The Quad: UNC-CH’s Belichick Bet

Belichick Bedlam

Somewhere in the 700 pages of UNC-Chapel Hill emails I read this week, I learned that Bill Belichick requested that staff copy his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, on every email they sent him. That’s just one small example of how life is changing in the Belichick era.

In partnership with Axios, we have a rich new story out today that looks at the more substantive impact of the Belichick deal on the university’s finances. The takeaway is that UNC-CH has been pouring millions of dollars of other funding into athletics, even before hiring Belichick. Now, they would have to raise revenues by roughly $50 million for athletics to break even without extra university support.

It’s a detailed look at how the changing world of college sports is shaping higher ed. It’s also probably the least football-y Bill Belichick story you’ll find.

UNC’s Risky Belichick Math

As a special treat for Quad subscribers, I also wanted to share some snippets that didn’t make the final edit:

• Belichick requested Hudson be copied on emails on December 16, just a few days after he was hired, so she “can also keep up with our postings,” emails obtained via records request show. She was CC’d on later emails to Belichick in the batch we reviewed.
• UNC-CH heard from alumni who were both thrilled and furious about Belichick’s hiring. One promised to “make an incremental 6 figure donation the day he is announced.” Others worried about Belichick’s NFL-era controversies and the age gap between the 72 year old and Hudson, who is 24 and reportedly met him when she was in college. One person emailed a link to an article by the satirical Babylon Bee that was headlined “Bill Belichick Agrees to UNC Job on Condition He Can Live in Girlfriend’s Dorm,” asking whether it was true. “They can’t think this is real, right?” a UNC-CH staffer wrote to a colleague.
• On the other hand, the media attention his hiring generated was truly overwhelming. CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Fox & Friends, Mike Krzyzewski’s radio show—the requests just kept coming. Former NFL star and current TV host Michael Strahan personally reached out for an interview after his producer’s requests went unanswered.
• The volume of requests was so chaotic that no fewer than five staff members were involved in getting Belichick and his general manager, Michael Lombardi, to respond to an invitation to a dinner with UNC-CH Chancellor Lee Roberts. One of those staff members was athletic director Bubba Cunningham. “Keep me in the loop on this dinner–I may have to invite myself,” he wrote to another staffer, jokingly (I think?).

—Matt Hartman

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

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Consider This a Warning

On Monday, 60 higher education institutions nationwide received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Sent to all institutions currently under investigation for possible Title VI violations involving alleged antisemitic discrimination, the letter warned that colleges that failed to protect Jewish students would face “potential enforcement actions.”

The “University of North Carolina” was among the institutions that received the letter, according to the Education Department’s press release. But it’s still not clear which institution was the designated recipient of the message.

The letter—obtained by The Assembly via a public records request—was addressed to UNC System President Peter Hans. Somewhat confusingly, the letter lists the address as in Chapel Hill, even though the UNC System office moved to Raleigh. 

According to the OCR’s database of ongoing investigations (which was last updated before President Donald Trump took office in January), there were three active investigations in North Carolina that started after the Israel-Hamas war began and were related to “national origin discrimination involving religion.” Only one of the investigations, at UNC-Chapel Hill, stemmed from a complaint filed on behalf of Jewish students. (The other two investigations correspond with complaints filed on behalf of Palestinian students at N.C. State and UNC-CH.)

Kevin Best, UNC-CH’s senior director of media relations, said the university did not receive a letter from the OCR. He directed The Assembly to the system for a copy of the letter, adding that UNC-CH had “fully cooperated” with the OCR’s investigation and is waiting for feedback.

Neither the UNC System nor the Department of Education responded to requests for clarification on whether the letter was meant for UNC-CH or the whole system.

While UNC and other schools scramble to navigate increasing federal scrutiny, foreign student protesters are also on edge. Last weekend, a recent Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist was arrested by federal immigration authorities. Although a judge temporarily blocked the graduate’s deportation, it was the first real display of Trump’s intent to “deport Hamas sympathizers and revoke student visas.” In a social post, Trump wrote that the Columbia graduate’s detainment would be the “first arrest of many to come.”

Hashem Amireh, a graduate student at UNC-CH, said Trump’s actions have led him to seek legal counsel given his status as a visa holder. Amireh was initially suspended over his role in campus protests, but he was found not guilty of honor system violations and his suspension was dropped. He told The Assembly he wants to understand “what potential outcomes might come about if the Trump administration targets me.” Amireh said his lawyer believes that “any reasonable judge” would find the administration’s actions unlawful. (UNC-CH told The Assembly that the institution has not been contacted by federal law enforcement about students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.)

Amireh, like others who have raised concerns, worries that the Columbia student’s arrest carries broader repercussions. “The reality is that attempting to deport pro-Palestine activists is but a stepping stone,” Amireh wrote in a statement. “If Trump and his accomplices do not like your speech, then you’re not too far down the list.”

–Erin Gretzinger

Reach our team with tips or ideas at highered@theassemblync.com.

Class Introductions

Amber Perrell Slack, the associate dean of students for residence life and housing at Queens University of Charlotte, was named vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Christy Locklear, the senior director of continuing education and workforce development at Robeson Community College, was named the school’s dean of continuing education.

Heather Hulburt Norris, the interim chancellor at Appalachian State University, was named permanent chancellor. 

Krista Walton, associate vice president for research operations and infrastructure at the Georgia Institute of Technology, was named vice chancellor for research and innovation at N.C. State.

Norma Houston, the chief of staff for the UNC System, retired from the position in February after more than two decades of working at UNC-CH and the system.

Rosa McAllister-McRae, the director of student service operations and personal counselor at Sandhills Community College, assumed a new position as senior director of engagement, public relations, and community programming for Hoke County.

(There may be another class introduction before the next Quad: Some news reports say Kevin Howell, the chief external affairs officer at UNC Health, will be the next chancellor of N.C. State. The school declined to comment on the reports or when a new hire would be confirmed by the Board of Governors.)

Assigned Reading

• As Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent critic of fluoride in water, takes the helm of the Health and Human Services Department and puts a microscope on the issue, UNC-CH professor of dentistry Gary Slide hopes his study in Kinston can help bring more science to the debate, Sara Israelsen-Hartley reports for The Assembly.
• The Daily Tar Heel reports that Inger Brodey, an associate dean at UNC-CH’s School of Civic Life and Leadership, resigned after “losing faith” in leadership. The Assembly also learned that economics professor Jonathan Williams resigned from the school’s advisory board on Friday.

Reach our team with tips or ideas at highered@theassemblync.com.