Over 600 UNC-Chapel Hill faculty have signed a letter (original, archived copy) condemning the interference and overreach of the North Carolina legislature, the UNC System Board of Governors, and the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees whose actions violate the principles of academic freedom and shared governance that undergird higher education in N.C. and the U.S. If enacted, we believe that these measures will further damage the reputation of UNC and the state of North Carolina and will likely bring critical scrutiny from accrediting agencies that know undue interference in university affairs when they see it.

News coverage of the faculty letter:

• House bill could eliminate tenure in the UNC System, faculty see it as a threat to academic freedom (Daily Tar Heel)
• As GOP lawmakers target university tenure, faculty and campus leaders sound the alarm (NC Newsline)
• Bill would mandate history course, prescribe curriculum at UNC universities, community colleges (NC Newsline)
• Dean shares more details as controversial new school proceeds at UNC-Chapel Hill (NC Newsline)
• Hundreds of UNC professors oppose ‘overreach’ (Inside Higher Ed)
• UNC ‘civic life’ center progressing, over faculty objections (Inside Higher Ed)
• On Air Today: Jay Smith and Max Eichner (Chapelboro)
• UNC professors accuse lawmakers of ‘overreach,’ NC bill could eliminate tenure (Fox News)

The UNC-Chapel Hill chapter of the American Association of University Professors calls upon Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Chris Clemens to publicly support and defend UNC students, faculty, and staff who are supportive of Palestinian rights or critical of Israeli policies and practices. In this particular case, in this political climate, blanket statements about the first amendment, such as the one circulated at the beginning of the semester, are not enough.

See the full UNC-CH AAUP statement calling on Chancellor Guskiewicz and Provost Clemens to support free speech supportive of Palestine.

The AAUP report of the Special Committee on Governance, Academic Freedom, and Institutional Racism in the University of North Carolina system continues to spark discussion locally and nationally:

• UNC System: ‘Pervasive and overtly partisan political control’ (Higher Ed Works)
• UNC 'is in trouble' (Greensboro News & Record editorial)
• New report calls out UNC troubles but it may not be that bleak (The Pilot editorial)
• Legislative interference jeopardizing UNC institutions (The Daily Reflector editorial)
• Journalism accrediting agency downgrades UNC's Hussman School (Indy Week)