Message from Chancellor Carol L. Folt on the Confederate Monument

Dear Carolina Community:

I write today to share an update on our efforts to develop the plan for the Confederate Monument that the Board of Trustees and I will be submitting to the Board of Governors. The level, honesty and thoughtful nature of the participation by our campus and community has been very moving, and I am deeply grateful to all who have contributed to those efforts.

I recognize that many of you have questions about the process moving forward. The Board of Trustees and I have not yet reached a decision about our recommendation. We have just received word that the Board of Governors has granted our request for a short extension to ensure we have the time and information needed to fully evaluate the options under consideration. Once we know the timing of the public release we will let you know. We are grateful for the extension.

We also continue to receive input from the faculty, staff and student groups who ran listening sessions, administered surveys and hosted forums and discussions across campus. So far, the Faculty Council, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Student Advisory Committee to the Chancellor have posted the summaries of their work that they shared with me. We also have and continue to receive letters, emails, petitions and other documents from students, faculty, staff, alumni, North Carolina leaders, state citizens and beyond; we are reading and considering all of them. We will make the documents that we have received public when they all are fully processed as required by the state public records law.

The plan we are developing will be in the form of a recommendation to the Board of Governors for their consideration. It will not be until that time, that we will know whether additional steps and approvals will be required.

Sincerely,

Carol L. Folt
Chancellor