It’s been just ten days since the Trump administration upended the entire university-based research system, and faculty, graduate students, and administrators are trying to make sense of the directives to determine if they still have jobs or research they can conduct.
Meanwhile, some of the most powerful higher education system leaders in North Carolina have remained silent.
President Donald Trump first released and then rescinded a memo that paused all federal funding for research involving “woke gender ideology, DEI, the green new deal,” and other related university programming.
While that directive was rescinded, additional orders affecting the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, USAID, and other agencies that provide millions of dollars to research universities still remain.
Beth Moracco, UNC-Chapel Hill’s chair of faculty, said the executive orders have sent the research community into a state of “confusion, concern, and anxiety.”
“There was a real scramble to try to figure out what was going on, particularly for ongoing studies,” Moracco said before the order was rescinded. “I mean, imagine if you’re doing a randomized control that involves a drug trial. Those types of activities can’t stop on a dime, you know. To stop them would be extremely disruptive.”
In North Carolina, the reaction from leaders at public universities has varied.
UNC-Chapel Hill administrators within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research have emailed faculty updates almost every day – sometimes twice daily – on the university’s federal funding status. They also held office hour sessions for researchers to ask questions.
At NC State University, administrators created a website hub to house their updates. This includes guidance on submitting proposals and awards, as well as navigating stop work orders. The university has advised faculty and staff to “discontinue” activities related to DEI and community benefit plans, according to a Jan. 30 update.
Collectively, the schools receive over $1 billion of federal research funding annually.
The university’s chancellors released statements saying they were in close contact with the UNC System and federal officials, and that they would keep the campus community informed about any federal funding changes. While both chancellors highlighted the importance of research to their institutions, neither directly criticized the federal directives.
Peter Hans, UNC System president, has likewise been noticeably quiet on a topic that puts more than $1.3 billion in research funding a year at risk across the 16 public universities in the state.
In the past, Hans has proudly and repeatedly touted the significance of research at UNC System schools. When announcing new NCInnovation research hubs at several of the System’s universities, Hans said research was a “pillar of the UNC System’s mission” and a “critical part” of public universities’ service to North Carolinians.
He again highlighted this importance when nominating Lee Roberts as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, the school that receives the most federal research dollars in the UNC System. Hans said the school was an “economic engine for the whole state” and one of the “largest and most productive research institutions in the world.”
But Hans and the UNC Board of Governors did not publicly discuss the potential loss of research funding at last week’s meeting – just days after Trump’s efforts to eliminate funding became public. Hans was not made available to the media after the meeting, as is usually the case. A UNC System spokesman said Hans had a meeting immediately after the BOG, as did Board Chair Wendy Murphy.
WUNC’s request to speak to Hans this week was denied.
Campus leaders across the U.S. seem to be employing a similar tight-lipped strategy. Many cite the political pitfalls and worry that saying anything could invite retribution.
“This is a politically contentious issue and leadership is often concerned about being able to do their jobs well or even keep their jobs,” said Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee who studies higher education policy. “So, if you say something that upsets trustees or upsets the legislature, that could put your ability to lead well at risk.”
Republicans have controlled the legislature in North Carolina since 2010. Both the House and Senate are responsible for electing members to the UNC Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors is made up of 24 members who each serve four-year, staggered terms. Members have included former state representatives, past state budget directors, and influential GOP donors. Most are Republicans.
Hans has a long history as a political operative in North Carolina, first as an aide to several influential Republican politicians, including Richard Burr, Elizabeth Dole, and Lauch Faircloth. He was previously the Chair of the Board of Governors and president of the North Carolina Community College system.
Hans also has a reputation for building relationships across the political aisle with Democrats like former Governor Roy Cooper. However, Cooper would later go on to be very vocal against the BOG’s makeup and power structure, saying it’s been “plagued by undue political influence.”
While Hans has not publicly stated his support for federal research since his fellow Republican, Donald Trump, announced his intentions to dismantle and defund so much of what is being done on campuses in the state, the UNC System did provide a statement.
“Federal research dollars create an enormous amount of good for people across North Carolina and across the country,” said Elizabeth Morra, Vice President for Federal Relations. “In everything from improving the quality of healthcare, making crops more productive to making our military more effective, research funds help us put knowledge to work on behalf of all North Carolinians. You don’t have to look far in this state to see what our public universities have accomplished with federal support, and we’re eager to see that good work continue.”
WUNC partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
