students.
Photo via Robert Willett
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