UNC Hussman Alumni Protest the UNC Board of Trustees’ Failure to Grant Nikole Hannah-Jones Tenure

UNC Hussman Alumni
9 min readMay 23, 2021

We, alumni of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, write in protest of the decision of the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees to not grant Nikole Hannah-Jones, herself an alumna of this program, tenure.

Hannah-Jones has had a distinguished journalism career of more than 20 years, is a Pulitzer Prize, Peabody, and MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant winner. She was also recently inducted into the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. As alumni of the Hussman School, we can attest to how valuable it is to learn directly from people who have had long and successful careers in industries such as journalism, advertising, public relations, and business.

Hannah-Jones received full support for an appointment with tenure from the Hussman Dean, the Hussman faculty, and the University’s faculty. As reported in NC Policy Watch, the Board’s actions violate the university’s own long-established policies on tenure and promotion at UNC Chapel Hill and break precedent with previous appointments of Knight Chairs within Hussman.

We are also especially disappointed given the university’s recently approved strategic plan, which prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, research and service; and in hiring, evaluation, retention and promotion of under-represented faculty and staff.

We call for immediate reconsideration. The university must tenure Nikole Hannah-Jones as the Knight Chair.

The UNC Board of Trustees has historically been slow to respond effectively to race-related issues, which calls us to question the ability of the current board to evaluate the multi-faceted issues that impact the Carolina BIPOC community and to determine the best courses of action. The Board’s hesitancy in moving forward with an accomplished BIPOC candidate who has been vetted and broadly supported is proof of this shortcoming.

As alumni, we are committed to advancing the rich legacy of our UNC educations through research, teaching and practice, in service to the state of North Carolina and beyond. We are equally committed to ensuring the continuation of this rich legacy for current and future scholars.

As leaders in the diverse local communities with which we engage, and as diverse members of the Carolina family ourselves, we find it troubling that the UNC Board of Trustees does not adequately reflect the diversity of the Carolina community.

As such, we also call on the NC General Assembly and the UNC Board of Governors to reevaluate the elected and appointed members of the UNC Board of Trustees in alignment with the University’s strategic plan. We expect a thorough and transparent evaluation to determine how we can best diversify this leadership body to better reflect the Carolina community, and to enrich and improve their decision-making going forward.

Signed,

1) Meredith Reffner Collins, M.A. 2019, current Ph.D. candidate

2) Carol Shirley, M.A. 2013

3) Kelly Creedon, M.A. 2015

4) Elena Rue, M.A. 2011

5) Catherine Orr, M.A. 2011

6) Courtni Kopietz, M.A. 2014

7) Emily Rhyne, B.A. 2015

8) Jacqueline Charles, B.A. 1994

9) Rachel McMahan, M.A. 2017

10) Andrea Patiño Contreras, M.A. 2016

11) Lexi Namer, M.A. 2016

12) Victoria Bouloubasis, B.A. 2005

13) Joshua Davis, M.A. 2012

14) Margaret Cheatham Wiliams, B.A. 2012

15) Hannah Taylor, B.A. 2011

16) Daniel Sircar, B.A. 2012

17) Andrea Martin, B.A. 2002, M.A. 2019

18) Jacki Huntington, B.A. 2011

19) Samantha Harrington, B.A. 2015

20) Ligaiya Romero, M.A. 2014

21) Lauren Frohne, B.A. 2006, M.A. 2010

22) Kasha Ely, B.A. 2014, M.A. 2019

23) Evey Wilson, M.A. 2015

24) Justin Cook, B.A. 2006 — an embarrassed Tar Heel

25) Ray Whitehouse M.A. 2016

26) Leah Josephson, B.A. 2011

27) Amanda MacLaren, B.A. 2011

28) Ana Irizarry, B.A. 2018

29) Katherine Fitzgerald, B.A. 2014

30) Nathan Klima, B.A. 2019

31) Sara Salinas, B.A. 2017

32) Justin Anderson-Weber, M.A. 2011

33) Isabella Bartolucci, B.A. 2015

34) Alex Kormann, B.A. 2019

35) Jeff Shaw, M.A. 2013

36) Joyce Clark Hicks, B.A. 1994

37) Debra Harris Boyette, B.A. 1980

38) Gabriella Bulgarelli, B.A. 2018

39) Anna Clare Spelman, M.A. 2017

40) Ariana van den Akker, B.A. 2012

41) Laurie Phillips Honda, Ph.D. 2013

42) Catherine Spangler, M.A. (a.b.t.) 2012

43) Katie Shumake, M.A. 2013

44) Traci White, B.A. 2007

45) Dave Remund, Ph.D 2011

46) Jeremiah O. Rhodes, B.A. 2020

47) Mimi Schiffman, M.A. 2012

48) Nash Consing, B.A. 2021

49) Haley France, B.A. 2020

50) Jessie Brosch Sweet, B.A. 2005

51) Claire Hannah Collins, B.A. 2017

52) Carol Kelly, M.A. 2011

53) Brittany Peterson, B.A. 2011

54) Brendan R. Watson, Ph.D. 2012

55) Hadley Green, M.A. 2021

56) Spencer Bakalar, B.A. 2013

57) Michael Gawlik, M.A. 2021

58) Gray Player, M.A. 2021

59) Alex Kim, B.A. 2020

60) Sara Peach, M.A. 2009

61) Jonathan D. Jones, B.A. 2001, M.A. & J.D. 2011

62) Whitney Baker, B.A. 2011

63) Zayrha Rodriguez, B.A. 2020

64) Alicia Carter, M.A. 2021

65) Allison Rowe, B.A. 2020

66) Jay Heinz, M.A. 2007

67) Samuel G. Killenberg, B.A. 2019

68) Shae Allison, B. A. 2016

69) Jessey Dearing, B.A. 2011

70) Callaghan O’Hare, B.A. 2015

71) Gabriela Arp, M.A. 2016

72) Erin Hull, B.A. 2013

73) Ivan Weiss, M.A. 2014

74) Jess Clark, M.A. 2015

75) Lorraine Ahearn, Ph.D. 2016

76) Melissa Eggleston, M.A. 2009

77) Meghan Sobel Cohen, Ph.D. 2015

78) Carol Bono, M.A. 2018

79) Carrie Gann, M.A. 2011

80) Jagmeet Singh Mac, M.A. 2014

81) Caitlyn Greene, B.A. 2011

82) Michelle Cerulli McAdams, M.A. 2011

83) Josie Hollingsworth, B.A. 2015

84) Ashley Hedrick, M.A. 2018, Ph.D. 2021

85) Natalie Taylor, M.A. 2014

86) Bridgette Cyr, M.A. 2018

87) Isabella Kinkelaar, B.A. 2016

88) Amanda Adams, M.A. 2013

89) Arshya Gurbani, M.A. 2018

90) Kiersten Schmidt Roemerman, M.A. 2017

91) Mariana Abdalla M.A. 2017

92) Rachel Dennis Bolanos, B.A. 2012

93) Cristina M. Fletes, M.A. 2011

94) Grayson Karl Mendenhall, M.A. 2015

95) Miranda Volborth, M.A. 2011

96) Brooke Eller, B.A. 2015

97) Adam Lau, M.A. 2018

98) Christina Wall, B.A. 2015

99) Sarah Riazati, B.A. 2011

100) Mika Chance, M.A. 2013

101) Natalia Brache, B.A. 2020

102) Nacho Corbella, M.A. 2009

103) Viviana Bonilla López, B.A. 2014

104) Patrick Mustain, M.A. 2013

105) Delphine Andrews, B.A. 2005, M.A. 2011

106) Pailin Wedel, Visual Communications minor, 2004

107) Katria Farmer, M.A. 2018

108) Sara Naomi Lewkowicz, B.A. 2005

109) Andrea Goetschius, M.A. 2011

110) Jordan Wilkie, M.A. 2018

111) Suzannah Evans Comfort, Ph.D. 2016

112) Ryan Comfort, M.A. 2016

113) Tiffany S. Jones, M.A. 2017

114) Larisa Bennett, M.A. 2019

115) Laura Lacy, M.A. 2017

116) Enelda Butler, M.A. 2012

117) Jessica Gall Myrick, Ph.D. 2013

118) Caroline Metzler, B.A. 2015

119) Sara Edwards, M.A. 2019

120) Jeremiah O. Rhodes, B.A. 2020

121) Laura Christina Brache Field, B.A. 2017

122) Dylan Field, B.A. 2005

123) Mona Bazzaz, B.A. 2017

124) Elizabeth (Annie) Maynard, B.A. 2015

125) Courtney Mitchell, B.A. 2001

126) Mike Ferrell, B.A. 2019

127) Mary Alice Blackstock, B.A. 2019

128) Audrey Bell, B.A. 2005

129) Natalia Wlcek, B.A. 2020

130) Caroline Farrell, B.A. 2020

131) Michelle Lotker, M.A. 2017

132) Davis H Harper, B.A. 2011

133) Allison Smith, B.A. 2020

134) Vanessa Schoning, B.A. 2020

135) Claire Cole, B.A. 2020

136) Taylor Marie Doggett, B.A. 2020

137) Korie Dean, B.A. 2021

138) Madison Hoffmann, B.A. 2020

139) Molly Horak, B.A. 2020

140) Miranda Veal, B.A. 2020

141) Hannah Webster, B.A. 2016

142) Kate Lord, B.A. 2007

143) Amelia Fox, B.A. 2020

144) Emily Kocher, B.A. 2019

145) Nicole Vandiford, B.A. 2018

146) Tyger McSwain, B.A. 2020

147) Eileen Mignoni, M.A. 2009

148) Karyn Hladik-Brown, B.A. 2020

149) Ramishah Maruf, B.A. 2021

150) Kelly Izlar, M.A. 2012

151) Rochelle Riley, B.A. 1981

152) Courtney Symone Staton, B.A. 2020

153) Taylor Heeden, B.A. 2020

154) Cara Schumann, B.A. 2017

155) Bailey Seitter, B.A. 2014

156) Tegan R. Bratcher, Ph.D. 2021

157) Jeremy Borden, B.A. 2006

158) Brett E Shadoin, B.A. 2004

159) Elizabeth Thompson, B.A. 2020

160) Morgan Westmoreland, B.A. 2020

161) Patty Matos, B.A. 2019

162) Liz Crampton, B.A. 2015

163) Elizabeth Hazeltine, B.A. 2011

164) Megan Cassella, B.A. 2015

165) Amanda Komar, M.A. 2011

166) Victoria Fosdal, M.A. 2015

167) Brady Blackburn, M.A. 2018

168) Holly Roberts, M.A. 2018

169) Clara Luisa Matthews, B.A. 2021

170) Amy Claire Nelson, M.A. 2018

171) Chapel Fowler, B.A. 2020

172) Hannah Lang, B.A. 2020

173) Brittany McGee, B.A. 2021

174) Hadley Green, M.A. 2021

175) Barbara Zellweger, M.A. 2012

176) Christopher Sims, M.A. 2003

177) Rebekah Aycock, B.A. 2017

178) Elizabeth Holmes, B.A. 2020

179) Mary Stevens, B.A. 2014

180) Douglas G. Clark, B.A. 1977

181) Sara Coburn, B.A. 2013

182) Averi Harper, B.A. 2013

183) Emily Yue, B.A. 2018

184) Chris Carmichael, M.A. 2008

185) Robert Berges, B.A. 2015

186) Brian Keyes, B.A. 2021

187) Ashley Mills, B.A. 2020

188) Maeve Sheehey, B.A. 2021

189) Dillon Deaton, B.A. 2017

190) Peyton Chance, B.A. 2018

191) Ian Gordon, B.A. 2003

192) Jonathan Michels, B.A. 2011

193) Elizabeth Breyer Bowman, B.A. 2003

194) Christopher Jasinski, M.A. 2016

195) Brooks Fuller, Ph.D. 2017

196) Keith Larsen, M.A. 2017

197) Hanna Wondmagegn, B.A. 2021

198) Brian Cassella, B.A. 2005

199) Tricia Cleppe, B.A. 2014

200) Serena Ajbani, B.A. 2017

201) Morgan Westmoreland, B.A. 2020

202) Laura Chase de Formigny, B.A. 2009

203) Rossie Izlar, M.A. 2017

204) Terri Flagg, M.A. 2012

205) David Perlmutt, B.A. 1975

206) Brooke Weberling McKeever, Ph.D. 2011

207) Ainslie Perlmutt, B.A. 2014

208) Mary Tyler March, B.A. 2016

209) Peter Andringa, B.A. 2020

210) Kiana Cole, B.A. 2018

211) Jacob Rohde, Ph.D. 2021

212) Chandler Carter, M.A. 2020

213) Chris Vargo, Ph.D. 2014

214) Alexis Barnes, B.A. 2017

215) Mark Slagle, B.A. 2002, Ph.D. 2010

216) Robert McKeever, Ph.D. 2012

217) Gabrielle Thompson, B.A. 2020

218) Rebecca Stephenson, B.A. 2015

219) Rebekah C. Radisch, B.A. 1984, M.A. 2014

220) Deseré Cross Ward, B.A. 2014

221) Elizabeth Ziefle, B.A. 2007

222) Ilich Mejía, M.A. 2020

223) Carter McCall, B.A. 2012

224) Patrick Winn, B.A. 2003

225) Bryan Frantz, B.A. 2014

226) Kayla B. Stewart, B.A. 2016

227) Gabriel Maisonnave, M.A. 2017

228) Amanda Rodrigues Smith, B.A. 2008

229) Jessica Allen, B.A. 2018

230) Meredith D. Clark, Ph.D. 2014

231) Philip Jones, B.A. 2006

232) Brett Thompson, B.A. 2017

233) Tyler J. Rouse, B. A. 2015

234) Anderson Tate Frazier, B.A. 2015

235) Lauren Vied Allen, B.A. 2012

236) April Little Raphiou, B.A. 1999, Ph.D. 2015

237) Mary Helen Moore, B.A. 2016

238) Victor Hensley, B.A. 2020

239) Janel S Schuh, M.A. 2000

240) Phyllis A. Fair, B.A. 1987

241) Lisa M. Collard, M.A. 2000

242) Angela N. Pratt, M.A. 2000

243) Rita Counts Colistra, Ph.D. 2008

244) Andrew Tie, B.A. 2015, M.A. 2021

245) Alisha (Allie) Mullin, B.A. 2009

246) Reid Carpenter, M.A. 2000

247) Juliet Dickey, B.A. 1994

248) Emily Kennard, B.A. 2011

249) John McLeod, B.A. 1995

250) Jessica Miller, B.A. 1994

251) Erin Randall McLeod, B.A. 1994

252) William Niver, B.A. 2008

253) Laura Ann Morrison, B.A. 2008

254) Moses Musilu Jr., B.A. 2018

254) Carole V. Bell, Ph.D. 2010

255) Jessica Willoughby, Ph.D. 2013

256) J Suzanne Horsley, Ph.D. 2006

257) Temple Northrup, Ph.D. 2011

258) Christine Scalora, M.A. 2018

259) Janelle Royal Harris, B.A. 2002

260) Kiara Palmer, B.A. 2013

261) Carolyn Edy, M.A 1997, Ph.D. 2012

262) Stacey Hust, Ph.D. 2005

263) Autumn Shafer, Ph.D. 2011

264) Stephanie Lamm, B.A. 2017

265) Louis Fernandez, B.A. 2016

266) Woodrow Hartzog, Ph.D. 2011

267) Valentina Arismendi, B.A. 2021

268) Kendall Cox, B.A. 2019

269) Blanton Smith, B.A. 2018

270) Ashley Simmons Roseborough, B.A. 2008

271) Trevor Bell, Ph.D. 2019

272) Laurie Beth Harris, B.A. 2014

273) Caroline Jackson Bass, B.A. 2019

274) Angela Ju, B.A. 2013

275) Yasmin Bendaas, M.A. 2017

276) Chris Higginbotham, M.A. 2011

277) Taylor Charise Tyson, B.A. 2020

278) Shannon Crownover, B.A. 1994

279) Bart Wojdynski, Ph.D. 2011

280) Jeffrey Mittelstadt, M.A. 2012

281) Meg Bartow Dufour, M.A. 2000

282) Denise Hill, Ph.D. 2016

283) E. Gale Greenlee, B.A. 1992, Ph.D. 2019

284) Rachel Donlin Cvetkovski, B.A. 2013

285) Ryan Cocca, B.A. 2013

286) Laura Brummett, B.A. 2021

287) Jordan de Morais, B.A. 2020

288) Clara Femia, B.A. 2018

289) Cammie Bellamy, B.A. 2014

290) Dale Van Ollefen, B.A. 2015

291) Speed Hallman, B.A. 1982

292) Blake Weaver, B.A. 2021

293) Sara Morris, B.A. 2017

294) Ellen Turner, B.A. 2017

295) Andrew Murray, B.A. 2013

296) Lauren Houston, B.A. 2013, M.A. 2019

297) Eugene Scott, B.A. 2003

298) Monika Ellis, B.A. 2000

299) Margaret O. Kirk, B.A. 1977

300) Lu Ann Jones, B.A. 1976

301) Louis Fernandez, B.A. 2016

302) Susie Dickson, B.A. 2005

303) Gwendolyn Bounds, B.A. 1993

304) Curry Kirkpatrick, B.A. 1965

305) Elise Alexandria McGlothian, B.A. 2016

306) Meredith Newman, B.A. 2000

307) Ben Swanson, B.A. 2013

If you are a Hussman alum who would like to join this alumni network, please fill out this form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuNAf1HUlwJfCsYw1uqYJBEVPY9Qvf9pzn6dgWeWyCigikXw/viewform?usp=sf_link

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