The UNC Board of Trustees held its first set of meetings this week since classes resumed in Chapel Hill, bringing the governing body of the university together to the Rizzo Conference Center complex. The group’s agenda ranged from new and advancing development projects, external affairs updates and critiques, data on UNC’s enrollment growth amid a renewed push for more students, and much more.
Here are some highlights from the meetings, as well as Roberts’ comments to local media after Thursday’s open session.
UNC Charts Enrollment Growth So Far, While Trustees Advocate for Significantly More In-State Students
UNC announced on Wednesday its plans to welcome its largest incoming student class ever: 6,325 new students, including 5,319 first-year students and 1,006 transfer students. It will be the second consecutive year of setting a new high mark and comes as the university works to add at least 5,000 more students to its enrollment base by 2034. James Orr, UNC’s Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Student Success, presented to the board during Wednesday’s committee meetings to chart possible scenarios for reaching that benchmark — as well as exceeding it and shooting for 10,000 new students.
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The university is still in the early stages of how to best prepare or adjust its capacity to handle 5,000 more students to its population. Facing significant deferred maintenance on academic and residence halls, UNC also is just developing its plan for building out the Carolina North project that aims to add 2,200 undergraduate beds and additional graduate student housing. Dining services and several capital projects are also on the to-do list. But the administration and trustees remain bullish on what can be accomplished by adding more and more undergrads.
In particular, the Board of Trustees remains focused on providing more chances for North Carolina high schoolers to be admitted to and attend UNC. The group passed a resolution on Thursday, which was penned by Trustee Jim Blaine, urging the chancellor and his staff to increase enrollment of North Carolinians in fall 2027 to “between 4,750 and 5,000” students while setting benchmarks to enroll approximately 5% of the state’s high school graduates by 2030. If achieved, it would be nearly 2,000 more in-state students enrolled than the current first-year class.
A slide deck from Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Student Success James Orr’s presentation to the Board of Trustees, showing the enrollment growth at UNC in recent years. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill.)
How does growing the student body benefit the university? More students means more funding from tuition. Vice Chancellor of Finance and Operations Nate Knuffman also shared a look at tuition and fee guidance issued by the UNC System and primed the board for further discussion in November. After raising in-state tuition to $9,351 (up roughly 3%, or $211 from 2025-26) and out of state to $49,593 (up roughly 10%, or nearly $12,000) in 2025, the board may seek similar increases to keep closing the gap between Carolina’s costs and their peer top 5 public universities.
Most of the Board of Trustees signaled their support to remain aggressive in raising the tuition rates, both to raise more capital and adjust to the market rate of other top schools. UNC Student Body President and junior Devin Duncan chimed in to provide an out-of-state student perspective, though, citing how year-over-year increases to tuition create some sticker shock and make it tricky to financially plan.
“We need to catch up to what our peers are charging — my concern is that it just that it flows through [to students] immediately,” said Duncan, who is a Morehead-Cain scholar from Ohio. “It would be wonderful for someone to just float the idea of a tuition lock for your four years. That way you know what you know what you’re paying versus finding out [year-by-year]…I think if we had a tuition lock, my stance on aggressively raising tuition would change. Because then you know when you come into the institution, this is what you’re required to pay.
“Especially as we compare ourselves to peers, where are we at in the student experience that we provide here versus what our peers are providing,” Duncan asked, bringing the discussion back to the campus’ current infrastructure deficits. “Our buildings have a lot of deferred maintenance, our union, our campus recreation center, our libraries. Also, we’re charging more…but outside of our academics, are our students getting what they deserve for the additional money that they’re paying? I think we’ve got to have a little bit of finer glass to determine if that is the case — especially as compared to some of the [schools] we’re putting ourselves up against as we aggressively hike tuition.”
‘How Is This At All Acceptable?’: Trustees Vent Over Need for Capital Project Funding
Part of that infrastructure need was discussed in the presentation from Knuffman about the six-year capital improvement plan due to the UNC System. Every two years, each system school submits their top six priority projects and the system office uses it as the “primary tool” for allocating funding, according to the vice chancellor. This year, the university is planning on listing a replacement for Wilson Hall Annex, expansion for the Lineberger Cancer Center, expansion and renovation of the Morehead Planetarium, building out Carolina North’s infrastructure, and Phase 1 of Wilson Library renovations as its main priorities.
But the topic of conversation shifted from what the priorities are to how to best advocate for funding. Since 2011, Knuffman said, UNC-Chapel Hill is third in the list in receiving system funding for minor renovation, major renovation and larger named projects. The discretionary aspects of allocation, which are the latter two project types, see Carolina lagging significantly behind N.C. State and East Carolina. Similarly, out of the $200 million available in the UNC System’s repair pool for the 17 system schools, the flagship campus’ share in the last two years is $21.6 million — third behind Charlotte ($61.8 million) and N.C. State ($42 million).
The combination of slides drew immediate criticism from trustees — like Jennifer Lloyd, who pointed to how each member of the board is either appointed by the legislature or UNC System.
“There’s no excuse for this,” she said. “Our leadership has been on the Board of Governors. How are we allowing this to happen? We have so many people on this board who are close to members [on], or served on, the Board of Governors. How is this at all acceptable?”
Blaine responded by sharing his belief that the discretionary aspects are a “measure of political influence.” The first-term trustee — who was previously the chief of staff for outgoing North Carolina Senate Leader and Rockingham County Republican Phil Berger — later shared a story to display how Republican leaders in the General Assembly influence the allocations. He referenced UNC law professor Gene Nichol’s activism through protests in Raleigh and opinion columns published in the News & Observer that are critical of Republican leadership, saying they are used as fodder for prioritizing other campuses.
“We are fools if we do not think that [Nichol’s] exercise of his First Amendment rights does not end up representing to the legislature what they think every single person on this campus believes about them,” Blaine said. “The consequences of the actions of the people that represent this university take are real. That’s just the simplest example of our challenges — but I think it illustrates very well [how] another university goes and says, ‘Why do you want to give Chapel Hill money? They’re a bunch of people who hate you… Why would you support them?’ Every other institution in the system makes a relative political argument and it’s persuasive to them.”
Other trustees suggested the university’s financial reserves and success fundraising may hurt its capital project requests. Marty Kotis, who served on the Board of Governors, shared this perspective and said he believes the trustees and university staff needs to do a better job of making the “case for Carolina” in terms of the school’s value to the state. Trustee Patrick Ballentine, who served ten years as a North Carolina senator, also weighed in and said during his time in the legislature, it was easy to be skeptical of putting significant state funding toward new university buildings. But for addressing decades worth of deferred maintenance, he said, there’s “no excuse” for not receiving those funds.
“We really need to stay on top of repairs and renovations,” Ballentine concluded. “Oxford and Cambridge are old too. So, let’s take care of what we have, let’s be pragmatic — but let’s be aggressive on those asks. Because that has to happen. We can’t have these buildings fall into disrepair.”
Trustees Advance Spending Authority, Approve Design of Development Projects
During the board’s Budget, Finance and Infrastructure Committee, trustees heard from the both the Finance and Operations and Facilities Services teams on several key projects in the development pipeline. The group approved advanced spending authority on an addition to the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Stadium Drive, which will be used as the home for the university’s Visitors Center and UNC Undergraduate Admissions Office. The new construction, which would be for the south end of the building, would reorient the main entrances to the building to be directly off Stadium Drive and Rams Head Parking Deck — and the project would include renovation to the existing Alumni building and Carolina Club. The project’s initial authority request is for $5.5 million, which was granted, and is expected to be fully funded by the Alumni Foundation and philanthropy efforts.
A presentation slide showing the concept design and legend for a potential addition to UNC’s George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Stadium Drive, as shared with the Board of Trustees on Sept. 23, 2026. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill.)
Several other projects garnered brief discussion or were included on the consent agenda. A potential addition to the Lineberger Cancer center earned $1.25 million in more spending authority to hire a construction manager to determine where that could be located near the hospital campus. A request to explore renovating the first floor of the Student Stores building to be where third-party food vendors are located instead of Lenoir Hall was also approved, alongside potential pedestrian improvements to Bynum Circle and renovation to the former Environmental Protection Agency building at 104 Mason Farm Road.
The board also signed off a design for the renovation and reimaging of The Pit — a central gathering spot on campus, which needs significant drainage replacement. The 1960s-era campus feature needs to be torn up to replace its old terracotta drainage pipes for safety reasons. And since that would constitute the removal of the two oak trees growing in The Pit, UNC Landscape Architect Daniel Widis said it presents the opportunity to design a new setup for the space. He presenting renderings that would turn the recessed brick area into a single plane, with a mix of permanent and move-able furniture and significantly more trees. While the design approval is a big step, Widis said the university is still determine the best way to phase construction and determine the scope of the project, which will be disruptive to pedestrian traffic.
Newmark Fields Questions of University Investigation Into Football Program
The UNC football team is off from playing a game this weekend, as they enjoy their final bye in the regular season schedule. But they are still in the news thanks to the internal investigation that wrapped up one week ago — as the university’s leaders shed more light on the conduct review and their next steps on Thursday.
Carolina Athletics Director Steve Newmark joined Roberts after the Board of Trustees meeting to address the gathered local media. And while neither the investigation or the resignations of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi were discussed in open sessions by the trustees, the pair fielded questions around its scope and how its results may impact head coach Bill Belichick’s role.
Both men reiterated their support for Belichick, while saying they thought the investigation was “appropriate” based on the allegations made. Newmark said the change in leadership for football – which saw former general manager Michael Lombardi and former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick each resign – was the important first step. And now, his department is going to have a better system of monitoring compliance to rules going forward.
“We’re also in the process of implementing a corrective action plan that has training, monitoring, and reinforcement of our policies,” Newmark said. “That would be overseen by myself and the athletic department and the Office of University Council. Coach Belichick is in complete alignment and will work hand-in-hand to make sure that we continue to create a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment.”
The Board of Trustees committee meetings from Wednesday can be watched on UNC’s YouTube channel, as can Thursday’s full board meeting.
Featured photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.
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