TO THE EDITOR:
UNC is under stress. Stress from the Board of Governors and the legislature, from lawsuits and the fallout from the Wainstein report, and from the complex history and long-standing problems of our institution itself. On Thursday, the editorial board articulated its concern that the chancellor was doing an insufficient job as leader of this university by not explicitly articulating and executing bold positions on the contentious issues of today.
While reasonable people can disagree about how publicly vocal the chancellor should be, to say she is not standing up for what this university believes in is false. As the editorial board acknowledges, the chancellor has made public statements on the importance of inclusive campuses and affordability and meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need. The editorial board’s claim is that “these statements mean little when they are not paired with the bold action required to make them realities.”
The question to ask is what “bold action” means. It would not be appropriate, nor would it be effective, for the chancellor to take political positions on these issues. But she is able to influence the dialogue by being pragmatic, respectful and informative. And that is what she has done.
On need-based aid, the chancellor has directed her administration to raise the money that’s needed to fill the gap in funding that will come as a result of the BOG’s “cap-and-freeze” policy.
On the academic-athletic scandal, the chancellor has led the administration in overhauling admissions policies for athletes, reformed the academic advising program for athletes and implemented more than 70 reforms on all things athletic at UNC.
And on centers and institutes, the chancellor mobilized her cabinet to make an extraordinarily compelling presentation at the BOG, successfully defending the vast majority of centers against a legislative mandate to cut up to $15 million dollars. While the end result is still hard to swallow, the administration’s hard work saved the vast majority of UNC’s centers and institutes, including the Women’s Center, the Stone Center and the Center for Civil Rights.
It’s important to demand the highest level of performance from our administration. But from the experience of the past year, it certainly seems the chancellor is following up on her public statements with outcome-oriented action.
Andrew Powell
