Highlights from the November Board of Governors meeting

The UNC Board of Governors met Nov. 19–20, to discuss enrollment trends, academic initiatives and policy matters shaping higher education across the state. The two-day meeting highlighted strong enrollment momentum for the UNC System, progress in academic innovation and updates on educator preparation and accreditation efforts.

Several items from the meeting are relevant to UNC Charlotte, including updates on enrollment trends across the System, nonresident undergraduate enrollment and accreditation efforts.

Below are summaries of key issues discussed during the meeting.

Enrollment gains: The UNC System experienced a 3.5% increase in fall enrollment, with 15 of 16 institutions reporting gains. New transfer student enrollment increased by 7.9%, but graduate enrollment increased very modestly. Jennifer Haygood, senior vice president for finance and administration/chief financial officer for the UNC System, presented information on nonresident undergraduate enrollment. All campuses have a cap on the percentage of nonresident students in the entering fall first-time undergraduate class. Campuses that exceed the cap for two consecutive years must pay a financial penalty. UNC Charlotte’s cap is 18%, and the University did not exceed the cap. The Board of Governors did note other schools exceeded the cap, including NC Promise schools.

Academic freedom: Faculty Assembly Chair Wade Maki shared the results of a yearlong effort to create a sharper definition of academic freedom. The UNC System’s code highlights the importance of academic freedom in several places, making clear that open inquiry is “a prerequisite for maintaining and strengthening a world-class university.”

New M.S. in Entrepreneurship approved: The Board of Governors commented on the speed with which UNC Charlotte’s M.S. in Entrepreneurship program was developed and approved at the campus level.

Educator Preparation Programs update: The work of the UNC System on the science of reading and early literacy was discussed with Board of Governors members congratulating the System on curricular innovation. UNC Charlotte’s Cato College of Education is a leader among UNC System peers. Concerns around learning loss related to mathematics in K-12 were raised, and this will be a new emphasis.

Commission for Public Higher Education update: Dan Harrison, vice president for academic affairs and senior advisor to the president of the UNC System, provided an update to the Board of Governors, noting that 10 institutions have expressed an intention to join CPHE in the upcoming years, including Appalachian State, North Carolina Central and UNC Charlotte. When asked about the value proposition of joining CPHE, he shared three key attributes: 1) all public membership, where universities are judged by other public institutions, 2) focus on public institutions means less bureaucracy associated with the process and 3) focus on student outcomes.

Discussion of authority to sign the Trump Administration’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”: President Hans indicated that authority to sign the compact would not lie with individual campuses or chancellors but with the Board of Governors.

Going forward, the University will post updates following both the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees meetings.