UNC’s Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Monday morning to swear in new members and appoint a new chair.

The university’s Board of Trustees welcomed five new members to their ranks while reappointing one. Allie Ray McCullen returns to the board for a second term after being initially appointed in 2015. Teresa Artis Neal, David Boliek Jr., Gene Davis Jr., Ralph Meekins, and John Preyer were all sworn in for their first terms.

Chairman Haywood Cochran ended his time in the position after two years. Vice Chair Chuck Duckett and trustee member Richard Stevens were the two candidates for the position, but Duckett ceded the appointment to Stevens at the start of the meeting.

“I’ve always said I will support the unification and will of this board,” said Duckett, “and at this time I’m going to withdraw my candidacy and ask that we support Richard Stevens.”

Stevens has been chairman on UNC’s Board of Trustees before, during his first stint on the board from 1995 to 2003. He was re-elected as a member in 2017 after serving five terms in the state senate.

A new UNC Board of Governors’ rule has eliminated the trustees’ nominating committee for officer positions. To work around this, Stevens asked the board to postpone officer elections until their next full meeting to allow time to individually meet with the board members.

“I want to sit down and talk with each and every one of you,” Stevens told them, “about your interests, the parts of the university you especially want to work on. Then I’ll try to put a team together of officers and bring you that slate at the meeting at the end of July.”

All the new trustees’ terms will run through June 2023, with Stevens’ term ending in 2021.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Experts Present Efforts to Combat Opioid-Related Deaths in Campus Community
At the most recent UNC BOT meeting, researchers and health professionals shared what the university is doing to combat opioid overdoses on campus.
Report: Lawsuit Requests UNC Considers Hannah-Jones' Tenure Application Before June 4
The UNC Board of Trustees is under renewed pressure to consider the tenure application of incoming journalism professor Nikole Hannah-Jones or it could face federal and state lawsuits. A report from NC Policy Watch on Saturday said attorneys with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the law firm Levy Ratner and the law firm Ferguson Chambers […]
UNC's Interim Chancellor Shares Comments on Clery Act Review at Trustees Meeting
A recent report by the Department of Education about UNC’s compliance with campus safety laws was not discussed by board members at the university board of trustees’ meeting on Thursday. Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, however, took time to address its findings. During his opening comments at the Board of Trustees meeting, Guskiewicz reiterated his reaction […]
UNC Trustees Pass Resolution Affirming Free Speech, Campus Safety in Wake of 2024 Clashes
The UNC Board of Trustees approved a resolution at its latest meeting meant to strengthen its "zero-tolerance" approach the disruption of operations and violence while affirming free speech principles.
UNC Trustees Review Meal Swipe Donation Plan to Help Address Food Insecurity on Campus
About a third of UNC students struggled with food insecurity last fall, but a meal swipe donation plan could help address the issue.
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.
UNC System Chooses Kenan-Flagler Alum, Former Domino's CEO as Latest UNC-Chapel Hill Trustee
Ritch Allison — who was formally selected Thursday by the UNC System — will fill the Board of Trustees seat left vacant by Dave Boliek.
UNC Trustees Approve Designs for New Research Building, Advance Planning Efforts for New Dorms and Student Gym
The Translational Research Building and Bernard Street Chiller Plant designs earned unanimous approval by the UNC trustees Thursday morning, while the board approved $13 million in advanced planning spending for two other major projects.
Pair of UNC Trustees Elected to State Office; Here's What Happens Next for the Board
The next time the UNC Board of Trustees meetings in January, the group may have new faces joining its ranks after a pair of imminent resignations.
'I'm A Freshman Too': UNC Trustees Meet for First Time with Roberts as Permanent Chancellor
UNC trustees met for the first time since Lee Roberts was formally selected as Carolina's permanent chancellor. Here are some highlights.
›