At a specially called meeting Thursday afternoon, The UNC Board of Trustees (BOT) passed a draft resolution breaking down the delegation of power at Carolina.
The Board of Trustees’ powers and duties are assigned by the General Assembly and the Board of Governors (BOG). In July, the BOG asked trustees to submit a review of how power is delegated on campus – from trustees to the chancellor and down to other elected officials and committees.
The draft resolution, unanimously approved, will now be submitted to UNC System President Peter Hans to be evaluated by the system office before being sent back to the trustees for final approval.
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said this review of power is a “healthy exercise” as many of the university’s polices have been in place since 1972.
The resolution states that the Board of Trustees affirms the executive and administrative authority of the chancellor. Such authority includes, but is not limited to, policymaking, banking, the execution of documents, contracts, filings, and the management of institutional trust funds.
The draft resolution also gives the chancellor the power to approve appointments, salary actions, and other employment actions for employees.
Chair of the Board of Trustees David Boliek proposed three specific changes to the resolution before its approval.
He proposed that the power to appoint fixed-term faculty members, serving more than three years or making $100,000 or more annually, should reside with the chancellor and provost’s office. All other appointments will be sub-delegated to the deans of each individual school. The current rule is that all fixed-term faculty members are appointed by the deans.
“As we enter into issues related to budget,” Boliek said. “I personally believe that it is important for the chancellor to have a handle on fixed-term faculty that are going to be in place for more than three years.”
Boliek also proposed that new appointments for Tier 2 university hires should be approved by the BOT. This would include 220 new hires annually for positions like assistant and associate vice chancellors, provosts, and deans. The board noted that this amendment may require the creation of a personnel committee to help review each Tier 2 hire – as the BOT only meets six times a year, excluding special meetings.
Finally, Boliek proposed that salary ranges and changes for athletic assistant coaches should come to the Board of Trustees for approval. This is in addition to head coaches.
“There are many coaches and assistant coaches on campus that make a tremendous amount of money,” Boliek said. “And I don’t think it’s unrealistic for us to see those contracts.”
These three amendments were adopted following discussion.
An additional amendment to the resolution, made by Trustee Marty Kotis, was also passed, giving the BOT the final say on undergraduate admission appeals and policy. That power currently rests with UNC’s Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Admissions.
The UNC Board of Trustees’ next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 3.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
