UNC trustees block tenure for gender studies prof + GOP ex-lawmaker may join board
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC-Chapel Hill trustees voted against granting tenure to a gender studies hire.
- The Board approved 33 other promotions or appointments conferring tenure.
- Board of Governors will vote on whether to nominate Kristin Baker as a trustee.
Hello reader! Welcome to Higher Stakes, your higher education newsletter. I’m Jane Winik Sartwell.
This week, the UNC System Board of Governors will meet in Raleigh. They’ll discuss lots of interesting items. They’ll consider a resolution to formally join the Board of Directors of the Commission for Public Higher Education, an accrediting body formed by six public university systems including those of North Carolina and Florida. The commission plans to apply for federal recognition in late 2027.
Let’s see what’s happening with the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.
UNC trustees block tenure for Gender Studies professor
At their meeting last week, the Board of Trustees at UNC-Chapel Hill voted against conferring tenure on a professor in UNC’s Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. The Assembly first reported this story.
Kiran Asher, who teaches at UMass Amherst, was set to be hired with tenure in the Women’s and Gender Studies department. The appointment had been approved at multiple levels — the department faculty, the College of Arts & Sciences, the tenure committee, and the provost — before heading to the Board of Trustees for the final stamp of approval.
No final stamp was given.
The Board approved 33 promotions or appointments conferring tenure last week. But not Asher.
Baker to be nominated to Board of Trustees
Back to the UNC System. At its meeting Wednesday, the Board of Governors will vote on whether to nominate Kristin Baker to the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees to fill the vacancy left by former board member John Preyer in the wake of his January resignation.
During her time in the General Assembly, Baker, a Republican, played an important role in bringing new abortion restrictions to North Carolina. She also led the charge on legislation that aims to ban transgender girls from competing with women’s sports teams in middle school, high school and college.
Baker represented North Carolina’s 82nd district in the General Assembly from 2020 to 2025. She was initially appointed to replace Rep. Linda Johnson after her death, then elected twice.
Before that, Baker, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum, was a doctor in Cabarrus County. She has previously served on the boards of directors of UNC Health and Carolina Alumni.
If nominated, Baker will sit on the board from May 21, 2026, until Jun. 30, 2027.
Stephen Curry launches scholarship at Davidson College
A new scholarship funded by NBA star Stephen Curry will send five to 10 talented students from low-income Bay Area communities to Davidson College on a full ride.
The scholarship covers tuition, housing, meals and more. The first group will head to Davidson in the fall of 2027.
“Davidson is where I learned what kind of person I want to be as much as I learned about basketball,” Curry said. “It means so much to me to help high-achieving students from the Oakland area, not just get a chance to go to college, but to learn, explore and grow as a human being like I was able to do.”
The scholarship is a partnership between Curry, College Track, and Oakland Unified School District.
Higher ed headlines from this week
- Why country star Eric Church’s commencement speech at UNC has gone viral by me
- Who is the man behind NC State’s surprise student debt cancellation? by me
- Duke graduates to lose access to ‘lifetime’ alumni email accounts by me
- UNC’s School of Civic Life is now an independent unit. What does that mean? by me
- Who will design Carolina North? UNC’s plans come into focus by me
- Top coronavirus researcher Ralph Baric will retire from UNC-Chapel Hill by me
- Will St. Augustine’s sell off land to survive? Who still works there? What to know by me
- St. Aug’s struggles to secure Raleigh campus amid bankruptcy. How it plans to try by me
Our college sports coverage
- Former NC State wrestling coach Bob Guzzo, who won 13 ACC titles, dies by Chip Alexander
- Duke softball advances to Super Regional. How the Blue Devils beat Arizona by Jadyn Watson-Fisher
- Inside Justin Gainey’s first 6 weeks as NC State men’s basketball coach by Jadyn Watson-Fisher
- Did Duke basketball just find its next star walk-on? Davidson Day grad hopes so by Langston Wertz Jr.
- Inside the trailblazing career of NC Central football coach Jennifer King by Jadyn Watson-Fisher
What I’m reading
- The Wall Street Journal published two articles about UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Civic Life and Leadership this week. One is an opinion piece about the success of the school, and another is a letter from a student about the backlash to the school on campus.
- How Conservatives Took Over the NEH by Matt Hartman at The Assembly and The Chronicle of Higher Education
- Funding cuts gutted the Duke Center for International Development. Now, its director is stepping down by Seyun Park at The Duke Chronicle
- Students reflect on free speech, antisemitism concerns after suspension, reinstatement of Duke SJP chapter by Sarah Diaz at The Duke Chronicle
Thank you for reading Higher Stakes. See you back here next week.
— Jane Winik Sartwell
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "UNC trustees block tenure for gender studies prof + GOP ex-lawmaker may join board."
