UNC Board Rejects Hire of Women's Studies Professor

"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted to reject the appointment of a women's studies professor whose hire had been approved by faculty and administrators. The decision is the latest example of the UNC trustees using what is typically a rubber-stamp vote to deny the hire of a green-lighted faculty candidate."

"Provost Magnus Egerstedt told her two weeks ago that her hire would be put up for the board's approval at the May 13 meeting. During an open-session voice vote at the meeting, one unnamed tenure candidate was rejected. When she spoke to Inside Higher Ed on Saturday, Asher had yet to receive an official notification about her employment outcome."

""Everybody I've spoken to-including the interim chair [Tanya Shields]-nobody has received anything. We're just reading the negative signs," she said. "The board put the approved personnel actions on their website, and since my name is not there, it's assumed to be negative." The board approved five other outside hires and 27 promotions during the meeting."

"In a statement, vice chancellor for communications and marketing Dean Stoyer said the university "can't acknowledge the name of the person who was denied tenure," and the board "has a history of conferring tenure regularly." "As we've said repeatedly, tenure is a competitive imperative for Carolina. Carolina is committed to using tenure for faculty hiring and retention,""

UNC trustees voted to reject the appointment of Kiran Asher, a professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her hire had been approved through a process involving faculty and administrators, with the provost informing her that the board would consider the appointment at the May 13 meeting. During an open-session voice vote, one tenure candidate was rejected. Asher reported that she had not received official notification and inferred the outcome from the absence of her name on the board’s posted approved personnel actions. The board approved other outside hires and promotions at the same meeting, and board members did not provide reasons for the denial.

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