CHAPEL HILL, NC – The UNC System Racial Equity Task Force is urging faculty, staff, and students across the state to make their voices heard on race, equity, and the University’s path ahead. A survey launched today and active through September 30 will gather insight from members of the University community to help guide the work of the task force and inform recommendations to the full Board.
The survey is a first step in a broader call for feedback and ideas about how the University can better promote equity and justice. A series of virtual listening sessions will launch in mid-October, inviting perspectives from across the University.
The Board of Governors established the UNC System Racial Equity Task Force in June to examine the legacy of race and racism in North Carolina’s public higher education system. The task force has focused on three major priorities: equity in the recruitment and overall academic experience for students, equity in employee recruitment, hiring, promotion, and leadership opportunities, and building and maintaining safe, inclusive campuses, where students and employees feel a sense of belonging.
Task force members will rely on a months-long listening campaign and consultation with national experts in race and equity to guide recommendations to the Board of Governors Chair Randy Ramsey and UNC System President Peter Hans.
“We’re an educational institution dedicated to serving all North Carolinians,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “We don’t just value diversity and difference, we depend on it to fulfill our mission.”
“The road to improvement begins with an honest assessment of where we stand, and I hope everyone in the University community will share their insights and help move us forward,” added Hans.
The task force is comprised of 13 members, including UNC Board members Darrell Allison (chair), Anna Spangler Nelson and Kellie Hunt Blue (vice chairs), Pearl Burris-Floyd, Reginald Ronald Holley, and Isaiah Green (ex-officio). Other task force members include Dawn Brown of UNC Wilmington and former Staff Assembly Chair, Garikai (Kai) Campbell, Provost at UNC Asheville, David Green of NC Central University and former UNC System Faculty Assembly Chair, Timothy Ives, of UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC System Faculty Assembly Chair, Garrett Killian, of East Carolina University and UNC System Staff Assembly Chair, Ricardo Nazario-Colon, of Western Carolina University, and David Perry, Chief of Police, UNC-Chapel Hill.
“We have spent the last few months learning from students, faculty, staff, listening to ideas that will help us improve the UNC System,” said Chair Allison. “As we continue examining our policies and asking tough questions, I know we’ll come away with some excellent ideas for strengthening our System.”
To ensure adequate time for listening sessions and feedback, the task force recently extended the deadline for its final report to December 16. The report will include a list of recommendations and action steps in priority order.
The next public meeting will be held on October 7.
For more information, visit UNC System Racial Equity Task Force.