Several members of UNC – Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees issued a statement supporting the decision from Chancellor Carol Folt to “remove intact the base of the Confederate Monument” known as Silent Sam. Folt made the surprise announcement Monday while also announcing that she would be stepping down as chancellor at the end of the semester.
“The chancellor has ultimate authority over campus public safety, and we agree Chancellor Folt is acting properly to preserve campus security,” the trustees wrote. “Nothing is more important than keeping our campus community and visitors as safe as possible.”
The letter was signed by Board of Trustees vice chair Chuck Duckett, secretary Julia Grumbles and Lowry Caudill – a former board chairman who is continuing to serve as a trustee.
When asked for clarification, UNC’s media office said the letter was solely endorsed by those trustees who were named.
The trio of trustees thanked Folt for her leadership and listed accomplishments from her tenure as the eleventh chancellor of UNC.
“Under her leadership, our University launched new efforts to expand access and affordability for deserving students; surpassed for the first time $1 billion in research expenditures; and developed our first-ever overarching strategic framework, “The Blueprint for Next,” which will guide us well into the next decade. To ensure we have the continued resources to meet these goals and to bring us into our next chapter of growth, Chancellor Folt has played a vital role in the outstanding success of our $4.25 billion fundraising campaign. Above all, Chancellor Folt has cared deeply about her campus – students, faculty and staff – and has an abiding love and respect for the University community.”
The UNC System Board of Governors had assigned five board members to work with the campus to develop a new proposal for the future of Silent Sam. That group was scheduled to come back with a recommendation in mid-March.
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