On hearing news of the pending resignation of chancellor Holden Thorp, UNC faculty rallied to save their leader. On one level, the outpouring of support is understandable. Everyone can see the unfairness of Thorp’s situation. But the contrast between the faculty’s sudden assertiveness and its earlier passivity is striking.
Since the cloud of scandal descended on UNC in 2010, faculty have struggled to find their voice. The NCAA had come to town for the first time in decades, academic integrity had been thrown to the winds, and our leaders consistently left us in the dark. But until last week, there were no emergency faculty meetings, no demonstrations in front of South building, no demand for answers and information, no efforts to coordinate with other campus groups, and no move to rein in the forces that had caused our fall from grace.
Yet within minutes of the announced resignation, the faculty sprang into action against the one outrage they would not stand for: a change in leadership. Faculty members worry that our Trustees might now appoint a chancellor who would not share their values. To those outside the university, the faculty’s newfound urgency must have looked curious indeed. Content to fiddle while the university’s image burned, faculty acted spontaneously to protect the chancellor when they saw a threat to long-term interests.
But a basic concern for the values of integrity, honesty, and accountability should have stirred them to action long ago. The irony is that bracing criticism from the faculty may have been exactly what Holden Thorp needed to hear.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Catching Up With Fmr. UNC Chancellor Holden ThorpChancellor Folt.”
![]()
UNC Sexual Assault Policy Reforms Underway“We will stay vigilant in this area..."
![]()
UNC's Jan Boxill & Jim Dean Talk Athletics/Academics“...everything that has to do with student athletes with a fine-toothed comb.”
![]()
Holden Thorp’s Legacy Of Innovation Lives On In Chapel HillCarolina lives on through initiatives he began during his time in Chapel Hill."
![]()
Pay For Play In College Sports Gaining MomentumIt has created scandals that really don’t need to be scandals.”
![]()
Of Kidneys And KaneIt’s safe to say Roy Williams’ annual preseason meeting with the media Thursday was the strangest of his 25-year head coaching career. Obviously, the first question was about Williams’ health, and he revealed some details of the scary 24-day period when there was a “95 percent chance” he had cancer in one or both […]
![]()
Call the blowhards' bluffI really don’t understand anyone — Carolina fan or otherwise — who acts surprised by any of the things we’ve learned over the last two years regarding academics and athletics at UNC. Now that Holden Thorp is stepping down, I think he should call the bluff of the blowhards. I want to see him get […]
![]()
TransparencyLike many friends of UNC, I am saddened by the resignation of Chancellor Holden Thorp. His talents as a scholar, entrepreneur, and academic leader illuminate what is best about UNC. He has acted with dignity during the past two years of painful revelations. Neither his letter of resignation nor his public comments have reflected anything […]
![]()
Holden Thorp's Leadership on the Airport IssueIn 2008, a covert plan to site an airport in rural Orange County came to light. In the back rooms of the State Legislature, at gatherings of wealthy UNC alumni, and even in former Chancellor Moeser’s office, a plan had been hatched to locate an airport outside of Chapel Hill that would replace the Horace […]
![]()
Let's CommitAbove each locker in the UNC football locker room, there is a nameplate. Beside each nameplate there is a sign that reads either “resistant,” “existent,” “compliant,” “committed,” or “compelled.” These labels were derived for each player based on coaches’ evaluations of their level of effort shown in pre-season workouts and practices. The titles are pretty […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines