UNC-Chapel Hill trustees approve consent agenda and tenure conferrals; discuss student food insecurity and graduate worker proposals

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees on a voice vote approved its consent agenda, confirmed personnel actions including tenure conferrals, adopted resolutions honoring two departing trustees and heard presentations about student food insecurity and graduate student working conditions.

The actions put several construction and program decisions on record and approved final personnel actions that included 10 promotions conferring tenure and four new appointments conferring tenure. The board also voted to appoint Nancy Bailey to the WUNC board of directors and adopted resolutions expressing appreciation for Bradford B. Breiner and David L. Bullock Jr., both of whom recently left the board after being elected to statewide office.

Chair Pryor opened the meeting by reminding attendees of state law and UNC system policy on disruptions and then moved the consent agenda, which included a range of capital and program items that had been distributed in advance. The consent agenda listed approvals for minutes, requests for advanced spending, designer selections and a set of facility and renovation projects (for example, Fetzer Hall addition and renovation, parking repairs and Kenan Lab renovation), as well as committee recommendations to discontinue several centers, including the Center for Urban and Regional Studies and the UNC Blood Research Center. Trustee Patel seconded the motion, and the board approved the consent items by voice vote.

The board read and approved formal resolutions of appreciation for Bradford B. Breiner and David L. Bullock Jr.; the chair invited former trustee David L. Bullock Jr., now North Carolina state auditor, to speak. Bullock said, "I'm a politician now, so it's it's really hot. Be careful giving a politician the mic," and told trustees he is "statutorily bound to do a financial audit of UNC Chapel Hill and every other system school" and pledged to conduct that work professionally and timely.

Trustee Khalifa urged the board to address student hunger on campus, saying, "There are people, students in our university that are going hungry because they don't have money to eat." Chair Pryor and trustees noted a related presentation given the previous day by student body president Julia Taylor and acknowledged ongoing work on food-insecurity initiatives, including the Mill Swipe Generation Plan that Student Government described as a means to expand meal access.

Graduate student concerns were presented by Katie Heath, graduate student president, who described the graduate-student experience as straddling roles as students and employees and introduced a Graduate Professional Student Bill of Rights that the Graduate Senate plans to send to a student referendum in February. Heath said the document complements the graduate student handbook and cited specific initiatives underway, including a survey of doctoral working conditions with a greater-than-30% doctoral response rate, work on a standard form of student contracts and the launch of a graduate student wellness festival on February 11.

Chancellor Roberts provided campus updates including winter-weather preparations, an increase in applications compared with last year, a rise in research funding to roughly $1.55 billion (an increase the chancellor described as $190 million), and two upcoming leadership searches for general counsel and communications positions. Roberts also noted athletic and community events on campus.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (minutes, advanced spending requests, designer selections, project approvals, discontinuation of centers): Approved (motion seconded by Trustee Patel). Specific vote tallies not recorded in the public transcript. - Resolution of appreciation for Bradford B. Breiner: Approved (second recorded; no tally recorded). - Resolution of appreciation for David L. Bullock Jr.: Approved (second recorded; no tally recorded). - Appointment of Nancy Bailey to the WUNC board of directors: Motion by Trustee Meekins; second by Trustee Codis; approved by voice vote. - Personnel actions (10 promotions conferring tenure; 4 new appointments conferring tenure): Motion to approve by Trustee Jones; second recorded; approved by voice vote. - Petition regarding political activity (committee item): Approved (motion and second recorded; voice vote). - Motion to convene closed session pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes (statutory citations read aloud): Approved (motion seconded by Trustee Kotis; voice vote recorded).

The meeting included formal committee reports from Audit, Compliance and Risk Management; Budget, Finance and Infrastructure; External Relations; and University Affairs. The Audit committee heard updates on the FY25 internal audit work plan and IT security; the Budget committee reviewed advanced spending and designer selections and received an annual financial report; the External Relations committee approved the WUNC appointment and received development and legislative updates; the University Affairs committee reported on the food-insecurity presentation and confirmed the personnel items brought forward for vote.

The board moved into closed session under North Carolina General Statute Section 143-318.11 for multiple exceptions noted in the motion; the transcript indicates that some non-Bridal personnel matters were considered in closed session and that the personnel matters voted in open session will be posted online after the meeting. Chair Pryor then adjourned the public session.

Details not specified in the public transcript include formal vote tallies for each item and some movers for motions that were recorded only as "second." The meeting record indicates the board conducted routine governance business, approved personnel and capital items, and heard sustained public- and student-led attention to campus food insecurity and graduate-student working conditions.