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