Beth Moracco speaks for faculty
As faculty chair, she focuses on advising campus leadership on faculty needs and promoting clear communication.
The 26th chair of the faculty at Carolina is Kathryn E. “Beth” Moracco. She is an associate professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s health behavior department and associate director of the transdisciplinary UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.
Moracco, who earned both a master’s degree in public health and a doctorate in health behavior here, said she came to Carolina because of its reputation as “a world class school of public health, a premier public university and the university of the people.” She leads the Faculty Council with a focus on advising campus leadership on faculty needs and promoting clear communication between the faculty and the rest of campus.
Continue reading for a Q&A with Beth Moracco:
What is Faculty Council, and how does it contribute to the University?
Faculty Council is an elected body that has proportional representation among all 4,000-plus faculty. We have both advisory and legislative functions. There are committees in faculty governance that work on faculty welfare, appointments, promotion and tenure, educational policy and athletics. Faculty Council provides a lot of different ways for faculty to have input on university matters.
Why did you first get involved in faculty governance?
I’ve always been interested in governance issues. I did three stints on Faculty Council as an elected representative for the School of Public Health. I served on the agenda, educational policy and faculty welfare committees, which gave me a good sense of the workings of faculty governance.
Why did you decide to run for faculty chair?
As I came to the end of my third term on Faculty Council, I was ready to become more involved in leadership and shaping faculty governance.
What have you been working on during your time as chair?
My tenure as chair started July 1st of last year. It hasn’t been that long, but it feels like several years! We’ve just had some momentous events happen: the Supreme Court decision, the tragic shooting on campus, the conflict in the Middle East.
We’re working to increase communication with faculty. I’ve been trying to foster relationships with the Board of Trustees, as well as different leadership figures on campus, student groups and student government.
What are your goals for the rest of your time as chair?
Maintaining the integrity of faculty governance and shared governance is a priority, as is making sure that faculty voice is heard. I want to make sure that we’re not just hearing the loudest voices but getting a sense of the full spectrum of faculty opinions.
I’m also focused on maintaining our commitment to equity and inclusion. Every aspect of campus life has been affected by the Supreme Court decision, not just admissions. I’m thinking about how we can continue to be a diverse, welcoming, inclusive environment. I want to work toward dismantling barriers to access to higher education.
This university has extensive reach across our communities, the state and the world. I’m not sure that the scope of that is always understood. People understand that we’re in the classroom and that we work with students. But we can communicate better about all the other things we do: service, research and the impact that our work has.
What’s your favorite Carolina memory?
It’s not a single memory, but the lifelong friends and colleagues that I’ve made here. I came here for both of my graduate degrees. I’m a faculty member here. My son graduated from Carolina, and he’s in graduate school here now. I have friends from when I was in graduate school 25 years ago who are still among my closest friends today.
