Could have spent the afternoon watching the train wreck that is UNC football. Decided to protect my peace and enjoy some bluegrass instead

UNC reinstates suspended professor, finding ‘no basis’ he pushed political violence. “No basis to conclude” Dwayne Dixon “poses a threat to University students, staff, and faculty” or engaged in conduct violating policy. (Via @koriedean.bsky.social) newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #nced #ncpol

New in depth story from me today. Hundreds of thousands of people spent their careers in public service in North Carolina, and like current state employees, a late state budget affects them, too. #ncpol #ncga www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

New: UNC has paid nearly $1 million for PR support since last year, with some work focused on the university’s reputation. The firm found stakeholders believed “Carolina has lost its ‘Way.’” With @shelbyswanson.bsky.social & @jwatsonfisher.bsky.social: www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

NC State University sues Monsanto, manufacturer of PCBs, over Poe Hall contamination. NC State alleges Monsanto marketed PCB mixtures to the building industry as being safe despite knowing they were toxic. (Via @koriedean.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #nced

UNC has placed a professor on administrative leave while it investigates his alleged ties to an anti-fascist group. He says he hasn't been part of the group since 2018. The group says it disbanded in 2019. Details from @koriedean.bsky.social.

In case anyone is in the market there is a Harris Teeter Harry the Happy Dragon coin ride for sale on Facebook marketplace

Latest update to former UNC Provost Chris Clemens’ lawsuit against the Board of Trustees: board Chair Malcolm Turner is out with a statement calling the complaint a “baseless assault”

NEW: Former UNC Provost Chris Clemens sued the Board of Trustees in part for using Signal to discuss university business with auto-delete on. Two sources say Clemens himself has done the same — though it's unclear if he or another user turned on the setting. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

The suit accuses the board of “systematically hiding matters of grave public concern behind closed doors.”

breaking news from unc: former provost chris clemens is suing the university for open meetings and public records violations during their discussion about delaying tenure votes www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

Enrollment is up at all UNC System schools, except one that ‘took a hit’ from Helene. UNC System enrollment set a record with 256,438 students this semsster. All UNC schools increased enrollment except UNC Asheville. (Via @koriedean.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #nced

Some colleges are backtracking on institutional neutrality in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, and Clemson University has suggested its professors do not have the full protection of the First Amendment when mocking or celebrating his death. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

New: Tuition in the UNC System could go up next year for the first time in nearly a decade, with campuses allowed to propose increases of up to 3%. But not everyone will pay more due to the state's fixed tuition mandate for current students. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

📧 In today's Under the Dome newsletter: Our state is no stranger to high-profile litigation, and consequential cases over governmental power, gerrymandering and voting rights continue to play out at the state and federal level.

Nature is healing

While FL broke the news about a new six-state accreditor, 800+ pages of public records & other docs show the UNC System was at the center of the project for more than a year. My last scoop with @theassemblync.bsky.social (co-published with @chronicle.com) www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

NEW: ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers announced this morning that the university will cut $25 million from its budget over the next three years, citing enrollment trends and the looming demographic cliff as key factors www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

JUST IN: A federal judge gave Harvard University a landmark victory in its fight against the Trump administration, siding with the Ivy League school in its effort to restore more than $2 billion in federal funding for research frozen by the White House. https://cnn.it/4nhK5va

This @shelbyswanson.bsky.social preview of UNC’s biggest-ever gamble on football — which kicks off tomorrow in primetime — is just chock-full of great reporting and quotes. “It’s either he’s gon’ be Beli-check or Beli-choke.” www.newsobserver.com/sports/colle...

The mural was not a class project or assignment, but was created by students in an “Art as Social Action” course last spring.

This year’s contribution to @newsobserver.com’s annual tailgate potluck party 🏈 (it was a popular option, clearly)

With higher education facing a difficult environment under the Trump Administration, it's been a boon for one group -- lobbyists. @koriedean.bsky.social reports. (This is a gift link.)

My latest, which includes interviews with UNC and Duke’s in-house federal lobbyists about this moment for higher ed and how they’re continuing to advocate for their campuses (and spending lots of money to do it):

📍 marked safe from an outing to the Village District Harris Teeter on NC State FDOC

NC colleges have nearly 25,000 international students, with an economic impact of more than $900 million. But how might that be affected by the Trump administration’s changes in policies and visa procedures? @koriedean.bsky.social and @sophiabailly.bsky.social take a look.

Every day I read social media captions, some by brands and businesses that I love, that are so clearly written by AI and a little piece of me dies inside each and every time

The Trump Admin didn’t give specifics when it threatened to pull Duke Health’s federal funding over alleged racism. But a complaint filed against the university by an anti-DEI group earlier this year might have more details. my latest for @newsobserver.com www.newsobserver.com/news/local/a...

Touching some grass this week. I hope you all get the chance to do the same this summer ☀️

Exclusive: Democrat Roy Cooper, who served two terms as North Carolina governor, makes his candidacy official in what’s expected to be a highly watched and expensive race.

Duke announced today that nearly 600 employees took voluntary buyouts under a program initiated amid threats to the university’s funding by the Trump administration. Now, the university will make involuntary layoffs in August: www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

NEW from @newsobserver.com: UNC-Chapel Hill will pay the family of professor Zijie Yan a $750,000 settlement in a wrongful death claim against the university. Yan was killed in his office during the 2023 campus shooting. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/c...

In the wake of historic rains and floods brought on by Tropical Depression Chantal, many in the Orange County community are in need of help or looking for ways to help. Here’s a list of flood relief and response efforts:

St. Augustine’s loses final appeal to regain accreditation, but plans to file lawsuit. St Aug's will hold fall semester classes virtually as it continues fight after losing appeal over loss of accreditation. (Via @koriedean.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #nced

Today's @newsobserver.com Dean's List newsletter has more details about the UNC System's plan to create a new accreditor — including the $4 million that NC might be expected to contribute to the effort: www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

The State University System of Florida’s Board of Governors moved forward with plans to start a new accreditor. But the board had questions about how it will work.

UNC Asheville takes stricter stance on housing for transgender students. UNCA now requires trans students request their sex be changed in the university’s records, along with documentation supporting that change. (Via @koriedean.bsky.social) www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e... #nced #ncpol

Today's Reliable Sources lead: How misinfo can create false hope With an unfortunate new example out of the Texas flood zone: cnn.it/4lMl4rf

The N.C. Department of Transportation says the road may be closed until Wednesday.

Several typical local government services in Orange County are delayed or closed entirely on Monday, July 7, following flash flooding and storm damage from Tropical Depression Chantal. Here's a list of closures and delays:

Gov. Josh Stein vetoed SB 558, the bill targeting DEI in the state's universities and community colleges. Many of the bill's provisions already exist in practice under the UNC System's DEI repeal from last year. More from @kyleingram.bsky.social: www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

Seen on Franklin Street today, exactly two months out from the Tar Heels’ first game:

🧵 ICYMI Here’s News & Observer coverage of Thom Tillis’ announcement that he will leave the Senate at the end of his term. He has represented North Carolina in Washington for a decade, and has clashed with President Trump as recently as Saturday. #ncpol www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

Work the weekend shift, they said. It will be fun, they said

Wow: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/u...

At a time when college accreditation is a hot-button issue, UNC is joining Florida, Texas, Georgia, SC and Tennessee to form their own accrediting agency. Story from @koriedean.bsky.social.

BREAKING: The UNC System is partnering with Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee to create a new accreditor for the states' public universities. It will be known as the Commission for Public Higher Education. Story TK @newsobserver.com

Thanks I hate it

North Carolina’s public universities must keep their total administrative employee headcounts and total, permanent salary spending at April levels. www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

NEW: The UNC System is implementing a "personnel cap" amid federal funding changes and anticipated "meaningful reductions" in the state budget. Story to come on this memo from President Peter Hans to chancellors yesterday: