CHAPEL HILL (July 1, 2021) – It took five months and nationwide embarrassment, but the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees eventually got it right when members voted yesterday to grant tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones. After more than two hours in closed session, the board voted 9-4 to grant tenure to Hannah-Jones, who was recommended… READ MORE
UNC board will be a smidge more diverse
RALEIGH (March 31, 2021) – State legislators made the UNC System Board of Governors slightly more diverse with their appointments this month, increasing the number of female, Black and Democratic members by one each on the 24-member board. The state Senate made seven appointments to the board. Senators reappointed BOG Chair Randy Ramsey of Beaufort,… READ MORE
UNC System Governance: Look like North Carolina
RALEIGH (Feb. 17, 2021) – As state legislators begin to consider their 2021 appointments to the UNC System Board of Governors, we revisit the series Making Governance Work that we shared last year before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. A Higher Ed Works webinar Feb. 11 featured Belle Wheelan, President of the Southern Association of… READ MORE
King Prather: We are all ancestors of ourselves
By N. King Prather My insides have been in knots since I heard Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, on Jan. 6, say that today is the day “we kick ass and take names.” His audience included a significant number of hate groups, and not long after, these groups assaulted the U.S. Capitol. I have roots… READ MORE
2020: Coping with COVID
Yes, it was a year like no other. More than anything, 2020 was a year of change and continuous adjustment. COPING WITH COVID Higher education in North Carolina adapted in so many ways: A treatment for COVID-19 was developed. 50,000 classes shifted online in two weeks. A professor shipped virtual-reality headsets to students. 700 laptops… READ MORE
HELP WANTED: Teachers of Color
RALEIGH – What’s wrong with this picture? Last year, 53% of the public school students in North Carolina were students of color – yet nearly 80% of their teachers were white.1 “North Carolina’s educator workforce has been unable to match this rich diversity,” says a new report from the Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision… READ MORE
Creating a college-going culture
RALEIGH (Sept. 24, 2020) – As much as it’s about specific policies or strategies, increasing college enrollment is about creating a college-going culture, national education leaders said in a virtual meeting hosted by NC State University’s Institute for Emerging Issues. NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson, who moderated the discussion, noted that higher education is trying… READ MORE
Attacking systemic racism in higher education
By James H. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., and Donna-Marie Winn, Ph.D. CHAPEL HILL – In a previous essay, I shared personal experiences to give White colleagues examples of how systemic racism is intricately woven into the fabric of predominantly White institutions of higher education (PWIs). In this essay, Dr. Donna-Marie Winn, my research colleague, and I… READ MORE
How to expand Black faculty access
By James H. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., and Donna-Marie Winn, Ph.D. CHAPEL HILL – The previous two essays in this series offered personal reflections on systemic racism in higher education and recommendations to ensure equitable access and treatment of Blacks and other people of color, especially students, moving forward. In this essay, we offer the leadership… READ MORE
Reflections on systemic racism in higher education
By James H. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. CHAPEL HILL – Several of my White friends and colleagues have asked me recently what changes are required to address systemic racism in higher education institutions. After reflecting on personal experiences as an African-American professor for four decades in two predominantly White institutions, I will highlight activities that have… READ MORE