TO THE EDITOR:
Your Aug. 24 editorial “No minutes, no sense,” states that a recent orientation workshop for incoming and returning members of the UNC Board of Governors violated the state’s open meetings law.
It did not.
This informal session, facilitated by a fellow from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, offered the 16 members who had yet to be sworn in and the 16 continuing board members an opportunity to get to know one another better, to learn general principles of good governance and to consider how they can work together most effectively in support of our University system.
At the outset, the UNC General Counsel distributed and reviewed clear guidance on the University’s duties and obligations under the open meetings law and took great care to ensure that the workshop discussions didn’t stray into University business. All associated costs are being paid from private funds donated to the University.
As executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, I was an early supporter of the creation of the North Carolina Coalition for Open Government and remain committed to transparency and openness when doing the work of the public.
As an attorney who spent 17 years on the bench, I believe deeply in the rule of law and am committed to doing my absolute best to ensure that it is followed in every respect.
I am confident the University and the Board of Governors fully complied with the law during both the pre-meeting workshop and the official board meetings that followed.
Thomas W. Ross
President
The University of North Carolina System
