January 31 marked Carol Folt’s last day as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, bringing an end to her tenure which lasted for nearly six years for the state’s flagship public university.

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger attended Folt’s goodbye party Wednesday night where Folt was honored for all her accomplishments with the university, but Hemminger said her final act as UNC’s chancellor drew the most attention.

“Mostly we thanked her for [her] courageous act of taking down the pedestal before she left,” Hemminger said. “That’s going to help our community move forward now, a chance to heal and start and the next person coming in won’t have to go through all that.”

In January, Folt authorized the removal of the remainder of the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam from UNC’s campus. The statue was toppled by protesters in August 2018, but the base of the monument had remained at McCorkle Place and had been a gathering place for Silent Sam supporters and protesters.

The day after Folt’s announcement, nothing of Silent Sam remained at McCorkle Place.

Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle, who was elected in 2013, said that her tenure as mayor has coincided with Folt’s time with UNC.

“The day I announced I was running for mayor,” Lavelle said, “was the day she was announced as chancellor and so my tenure as mayor has been hand in hand with the chancellor being Carol Folt.”

Lavelle said that Folt’s enthusiasm for her students was evident, as well as what Lavelle described as her bubbly and warm personality.

“It was really almost bittersweet to understand how much she has done as chancellor at Carolina,” Lavelle said. “From the very, very successful Carolina Covenant Program to her Arts Everywhere Initiative.”

Launched in 2003, the Carolina Covenant Program works to provide debt-free college to low-income families. The university also created the Blue Sky Scholars program in 2018, which provides financial aid for middle-income undergraduate students from North Carolina.

“I believe if you’re a low-income student or a wealthy student, there should be no difference in your opportunity,” Folt said in a 2018 interview with The Atlantic. “My entire focus has been excellence at any level of income.”

Hemminger said that, although she was disappointed at the abrupt change in UNC’s leadership, she was thankful for Folt’s work with the innovation between the town and the university and that she hopes the next chancellor will work with the Town of Chapel Hill in the same manner.

“I will say one of the things we worked really, really hard on was all of the innovation. That was a big partnership between the town, the county, the university, and she played an integral part in totally believing and putting resources and dedication to that.

“I believe that’s the future of our community together is all this innovation and creative energy that goes into all that. So we will miss her drive and enthusiasm and hope that we get someone that feels similarly with these same kinds of values.”

Related Stories
‹
Chapel Hill, Carrboro Score Highly for Support of LGBTQ Communities
Both towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro recently received high scores in the 2019 Municipal Equality Index. The index measures a town’s efforts in LGBTQ inclusion in terms of municipal law, policies and services. Many companies refer to the Human Rights Campaign report when considering relocation and expansion. Chapel Hill mayor Pam Hemminger says while […]
Chapel Hill, Carrboro Continuing Focus on Flooding After Hurricane Florence
While over nine inches of rain brought some flooding to Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the area got through Hurricane Florence with considerably less damage than parts of eastern North Carolina. Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle said part of the credit for this goes to the town’s public works department. “Even in advance of the storm, I […]
Orange County Mayors Set Sights on New Development After Re-Election
Mayors Pam Hemminger, Lydia Lavelle and Tom Stevens are turning their focus to the future of their respective towns after re-election, and a large part of that future includes development. After plans for a new Wegmans were approved by Chapel Hill’s Town Council, Hemminger says the next project they hope to tackle is finding a […]
Travel Journalist Conference Visits Orange County
The North American Travel Journalists Association or NATJA visit towns and cities all over for its annual conference and marketplace – this year the journalists are in Orange County from Tuesday to Thursday. “They don’t go places really that are well-known necessarily, like big cities that might have unique stories to tell,” said Carrboro Mayor […]
Mayors: Chapel Hill, Carrboro Not Affected by Executive Order on Sanctuary Cities
Both Chapel Hill and Carrboro apply for federal grants each year that could allow the towns to expand, create and make life better for residents. But after Trump signed an executive order limiting federal money that sanctuary cities are eligible for, it left questions of which cities and towns those are. Chapel Hill Mayor Pam […]
Honoring Chapel Hill's Black Builders: UNC Landmarks and the Local Faces Who Built Them
Maps are storytellers, but they can exclude certain narratives. Fowota Mortoo said that’s the case for Chapel Hill’s Black builders.
'More Self-Governance': Panel Discusses Free Speech, Political Influence at UNC
A panel of UNC guests talked about the state of democracy on campus and the chilling effect that has followed the increased pressure from state lawmakers.
Tar Heel Bikes Program To End May 31
Tar Heel Bikes, the UNC campus bikeshare program, will end May 31 of this year with the expiration of its contract, UNC announced last week. Tar Heel Bikes, the campus bikeshare program, will end May 31. The University is in the process of selecting a new bikeshare provider and plans to announce a new service […]
Gov. Cooper Names Chapel Hill, Carrboro Community Members to State Advisory Roles
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper named several people to state advisory boards and commissions on Friday. Among there are a handful of Chapel Hill and Carrboro community members. Dr. Michael Kunz of Chapel Hill is one of those. Cooper appointed Kunz to the North Carolina Plant Conservation Board. His role will be to represent the […]
What Local Events Are Being Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns?
This post will continue to be updated regarding any cancellations or postponements of events in the Orange and Chatham county communities from concerns of the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The North Carolina Botanical Garden will be closing its main garden and education center beginning on Friday, March 20. A […]
›