UNC Announces Duke Department Chair as First Dean for School of Civil Life and Leadership

The UNC Board of Trustees met Friday to approve the hiring of the university’s initial dean of the School of Civic Life and Leadership: Jed Atkins of Duke University.

Atkins, who has been part of Duke’s faculty since 2009, will join Carolina to lead the new school set to launch with courses in the fall of 2024 and foster a space for “reflection and intellectual curiosity that helps our democracy thrive,” according to a university release.

“At a time of increasing polarization and declining public trust in our institutions, the development of SCiLL represents a remarkable opportunity for America’s first public university to continue to lead our country in preparing ‘a rising generation’ for lives of thoughtful civic engagement required for a flourishing democracy,” said Atkins. “During the search process, I was deeply impressed by the commitment of so many members of the Carolina community to this mission, including faculty and students associated with SCiLL and the Program for Public Discourse. I am honored to be joining them in their vital work of providing a civic education that promotes the common good of the Carolina community, the state, nation and world.”

Jed Atkins. Director and dean of the UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership. (Photo via UNC-Chapel Hill.)

Presently, Atkins leads Duke’s Civil Discourse Project, which sponsors activities that help promote engaged, diverse conversations and scholarly activities. He also is the chair of the classical studies department while holding an associate professorship of philosophy and political science.

“Jed Atkins’ deep and long-standing commitment to civil discourse and civic education makes him an ideal leader for the new school, which positions Carolina as a national leader in building capacities for civic life and leadership and confronting the challenges that face our state and beyond,” wrote UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts, Provost Chris Clemens and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jim White in the university’s statement.

“Dean Atkins’ hiring is the culmination of six years of thoughtful planning by university administrators and faculty, most notably Provost Chris Clemens,” said UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer. “Carolina’s School of Civic Life and Leadership is a prime example of the progress we can make for our students and our state when the University’s administration, faculty, staff and trustees work together toward important goals. It’s also an opportunity for America’s oldest public university to lead the nation in promoting active citizenship and civil discourse in our pluralistic democracy. This is truly a great day to be a Tar Heel.”

While university leaders have maintained the school had been in the works for years, a resolution by the Board of Trustees in January 2023 put the project on the broader campus radar. The group passed a measure voicing its support to create the school as a “space for free speech, a culture of civil and open inquiry,” said then-Board Chair David Boliek. Boliek then proceeded to do a Fox News interview two days later touting the school as an effort to balance the campus’ “no shortage of left-of-center views.” Since then, both trustees and university administrators have pushed back on the notion that the school is developed with conservative views in mind and instead say its focus is more on creating a place for healthy dialogue between people with differing ideologies. The project was then fast-tracked with budget allocations by the university and the North Carolina General Assembly.

The school will serve as the new home for UNC’s Program for Public Discourse, which was started in 2017 with the support of Clemens amid the reputation as a place to also allow more conservative viewpoints to be shared.

The initial nine faculty members of the School of Civic Life and Leadership were named in October 2023, with each representing a half-time appointment as they will continue to work in their home departments as well. Sarah Treul Roberts, a political science professor at the university, has been serving as the interim dean and director.

Along with the dean position, Atkins will hold the Taylor Grandy Distinguished Professorship on the Philosophy of Living, according to UNC. He will begin in the role effective March 28.

Photo via Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill.

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