06/24/2021
Statement in Solidarity and Support for Faculty Excellence:
Nikole Hannah-Jones
The mission of the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence, as the pan-university faculty development center, is to enable faculty members in all disciplines to reach their goals in teaching, research, leadership, and mentoring, throughout their careers. We know that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus culture is necessary for all faculty to succeed and for Carolina to thrive.
We are disheartened by the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees' failure to vote on tenure for Nikole Hannah-Jones as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media. Hannah-Jones is an acclaimed journalist who has earned a Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her tenured appointment is overwhelmingly supported by faculty and leadership within the Hussman School and across the University. We join others on campus in calling on the Board of Trustees to grant tenure to Hannah-Jones.
Following the statement issued by members of the Carolina Black Caucus, we are concerned that increasing numbers of faculty, staff, and students who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color will choose to leave Carolina in the coming years. Indeed, many of our BIPOC colleagues have announced their imminent departures. We at the CFE acknowledge the stress, disappointment, anger, and profound sense of exclusion which motivate our colleagues’ decisions to leave. We are saddened by the incredible loss to the intellectual and human community that Carolina suffers from these departures.
We are committed to advocating for faculty members who choose to continue their scholarship, teaching, and service at Carolina. We value and celebrate their contributions and stand in solidarity with them as we all work to make Carolina a more just and equitable institution.
