From The Assembly’s Sunday Newsletter: Sources confirm a major college affordability program will expand to a fourth UNC System institution: Fayetteville State University
Past Stories
Posted inSports
Duke University and the Troubles of College Sports
A veteran professor enjoys Cameron craziness as much as any Blue Devils fan, but says big-time college sports dominate what are supposed to be nonprofit academic institutions. Even at Duke, which considers itself a shining star, there’s academic corner-cutting, rampant commercialization, and some unsettling racial dynamics.
Posted inCourts & Justice
Police Reform Finds Its Backlash
Durham was transforming the police long before ‘Defund’ became a national discussion. But after an electoral shift in the deep blue city, the future of an aggressive push on policing alternatives is uncertain—and shootings continue.
Posted inHigher Education
UNC’s Mild-Mannered Change Agent
After a quiet, decades-long rise to power, Peter Hans is atop the UNC System. He brings strong personal and political skills, but is short on executive experience. Can a great conciliator keep his restive factions at bay and shepherd the institution through its next big transformation?
Posted inBusiness & Economy
David Tepper’s Charlotte Conquest (and SC, too)
The Carolina Panthers owner is a tough finance bro who knows how to use leverage to get what he wants—and he wants a lot from Charlotte, including a new stadium. It’s a complicated challenge for a city that’s never seen anyone quite like him.
Posted inMusic
Playing Above Its Weight
Merlefest, a famous and eclectic music festival in Wilkes County, is one of the area’s few institutions that has stood the test of time and lifted up its community. Its future success will depend on keeping the evolving and sprawling festival young.
Posted inK-12 Education
The State’s Looming Constitutional Crisis
The long-running Leandro case has promised transformative investments in K-12 education. As a judge prepares to take action, the state is anticipating a constitutional impasse with enormous consequences for students and North Carolina’s system of checks and balances.
Posted inK-12 Education
The Untouchable Student Vaccine Mandate
Federal regulators are poised to give full approval to a COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 16. That would turn the spotlight to an obscure—and seemingly reluctant—state commission in North Carolina that has the power to mandate vaccines for school children and college students.
Posted inPolitics & Government
When Reparations Meet Bureaucracy
Asheville’s historic reparations resolution made national news in 2020, helping spark a wave of similar city-level initiatives across the country. But mounting delays show that while winning a vote may be hard, moving through a hesitant and halting bureaucracy can be an even more difficult challenge.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Egos, Accountability, and High School Sports
A two-year legislative inquiry culminated last week in a bipartisan compromise over the state’s High School Sports Association. The very public fight mirrors a national debate over amateur athletics: Just how big should school sports be? And who gets to benefit?