CHAPEL HILL – In a deeply troubling development, North Carolina’s public universities have lost a second leader with Carol Folt’s announcement Monday that she’ll step down as Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.1
Since Folt arrived in 2013:
- Applications to UNC-Chapel Hill grew to a record 43,384 (for a first-year class of 4,205) for fall 2018.2
- The Carolina Covenant – a program that guarantees low-income students can graduate without debt – has grown to serve more than one in 10 undergraduates.3
- UNC-Chapel Hill received the Jack Kent Cooke Prize for Equity in Education Excellence in 2017 for its efforts to enroll low-income students and support them through graduation. The Cooke Foundation noted that 22% of Carolina’s undergraduates are eligible for Pell Grants, and 44% of students receive need-based aid.4
- The number of first-generation students has grown 16%, now accounting for nearly 20% of undergraduates.5
- The number of students enrolling from North Carolina community colleges has increased 35%.
- Research funding exceeded $1 billion a year, elevating Carolina to a rank of 5th among research universities in the United States.6
- After a $100 million gift from alumnus Fred Eshelman, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy became the No. 1-ranked school of pharmacy in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.7
- A capital campaign reached the mid-point of its ultimate $4.25 billion goal last summer, with nearly $500 million raised so far for scholarships and financial aid.8
- The university enacted more than 70 reforms to address a long-running academic-athletic scandal.9
The Silent Sam Confederate monument, however, presented a no-win situation for Folt. While faculty and students insist the monument doesn’t belong on campus, a 2015 state law places strict limits on moving memorial markers.10
Folt acknowledged the enormous energy consumed by deliberations over the statue.
“There has been too much recent disruption due to the monument controversy,” she wrote. “Carolina’s leadership needs to return its full attention to helping our University achieve its vision and to live its values.”
Ultimately, she focused on the fundamental principle of public safety for students and visitors to campus. And she courageously ordered the statue’s pedestal to be removed this week, knowing it could cost her her job.
“As I have said before, safety concerns alone should preclude the monument from returning to campus. This was also the strong preference of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees,” she wrote.
“The base and tablets will be preserved until their future is decided. While I recognize that some may not agree with my decision to remove the base and tablets now, I am confident this is the right one for our community – one that will promote public safety, enable us to begin the healing process and renew our focus on our great mission.”
Trustees Chuck Duckett, Julia Grumbles and Lowry Caudill issued a statement backing Folt.
“The chancellor has ultimate authority over campus public safety, and we agree Chancellor Folt is acting properly to preserve campus security. Nothing is more important than keeping our campus community and visitors as safe as possible,” they wrote.11
Folt’s departure is the latest in a sequence of troubling events for North Carolina in recent years: The abrupt dismissal of former UNC System President Tom Ross; enactment of HB2, the “bathroom bill;” the Silent Sam controversy; and the departure of Ross’ successor, Margaret Spellings, who announced her own resignation in late October.12
With this kind of governance, can UNC-Chapel Hill continue to be viewed as one of the top public universities in the country? Repeated events like these don’t signal the stability industry and education leaders look for when they decide where to locate.
In the end, Carol Folt did what she thought was right. We applaud her courage and her leadership; maybe her departure will provide our state a wake-up call.
1https://www.unc.edu/posts/2019/01/14/folt-resignation-orders-confederate-monument-pedestal-removed/.
2https://uncnews.unc.edu/2018/02/01/carolina-sets-13th-consecutive-record-first-year-applications/.
3https://carolinacovenant.unc.edu.
4https://hew.aveltsagency.com/2017/08/unc-cooke-prize/.
5https://studentsuccess.unc.edu/fgcs-opener/.
6https://provost.unc.edu/posts/2018/11/28/carolina-rises-fifth-among-u-s-universities-federal-research-funding/.
7https://pharmacy.unc.edu/about/ospa/factbook-and-benchmarks/.
8https://www.unc.edu/posts/2019/01/14/folt-resignation-orders-confederate-monument-pedestal-removed/
9https://carolinacommitment.unc.edu
10https://hew.aveltsagency.com/2018/12/unc-silent-sam/
11https://uncnews.unc.edu/2019/01/14/board-of-trustees-leaders-statement/.
12https://www.northcarolina.edu/news/2018/10/UNC-System-President-Margaret-Spellings-announces-resignation.
James E. Holmes, III UNC '74 says
I could not agree more with the above statement. Unfortunately the current BOG has become a political mosh pit of people who either have no grasp of how our University system should function, or doesn’t care to let those who know how to lead do their jobs.I am quite certain that the late Bill Friday, the architect of developing the system that brought us to national prominence, must be spinning in his grave. What took years of careful planning and wise council from previous Board members ( of which my father was one) is in danger of crumbling before our very eyes.Let us hope and pray that the BOG will step back and reflect on where we find ourselves at this point in time, and commit to doing a better job of letting highly qualified people do their jobs without unnecessary interference.
Marjorie K Lynch says
I support Chancellor Folt. As you said, she was in a no win situation and I believe she handled the silent sam issue with respect for all. I am very sorry to see her go and I am concerned that the BOG members are biased against the academic freedom and independence that is the essence of our University’s standing in the nation and the world.
Gwen Harrington Bland says
This is most distressing, particularly the decision to make this so immediate. It is particularly distressing also to read in the Burlington Times-News this morning of the arrest of Alamance County ActBack member on campus last night.
This alumna, wife and mother of 3 Carolina men, is most unhappy with the current Board appointed by the leaders of the Legislature.
Frances A. Campbell says
If this was a forced resignation it reflects very badly on our Board of Governors. As one whose ancestor died in that deplorable war, I feel a sense of violation that Sam was desecrated. However, I also think the anger that coalesced around that issue was very harmful to the university community and only provided an excuse for rampage that served no useful purpose whatever. If students want to protest, let it be about something relevant to this century and its problems. Sam was Silent because Sam and his cause are both dead and all the noise did nothing to redress the unspeakable wrongs that the history of slavery in the South reflects.
But today has its own issues. In particular, poverty continues to haunt many of us, and education offers one of the best ways to combat it. Our youth are dying in Asia for reasons that can do nothing to make life better for Americans of whatever background. . Good educations can prepare our young to promote responsible and ethical programs to meet today’s issues. Chancellor Folt’s leadership did address the problems confronting us, and it is tragic to lose her.
Richard C. Barnett says
As the holder of two UNC degrees, I completely agree with the analysis above. It is indeed unfortunate that the Board of Governors does not understand the appropriate role for itself. Certainly no one intended that they would micromanage the university. If this continues, surely our prestige will suffer. It will become difficult to obtain qualified administrators, faculty and support for such an institution. Surely the legislature can be made aware of the jeopardy such unwise intrusion places the university. May the grand old institution, the pride of the state, survive this period as it has managed to do in the past.
Rip Woodin says
Well done, although I think you should delve into the obvious intentions of the Republican legislative leadership carried out by an equally partisan UNC Board of Governors. Aside from dismissing all the “liberal” professors at UNC-CH, what does the BoG want? Folt and Spellings tried to play ball but eventually their principles got in the way.
Kim Alton says
I want to thank Ms. Folt for her courage and commitment to doing the right thing, no matter what. These kinds of actions are the only way we will ever challenge the racism and inequality that dogs our society.
Victoria Shields says
Yes! As a graduate of UNC-CH I applaud and thank Chancellor Folt for doing the right and noble thing. And I too am deeply troubled by the recent dismissals and abrupt departures of others, especially Tom Ross. The state of N.C. deserves far, FAR better governance of its university system than this. But maybe that’s the point – to destroy or at least greatly diminish UNC.
Mary Jane Jenkins says
Well said! The Board of Governors and NC legislature need to let the leaders of our schools run the schools. Their micromanagement skills are costing our university their good reputation.
Forrest says
Anarchy rules within the Republican Party and their thirst for absolute power and their collective lack of intelligence. While their history was progressive and sound their current racist actions and lack of vision is caused by their lack of integrity and empathy. They have lost their moral authority and effectively erased the dark side of Democratic Party. God willing the hatred they support from the White House to state capitols to court houses to schools to houses of worship and most damning of all in their indoctrination of their children will be repudiated by their disgustied children and communities.
God save us all from all forms of paying homage to cruel treatment of our fellow men and women.
Larry Cobb says
I have practiced law for sixty years and have been disappointed with the way the University has handled the so-called protesters. In my opinion, those who took down Silent Sam are thugs who have broken the law and should be punished. Chancellor Folt acted illegally when she ordered the pedestal in the stealth of night without advising anyone of her intentions. She speaks of safety, yet there have been no significant injuries to anyone since the protests began. No lawyer has agreed with our Governor who proclaimed that safety allowed for removal of Silent. Chancellor Folt knowingly broke the law and deserved to be dismissed immediately. I am shocked that former trustees and members of the fund-raising campaign are content with violations of the law simply because they do not agree with it. We made a substantial contribution to UNC when my wife died and we distributed the corpus of her charitable remainder trust. I had indicated that I would set up a planned giving program his year, but I will not give another penny until respect for the law has been restored.
GL says
What a disappointment.
While I did not follow Folt’s career while I was at Carolina, from the information available, this a poor turn of events.
I did not agree with the tear-down of the statue in the first place for a number of reasons, but I do agree with her decision to remove the remainder if it is indeed in the interest of safety. Due to the risk of local terrorism, the cost of security for said statue was reported to be in the millions before it was ultimately torn down.
The reasons against the tear-down is that we should never support the de-evolution of our civil, progressive, and highly educated society into any form of mob rule. If you don’t agree with the statues and laws, then it is your job in a democracy to vote the right people into the offices that make those decisions. If you didn’t like the current POTUS, don’t go protest or riot or complain after the election if you didn’t even bother to cast a ballot.
Secondly, this is the work of the misinformed mob of people that are either ignorant to their own history or simply seeking to create a straw man out of that particular statue for convenience. The history of Silent Sam is not that he was an evil slave owner, but a fictional depiction, funded by the Sisters of Liberty, to commemorate all of the Carolina students who forfeit their ability to attend university in lieu of going off and fight for their state in one of the bloodiest battles in history. Today we can almost take for granted the ability to go to college, but it was not so in the past. Like it or not, if you lived in the south, you joined your friends and family in the Confederacy.
If you have issues with confederate symbols, you definitely have an argument and you may have your opinion, but you could at least learn your own history and understand what you are attacking before you put the safety of others at risk and vandalize parts of a community to which many of the offenders did not belong. Many involved in this specific incident were not UNC students, nor were many of them residents in the area. That day could have easily been turned into a shots-fired bloodbath if local law enforcement had not kept their cool. As for any sympathetic Carolina students, if you are non-local, you are a guest during your years at university and the campus is in part paid for by local residents of NC through taxes. Many of grown up climbing on that statue and picnicking on the lawn. That statue was a historical landmark where speeches and debates were held and so on. (See further reading on the Red Scare and concerns of communism.)
In any case, pulling down statues doesn’t change the past and if anything it creates a more hostile future for all of us. Many of the buildings at Carolina were built or funded by the industry of slavery and changing a name on the wall or a statue will not change that fact. What you can change is the future and one of the best measures of how far we have come as a nation is that those who were discriminated against now have the ability to attend this exact school, joining the best and the brightest in the world. If you want to protest the past, you win by getting into these schools and not only that, your community wins as you become a more valuable member of society in what ever way you so choose.
So where does that leave us? What’s done is done. I didn’t agree with the incident, but the best we can do is plan for the future. If the remnants of the statue increase safety risks, I’d side with Folt in removing it. The BOG should follow their own republican code of small government, less government involvement, and let UNC decide what is best for UNC. Carolina has grown to a top 5 research institution in spite of the political climate in NC, not because of it.
It just frustrates me than in an era where information is more readily available than ever, people still have a 5 second attention span and mob rule still prevails. I can’t wait to see the comments of people who skim this post and put their best efforts into straw man arguments, ad hominem attacks, and general tribalism.
In any case,
In spite of all of this, it’s always a great day to be a Tar Heel. 😉
laurence a cobb says
Folt’s actions were in violation of the law and she deserved to be terminated without any benefits. Having the pedestal removed in the stealth of night without notifying anyone is deceitful. Her statement that she had to take the action for safety purposes is inaccurate in that there have been no serious injuries to anyone since the protests began.
I am shocked that the former trustees and campaign fundraisers supported her without reservation and with no reference to the law being violated.
I care deeply for UNC since my attendance there had a profound influence on my life. I have supported her financially and last year distributed what to me was a substantial amount from a charitable remainder trust when my wife died. I was prepared to enter into an annual gift program until this all happened. I will not make another contribution until UNC takes back control from the thugs and acts in compliance with the law.
Anne Carson Foard says
The simple facts are that Chancellor Folt did not provide leadership in the amazing situation re Silent Sam, allowing 18-21 year olds to dictate campus policy, commit acts of violence and desecration without reprisal. She created an opportunity for Antifa elements to actually remove a historic monument while ordering the Campus police to stand down. She did not provide the most rudimentary elements of security for the statue, which was her duty under North Carolina law. She clearly did not reckon with the important sentiments of UNC alumni and the many thousands of students, little heard, who disagree with removing Silent Sam. She allowed the situation to develop and to escape her grasp, and in doing so proved that she is not worthy of her job. Many other people were involved in the development and execution of the various UNC achievements cited in this article. That something like this was her downfall is no one’s fault but her own.