The Quad: Berger’s Lawyer Is Investigating Civics School

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Let’s Keep it Civil

UNC-Chapel Hill has hired K&L Gates, a law firm with ties to Republican state legislators, to lead its investigation into the School of Civic Life and Leadership. Nathan Huff, a partner in the firm’s Research Triangle and Charlotte offices, has been leading interviews as part of the review.

The university confirmed Huff and K&L Gates’ roles in a statement to The Assembly.

“Any time the University engages outside counsel, the University ensures that the selected individual or entity can approach the assignment in an objective and impartial manner,” a university spokesperson said in a statement.

Huff previously represented Senate GOP leader Phil Berger and former House Speaker Tim Moore in at least 10 cases, both with K&L Gates and with his previous firm, Phelps Dunbar. Huff didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Chancellor Lee Roberts revealed the investigation at a faculty meeting last month after a year of conflict, resignations, and a firing. Paul Newton, who resigned from the state Senate in March to become the university’s general counsel, told The Assembly that the civics school’s dean, Jed Atkins, initiated the review. That prompted former Provost Chris Clemens—who resigned after a conflict with Atkins and is now suing the university over alleged public records violations—to raise questions about the investigation, calling it “troubling” in a statement to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The School of Civic Life and Leadership has been controversial since it was first proposed. Its champions have said it will bring ideological balance to a too-liberal campus, while critics see that as undue political influence aimed at hiring more conservatives.

According to court records, Huff’s cases with Berger and Moore include some of the most significant political battles of the past few years. Huff defended General Assembly leaders in multiple voting rights cases, including Holmes vs. Moore, the North Carolina Supreme Court decision that allowed the government to require IDs to vote. He also represented Berger and Moore when they sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent Gov. Roy Cooper from expanding Medicaid in 2017, and when they sued the State Board of Elections to prevent changes to absentee voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Huff is also representing GOPAC Inc., a Republican political organization, in an ongoing case involving Berger’s son, Kevin Berger. An opponent for the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners has alleged the younger Berger and GOPAC published defamatory statements about him due to his opposition to a casino project—a political controversy that has shaken Phil Berger’s firm grip on North Carolina politics.

Huff has also represented UNC-CH and East Carolina University’s health systems in 10 lawsuits against health insurance companies.

“Mr. Huff has more than 20 years of litigation experience representing a wide variety of clients, including universities, health care systems, government and individuals and has never represented someone based on their political party representation,” the UNC-CH spokesperson said. “Mr. Huff is a U.S. Veteran, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army JAG Corps, and previously served as a federal prosecutor under both republican and democratic U.S. Attorneys.”

Correction: A previous version of this item said Nathan Huff represented Kevin Berger. He represented a Republican political organization in the same case.

— Matt Hartman

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Thanks for reading The Quad, a higher education newsletter written by Matt Hartman and edited by Emily Stephenson. Reach us with tips or ideas at highered@theassemblync.com.

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What’s the Difference?

There are still a lot of questions to answer about the merger of Elon University and Queens University of Charlotte. Most of the questions, in fact: When the merger was announced, spokespeople from both institutions said the details will be worked out in the coming months.

But there’s one question I keep thinking about: How much will the students pay?

The sticker price for both schools is about the same: $49,000 for Elon this year versus $46,000 for Queens. But things are much different when you look at net price, or how much students pay after accounting for grants and scholarships. 

National Center for Education Statistics data shows that the average net price for undergraduates who received financial aid at Elon was $42,000 in 2023-2024, but just $27,000 at Queens. 

Most of the difference appears to stem from institutional grants, or discounts Queens provided to students. It collected $16,000 in tuition and fee revenue per full-time student according to the same source. Elon more than doubled that at $33,000.

The numbers help explain Queens’ shakier finances heading into the merger. Now, the question is how the combined institution will even things out. But that’s another thing to be decided.

“No decisions have been made regarding tuition,” Elon spokesperson Eric Townsend said in an email to The Assembly. “Both Elon University and Queens University will continue to operate as they have been for the foreseeable future.”

— Matt Hartman

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Class Introductions

Susan Wente will step down as president of Wake Forest University in June 2026. She’s been in the position since 2021 and has overseen significant increases in both applications and fundraising efforts, according to a university release.

Wente’s tenure also included opening a campus in Charlotte, $10 million in academic building upgrades, and the recently announced free-tuition program for North Carolina families earning less than $200,000 a year.

“She is the president who led Wake Forest out of the pandemic, expanded access and financial aid programs, and she has brought new ideas and energy to our campuses and communities,” said Jeanne Whitman Bobbitt, chair of the Wake Forest board of trustees.

Tony Floyd will also be stepping down as president. A lawyer by training, Floyd has led Mars Hill University since 2018, guiding the college through both the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Helene.

Mark Becker has joined the board of the Commission for Public Higher Education, the new accreditor launched by the UNC System and other university systems. Becker was formerly president of Georgia State University and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

— Matt Hartman

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Assigned Reading

Sue Me: N.C. State University is suing the chemical company Monsanto over the building materials used in Poe Hall, which was closed in 2023 after it was linked to cancer cases. The university claims that Monsanto marketed its materials as non-toxic even though it knew that wasn’t true. Monsanto told The N&O that it stopped producing bulk industrial PCBs 50 years ago and gave appropriate warnings to customers.

Emily Vespa wrote about the building—and the larger issue of the UNC System’s aging campuses—for us last year.

There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand: At a recent faculty council meeting, Duke University leaders announced that they are projecting a budget surplus through 2030 after enacting buyouts, layoffs, and other cost-cutting majors. Duke Chronicle has the story.

Don’t Collect $200: The federal government shutdown is here (again). Politico provided a useful run-down of how it will impact education. The short version is that Pell Grants and direct student loans keep flowing, but other Education Department grantmaking activities stop, as do civil rights investigations.

Let us know what’s on your radar at highered@theassemblync.com.

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