The Quad: Clemens Lawsuit Fallout

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For the Record

On Monday, we broke the story that Chris Clemens, former provost at UNC-Chapel Hill, is suing the university and its trustees over open meetings and public records laws. 

Clemens alleges the trustees illegally discussed tenure policy in closed session; forced him to resign when he informed faculty that trustees had delayed tenure votes; and frequently conduct university business using Signal, an encrypted messaging app that can be set to auto-delete messages. He also says Jed Atkins, dean and director of the School of Civic Life and Leadership (also known as SCiLL), is particularly flagrant in his use of Signal and played a key role in Clemens’ resignation.

The story has since been picked up by WUNC, The News & Observer, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Daily Tar Heel, among others. 

Board of Trustees Chair Malcolm Turner criticized the lawsuit in a statement yesterday: “The former Provost’s baseless assault on this volunteer Board and how it conducts its business stands in stark contrast to the widely recognized excellence the University has achieved under this Board’s leadership. His allegations are disappointing and inaccurate, not to mention a waste of taxpayer dollars, for which this former officer of the University shows no regard. His claims will not withstand scrutiny.”

One interesting thing about this ongoing dispute is how much SCiLL seems wrapped up in it.

Marty Kotis, another UNC-CH trustee, implied that Clemens’ complaint was a response to an ongoing SCiLL investigation (another story we broke earlier this month). 

“Like Machiavelli in exile, [Clemens is] rewriting the story to cast himself as a victim turned savior—a classic move when power is lost,” Kotis said in a statement to WRAL and the DTH. “His original hiring stirred controversy, and with a review already underway at the School of Civic Life and Leadership, the timing of this lawsuit looks more like a calculated play than a principled stand.”

Clemens weighed in on that investigation in a statement to the Chronicle: “UNC’s public statement that the investigation came after a request from Jed Atkins is troubling, because to be credible it has to examine his own conduct.”

SCiLL professor Dustin Sebell contacted The Assembly with his thoughts on the suit as well. “It is an open secret that Clemens is a prolific user of the Signal messaging app for university business,” he wrote. “In fact, he widely promoted the use of the app at UNC while he was an administrator. Someone should ask Chris if he ever advised board members to use Signal before suing them for allegedly taking his advice.”

Clemens declined to comment on their responses.

— 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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AAUP on the Up and Up

The Georgia chapter of the American Association of University Professors recently surveyed members across the South and found a “culture of fear” on campuses. 

The Quad analyzed the responses of 387 AAUP members in North Carolina and found that a majority don’t think their administrators are doing enough to defend academia—but more than half also said they’d encourage others to work in higher ed here. Sizable minorities report having grants canceled or syllabi questioned.

Luckily, The Ghost of Erin Gretzinger Past had the foresight to ask what the North Carolina AAUP chapter was doing about Trump administration policies even before the survey was released. Before she left The Quad, Erin interviewed Belle Boggs, the state chapter’s president and a North Carolina State University English professor, about how their quickly growing membership is responding to the moment.

“I think that all AAUP members and most faculty in higher education are looking at Columbia and noticing that the bullying never stops, the demands do not stop,” Boggs said. “There is no way to bend the knee and ever stand up straight again.”

Read the Q&A.

— Matt Hartman and the Dwindling Backlog of Stories Erin Gretzinger Left Us

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AI U

At 9:05 a.m. last Wednesday, UNC System special adviser (and occasional Assembly contributor) Eric Johnson texted me, “It’s too early in the day to feel biologically obsolete!”

We were attending “The Human Edge: Our Future with Artificial Intelligences,” a conference co-hosted by Elon University and RTI International. A panel dedicated to higher ed included lightning talks from UNC-CH, NCSU, Fayetteville State University, N.C. Central University, North Carolina A&T State University, UNC Greensboro, Duke University, and the National Humanities Center, a nonprofit in the Triangle. Rather than summarizing all that myself, I figured this was the perfect time for a relative luddite like myself to see what all the fuss is about. 

I used my phone’s recording app to generate a transcript of the event, then provided that to Google Gemini, told it that it was a handsome and erudite journalist writing a higher ed newsletter, and asked it to explain the most interesting takeaways. Here’s what Digitized Matt Hartman thought:

In a rich discussion among North Carolina’s higher education leaders, several compelling takeaways emerged regarding the integration of AI. A key highlight was the widespread commitment to developing AI literacy and robust academic programs, ensuring students across all disciplines are equipped for an AI-driven future. Institutions are actively establishing centers for trustworthy AI, focusing on ethical considerations, bias mitigation, and responsible innovation in areas like biomedical research and defense. Furthermore, the emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging diverse data sources, and fostering a network of shared expertise across universities and research centers underscores a proactive and unified approach to shaping AI’s impact for the benefit of the state and beyond.

It’s a helpful primer, but it doesn’t capture the things that struck me (I’m not obsolete yet, Eric!):

1. Universities would love a “proactive and unified approach,” but it seems more wish than reality so far. From ad hoc committees to provostial programs, everyone is searching for ways to provide some guidance amid the rapidly changing landscape.
2. Pedagogical problems are at the forefront. How do English assignments change with AI? What about the degree overall? How do needs in English differ from those in computer science, and how do you craft policies to allow for the gaps? Lucas Lin tackled those issues in detail for us last month. 
3. Most schools are also thinking about how to use this emerging technology to make administrative work more efficient. Some have also discussed partnerships within and across campuses to make things easier, like sharing computing power between schools.
4. Annoyingly, biomedical and defense are the research examples I was going to point to as well. But it’s worth stressing that each campus seems to be adding AI to their existing strengths: FSU, located next to the world’s largest army base, is highlighting its defense work and UNC-CH emphasized biomedical.

The day after the conference, UNC System President Peter Hans gave a speech about AI to the Board of Governors that struck many of the same themes. He announced a system-wide effort to provide licenses for various AI companies and a new Chief AI Officer position.

— Matt Hartman and My Eventual AI Replacement

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Assigned Reading

Do Us Next: Salisbury’s Catawba College has quietly been making fundraising waves recently. Last week it brought in an unrestricted $3 million gift, which is enough to make most colleges jealous. Last year, it received an anonymous $200 million gift, two-thirds of which is unrestricted.

And Another One: Earlier this year, Dan Holly covered the trend of free tuition programs for us. Now there’s another. Wake Forest University will be free for N.C. families making less than $200,000 starting next fall.

This Is Your Birthday Song: Sixty years ago this month, the United States gained its first public arts conservatory when the North Carolina School of the Arts opened. (It added “University of” to its name in 2008.) The school will celebrate during its homecoming next month.

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

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