UNC Trustees’ Oversight of Athletics Issues Limited for Concerns of Overreach

Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The president of North Carolina’s public university system has temporarily suspended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill trustees’ authority over athletics for acting beyond their designated duties.

In a Jan. 16 memo, system president Peter Hans wrote to UNC trustees chairman John Preyer citing concerns where board members “appear to act independently of their campus’s administration in matters squarely within the responsibility of the chancellor.”

UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer makes opening remarks at a full board meeting in May 2024. (Photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.)

Hans’ memo, first reported Friday by The Assembly and obtained by WRAL TV in Raleigh, also stated unilateral action by trustee members risk “blurring the lines of actual and apparent authority when these athletic departments negotiate business transactions with third parties” that could include past, current and future employees.

That letter came after trustees had criticized the firing of football coach Mack Brown followed by involvement in the hiring of six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick as Brown’s successor. There has also been the trustees’ push last spring to audit the athletics department while questioning data provided by athletic director Bubba Cunningham, though chancellor Lee Roberts publicly backed Cunningham’s leadership.

Additionally, trustees had been vocal in issues of conference affiliation, including coming out publicly against the Atlantic Coast Conference’s eventual 2023 vote in favor of expansion.

Typically, trustees approve contracts for coaches and other athletics officials. But Hans’ letter says trustees will not play any role in negotiating, reviewing or approving such actions, with approvals now going to Hans’ office. Hans also “encouraged” the board to “focus its continued efforts on the important substantive topics well within its responsibility for oversight and providing advice” to Roberts.

‹

UNC Board of Governors Approve Chancellor Raises

UNC – Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt is receiving a 6.1 percent salary increase, bringing her annual base salary to $632,810. The increase was approved as part of a vote by the Board of Governors on Friday where 13 of the UNC System’s 17 campus leaders received pay bumps retroactive to July 1, 2017. Folt […]

Higher Education, Part VII: The Long And Winding Road

One professor's personal journey offers insights into the road ahead for higher education.

President Spellings: What Should Her Agenda Be For UNC?

UNC leaders say Margaret Spellings should be building relationships - and she may be uniquely suited to do it.

A Conversation with Tom Ross

Tom Ross served as President of the UNC System for five years, up until January 4. His removal from that office was announced in January 2015 and along with the subsequent search leading to President-elect Margaret Spellings both caused protests throughout the year. Ross spoke with WCHL’s Blake Hodge about the aftermath of the announcement […]

Tom Ross on UNC Presidential Search: 'I've Stayed Out of It'

The UNC Board of Governors will be meeting at 11 o’clock on Friday morning to select a new System President. A tentative agenda for the meeting calls for the 32-member board to go into closed session for reports from the Presidential Search Committee and the Committee on Personnel & Tenure. The board will then move […]

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt on SACS, NOA, Silent Sam and more

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt has just started her third academic year at the helm of UNC. She spoke with WCHL’s Blake Hodge about a number of campus-related topics. You can hear the different segments of the discussion below: Folt discusses her major priorities for the new year and a self-evaluation of her first two years […]

William ‘Brian’ Allen Rounds Out 2025-2027 UNC Board of Trustees with Appointment

Construction company president William "Brian" Allen will serve the two remaining years of a seat on the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.

UNC Researchers Warn About Effects of Federal Funding Cuts on Cancer Discoveries, Treatments

Threats of federal funding cuts are already felt within research circles at UNC, including the labs of some leading cancer research.

UNC, System Schools Suspend Diversity Courses as Required Curricula After Trump Executive Order

UNC-Chapel Hill is suspending part of its mandatory curriculum around diversity to avoid any potential noncompliance with one of President Donald Trump's executive order.

UNC Trustees’ Oversight of Athletics Issues Limited for Concerns of Overreach

The UNC System president temporarily suspended the UNC-Chapel Hill trustees' authority over athletics for acting beyond their allowed duties.

›