UNC Trustees Reject 1 Women’s Studies Hire Despite Faculty Approval
Updated
Updated · Inside Higher Ed · May 19
UNC Trustees Reject 1 Women’s Studies Hire Despite Faculty Approval
2 articles · Updated · Inside Higher Ed · May 19
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees voted down one unnamed tenure appointment at its May 13 meeting, a slot widely understood to be Kiran Asher’s distinguished professorship after her name was omitted from approved personnel actions.
Asher, now at UMass Amherst, said she followed a normal hiring process beginning in January 2025 and was told two weeks before the meeting that her appointment would go to the board.
The board approved five other outside hires and 27 promotions, but trustees did not explain the rejection; student body president Devin Duncan said he voted for Asher, while the university said it could not identify the denied candidate.
The vote fits a broader UNC pattern: trustees delayed or challenged tenure cases in 2025 and previously stalled Nikole Hannah-Jones’s appointment in 2021 before later approving it after backlash.
As UNC’s board rejects another professor, is a 'disturbing pattern' threatening the university's reputation?
When a university board overrules faculty hiring, who truly controls the future of education?
Without an official reason or appeal process, what does a tenure denial truly signify?
Unprecedented Tenure Denials at UNC: The Kiran Asher Rejection and Its Impact on Academic Freedom and University Reputation
Overview
The UNC Board of Trustees’ denial of tenure for Kiran Asher, who had applied after over a decade at UMass and was eager to return to North Carolina, stands out as a significant and unusual event in academia. Asher learned of the decision not through direct communication, but by noticing her name missing from the approved personnel list, highlighting a lack of transparency and a break from standard academic procedures. This unprecedented rejection has raised concerns about the Board’s increasing intervention in academic matters, the erosion of shared governance, and the potential impact on UNC’s reputation and ability to attract top faculty.