UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts and Board of Trustees Chair Malcolm K. Turner spoke with members of the media following the university’s BOT meeting at the Carolina Inn on Thursday, Sep. 25. They answered questions on a number of issues facing the university, including performance-based funding, Carolina football’s performance, campus security, and more. Here are highlights from their comments:
On the UNC Board of Governors proposal for performance-based funding for schools within the UNC System, and those who disagree
Roberts: We do support the Board of Governors proposal. I’ve been involved in the performance funding issue for quite some time to help design the current structure when I was on the budget committee at the Board of Governors, and so we were both in support of the system’s proposal, which is now no longer a proposal. It’s actually a policy.
Turner: For a board perspective, we certainly consider it settled system policy. I think the comments that you heard in the discussion really stand on their own. And certainly there are different views within our board. But having said that, we appreciate and acknowledge that on the system policy, we have every confidence in our Chancellor and our CFO to navigate what goes forward and how we move forward. We do have varied opinions there, but certainly acknowledge the system policies that are now in effect.
On whether there is a need for increased campus security following increased national political violence, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk
Roberts: Security remains an important priority for both the board and for the administration. And we’ve taken some significant steps already. They were discussed yesterday in the meeting around license plate readers and our camera coverage, a number of other steps. I think there’s more that we can do. A number of those additional steps were discussed yesterday. So we’re going to continue to invest and try to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep our campus as safe and as secure as possible. I don’t think security is ever something where you just check the box and say, “Okay, we’ve made the campus as secure as we can.” I think it’s a continued effort of of investment and making sure that you’re you’re doing everything that you can do.
On the removal of a Pro-Palestinian mural in Hanes Art Center
Roberts: I have responsibility for all the decisions that are made by the administration. The mural was up for over a year, as you know, and we have to balance the the importance of free speech and free expression, which is obviously something that we take seriously with the Title VI obligations, that we have to ensure that we’re not allowing the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students on campus. We had received a number of complaints about the mural. The Title VI obligation is not a “theoretical” obligation to important U.S. universities. Very recently have seen enforcement action from the U.S. Department of Justice specifically related to that affirmative Title VI obligation. And so that’s the balance we were trying to strike. I said in the faculty council meeting, I don’t think we did a particularly good job of communicating, of involving all stakeholders. And we’re sorry for that.
On whether UNC’s School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL) has been successful in its mission
Roberts: I think if you think about the the overall mission of SCiLL, it’s never been more important. The focus on civil dialog and civic discourse. If you look around the landscape of higher education and the broader national political conversation, what could be more important? And I think as a university, we’ve always had as a priority the the creation of citizens as well as scholars and skill is an important part of that. We’ve got the residential program off to a strong start, and so we feel very positive way about about where SCiLL is and could not be more convinced about the continued need for SCiLL on its mission.
On the possibility of looming tuition increases for in-state students
Roberts: We take our responsibility to keep a North Carolina education as free as practicable for North Carolina residents very seriously. Tuition, as you say, it’s been flat for nine going on ten years in nominal terms. So it’s actually gone down in real terms. Any tuition increase would have to be run very carefully, very thoughtfully, and importantly, it can only go up by 3% a year. It would not affect any current students. We’re required by policy to remain in the bottom quartile for our entire peer group with respect to tuition. So we’ll take a look at it. But anything we do on tuition will be within those pretty significant constraints.
On Turner’s role as CEO of DraftKings, and whether recusing himself from discussions around university athletics is enough to prevent a potential conflict of interest
Turner: Absolutely. I mean, that’s been my position from the very beginning. If ever there’s a perceived or real conflict, it is entirely appropriate, and I’ve recused myself from those conversations.
On how the university will determine a successful season for UNC’s football program
Roberts: It’s not the kind of thing that we judge after four games or even after even after one season. These things take time. We last won the conference championship in 1980, and so we have significant work to do, significant investment to make to get the program where we where we want it to be. And that process is obviously underway.
Turner: I think a minimum level of patience is required for any level of future success. I appreciate the need and desire for instant gratification, but it takes time to create success. Success rarely comes fast. It rarely comes easily. It’s not controversial statement to say that about any organization, much less college athletics and college football. So, I think it takes time to create success and certainly with patience, then you start to monitor progress. But to the chancellor’s point, I think it’s hard to make any determinations this early in the season and this early in the tenure for this coaching staff.
On the widespread controversy surrounding the hiring of Bill Belichick
Roberts: We’re always delighted to see the passion around Tar Heel football and the attention that we’re receiving on a national stage.
Featured image via Johnny Andrews/UNC.
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