The University’s mission includes the transmission and advancement of knowledge and understanding, the pursuit of which is dependent upon the ability of our faculty and students to remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding. The University supports and encourages freedom of inquiry for faculty members and students, to the end that they may responsibly pursue these goals through teaching, learning, research, discussion, and publication, free from internal or external restraints that would unreasonably restrict their academic endeavors. The University has explicitly stated that faculty and students of the University share the responsibility for maintaining an environment in which academic freedom flourishes and in which the rights of each member of the academic community are respected. Academic freedom has indeed been acknowledged by the Supreme Court as “of transcendent value to all of us” and “a special concern of the First Amendment, which does not tolerate laws that cast a pall of orthodoxy over the classroom.”
Pursuant to the Restore/Preserve Campus Free Speech Act, the chair of the Board of Governors has designated the Board’s Committee on University Governance as the statutorily mandated Committee on Free Expression.
Resources
2018-19_report_on_free_speech_and_free_expression_within_the_university (approved on September 19, 2019)
2017-18 Report on Free Speech and Free Expression Within the University (approved on September 12, 2018)
UNC Policy 1300.8 (Free Speech and Free Expression Within the University of North Carolina)
Chapter 600 of The Code (Freedom and Responsibility in the University Community)
Restore/Preserve Campus Free Speech Act (G.S. 116-300)
Article I, Section 14 of the North Carolina Constitution, Freedom of speech and press. Freedom of speech and of the press are two of the great bulwarks of liberty and therefore shall never be restrained, but every person shall be held responsible for their abuse.
Responsible Officers Across the UNC System
Each UNC constituent institution must identify officer(s) and/or offices or departments with responsibilities for ensuring compliance with the law and UNC policy, and for answering any related questions or concerns from students, faculty members, staff employees, or others.
| INSTITUTION | RESPONSIBLE OFFICER(S) | TITLE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| APP STATE | Jeff Cathey | Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs | catheyjd@appstate.edu |
| APP STATE | Jacqui Bergman | Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs | bergmanjz@appstate.edu |
| ECU | Paul Zigas | Interim University Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs | ZIGASP@ecu.edu |
| ECSU | Alyn Goodson | General Counsel | agoodson@ecsu.edu |
| ECSU | Tiffany Hinton | Director of Community Standards | trhinton@ecsu.edu |
| FSU | Wanda Jenkins | General Counsel | wljenkins@uncfsu.edu |
| FSU | Angel Powell | Assistant General Counsel | bpowell3@uncfsu.edu |
| FSU | Regina Rudisill | Director of Student Conduct | rcrudisill01@uncfsu.edu |
| N.C. A&T | Melissa Jackson Holloway | General Counsel | mjholloway@ncat.edu |
| NCCU | Joy Hartfield | Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards | jhartfield@nccu.edu |
| NC STATE | Warwick Arden | Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost | warwick_arden@ncsu.edu or provost@ncsu.edu |
| NC STATE | Brent McConkey | Assistant General Counsel | brent_mcconkey@ncsu.edu |
| NC STATE | Lisa Zapata | Senior Associate Vice Chancellor | lisa_zapata@ncsu.edu |
| UNCA | Clifton Williams | University Counsel | cwilli14@unca.edu |
| UNC-CH | Jean Elia | Associate Provost | jelia@email.unc.edu |
| UNC-CH | Becci Menghini | Senior Associate Vice Chancellor, Equal Opportunity/Compliance | becci_menghini@unc.edu |
| UNC-CH | Jonathan Sauls | Dean of Students | jsauls@email.unc.edu |
| UNC-CH | Kim Strom-Gottfried | Director, Ethics Education and Policy Management, and Smith P. Theimann Distinguished Professor, School of Social Work | ksg@unc.edu |
| UNCC | Jesh Humphrey | Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and General Counsel | jesh.humphrey@uncc.edu |
| UNCC | Samantha Sears | Deputy General Counsel | ssears4@uncc.edu |
| UNCG | Alan Boyette | Senior Vice Provost | boyette@uncg.edu |
| UNCP | R. Travis Bryant | Assoc. VC for Campus Safety and Emergency Operations | Travis.Bryant@uncp.edu |
| UNCSA | David Harrison | General Counsel | harrisondl@uncsa.edu |
| UNCSA | Ward Caldwell | Vice Provost & Dean of Student Affairs | caldwellw@uncsa.edu |
| UNCW | John Scherer | General Counsel | schererj@uncw.edu |
| WCU | Shea Browning | General Counsel | srbrowning@email.wcu.edu |
| WSSU | Cornelius Graves | Director of Government & Community Relations | gravescc@wssu.edu |
| UNC SYSTEM | John J. Dougherty | Assistant General Counsel | jjdougherty@northcarolina.edu |
Information current as of September 21, 2018.