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Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins

Nikole Hannah-Jones Tenure Controversy Raises Questions About Political Influence Over UNC Board

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Alice Vergueiro

Temperatures have been rising in Chapel Hill ever since the Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina system’s flagship school effectively denied a tenured position to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.

The fallout from that decision has been mounting. Faculty and staff members of color are considering leaving, and some already have.

But the circumstances behind the tenure controversy have been in the making for the past decade, as the conservative politics of the state legislature made an imprint on the board overseeing the UNC system.

GUESTS

Joe Killian, investigative reporter for NC Policy Watch (@JoekillianPW)

Felecia Commodore, assistant professor of educational foundations and leadership at Old Dominion University (@FeleciaElana)

Jack Stripling, senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education (@jackstripling)

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A veteran of Charlotte radio news, Chris joined the "Charlotte Talks" staff in January 2016, but has been listening to WFAE since discovering the station as a high schooler.