Statements Regarding the Conclusion of the School of Civic Life and Leadership Review

Media are welcome to utilize the below statements on the conclusion of the School of Civic Life and Leadership independent review.

The following statements are available below:

• Statement from UNC General Counsel Paul Newton.
• Statement from UNC Chancellor Lee H. Roberts.
• Statement from UNC Board of Trustees.
• Statement from Dean and Director of the School of Civic Life and Leadership Jed Atkins.

Statement from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill following the conclusion of the School of Civic Life and Leadership independent review. Please attribute to UNC General Counsel Paul Newton:

During the summer of 2025, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Office of University Counsel selected the global law firm, K&L Gates LLP, as outside counsel to conduct a legally privileged review of allegations and concerns related to SCiLL.

The University's objective in selecting K&L Gates was to ensure an independent and impartial review of all relevant issues. Professor Michael J. Gerhardt of Carolina's School of Law and the incoming Chair of the University faculty served as an expert to assist the reviewers in appropriately evaluating factual events alleged to have taken place within the relevant contexts of University policies, governance procedures, and the larger campus community.

K&L Gates met with anyone who expressed a desire to share a perspective - positive or negative - about SCiLL, often meeting with individuals multiple times. During the more than seven-month process, the Review Team collected and assessed the relevant facts and information. The Review Team interviewed dozens of individuals, reviewed hundreds of thousands of documents, and fully assessed each of the concerns that were brought to their attention by the University and all individuals who participated in the process. Put simply, the review was lengthy, detailed, and exhaustive. The care
taken underscores the University's resolute commitment to taking all campus concerns seriously and to optimally positioning SCiLL for decades of success.

The review has concluded, and the University has unwavering confidence in the comprehensiveness, integrity and objectivity of that review. The University is committed to taking all steps appropriate to ensure that any necessary corrective actions are taken.

Among the issues under review were a series of allegations that implicate sensitive and confidential personnel information that is protected by state law and University policy. In accordance with applicable law and policy, the University does not plan to offer any further public statements about the details of the Review.

The University understands that SCiLL has undergone both external and internal challenges. SCiLL will continue to make improvements under Dean Atkins, and the University will stand alongside, confident in its future and its mission to strengthen civic knowledge, civil dialogue, and principled leadership. We are proud of Dean Atkins's commitment and leadership. We remain fully confident in the continued strength and success of SCiLL under his stewardship.

In 20 months, SCiLL has added over 20 outstanding faculty, successfully launched a civil discourse residential community in partnership with Carolina Housing and the Morehead-Cain Foundation's Global Fellows Program, and exported its signature civil discourse class to 35 colleges and universities across the state and country. This academic year SCiLL's faculty have taught nearly 1,000 students. Thanks to a generous grant from the US Department of Education, SCiLL is launching a summer civics institute for high school educators and students as well as a public fellows program. It is also developing robust graduate education programs, including a planned Master's program in military leadership for active-duty officers and a doctorate program designed to prepare future civic educators. Moreover, SCiLL recently received a $10 million grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities, and SCiLL continues to welcome new faculty members to its ranks.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, we believe the future for SCiLL is bright, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who has and will contribute to SCiLL's success.

Statement from Chancellor Lee H. Roberts following the conclusion of the School of Civic Life and Leadership independent review:

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is defined by its commitment to integrity, due process, and responsible governance. For that reason, when questions were raised regarding the School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL), we acted deliberately to ensure they were reviewed independently, thoroughly, and objectively.

I am grateful for the leadership of General Counsel Paul Newton for his commitment to independence, fairness, and legal integrity to make sure that this review was conducted at the highest professional standard.

With his guidance, the global law firm K&L Gates conducted a comprehensive review to examine all concerns within the appropriate context of University policy, governance, and standards. Upon his recommendation, Professor Michael Gerhardt of our School of Law, and incoming Chair of the Faculty, served as an expert resource to assist the review team.

The scope and rigor of this process reflect the seriousness with which we take our responsibility to the Carolina community and our commitment to SCiLL and its mission.

Launching a new school at a leading public research university is an ambitious undertaking under any circumstances. Doing so amid scrutiny and intense public attention requires resilience, focus, and resolve. Dean Jed Atkins has demonstrated that resolve. He has continued to build SCiLL's academic foundation, recruit faculty, and advance meaningful programs including the development of new graduate offerings and the securing of a $10 million grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

SCiLL was created to strengthen civic knowledge, civil discourse, and principled leadership - values that are essential to a thriving democracy and central to Carolina's public mission. The School will continue to evolve and improve, and the University will stand alongside it with confidence in its future.

Statement from the Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill following the conclusion of the School of Civic Life and Leadership independent review:

The UNC Board of Trustees reaffirms its confidence in the independence and rigor of the external review conducted by K&L Gates and in the University's established governance and oversight processes. The Board appreciates the careful work undertaken to examine concerns raised regarding the School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL).

The Board expresses its strong confidence in the leadership of SCiLL's founding dean, Jed Atkins, whose stewardship has helped establish the school as one of the most promising and distinctive new initiatives in civic education at a major public university.

The Board also reaffirms its strong support for the School of Civic Life and Leadership. The decision to establish and accelerate the development of SCiLL reflected the Board's belief that civic education, intellectual diversity, and serious engagement with the ideas and institutions of American democracy are central to the mission of a great public university.

Under Dean Atkins' leadership, SCiLL is emerging as a program of national significance, dedicated to advancing civic literacy, promoting free inquiry, and encouraging thoughtful dialogue across political and intellectual differences.

Preparing students for principled participation in civic life has long been part of the University of North Carolina's historic mission of educating citizens for service to the state and the nation. The Board looks forward to supporting Dean Atkins and the continued growth of the School of Civic Life and Leadership.

Statement from Dean Jed Atkins following the conclusion of the School of Civic Life and Leadership independent review:

I am grateful to the University for being committed enough to the School of Civic Life and Leadership's success to commission a careful and independent examination of the relevant facts and policies by K&L Gates in consultation with Professor Michael Gerhardt. The completion of this process provides clarity. I am thankful for the care with which it was undertaken and for the University's commitment to due process and institutional integrity.

I am honored to have been entrusted with leading the School in fulfilling its mission: to educate students with the knowledge, judgment, and habits necessary to lead wisely, deliberate across differences, and live with purpose in our pluralistic American democracy. Institutional change is never easy, but I could not be prouder of SCiLL's faculty and staff, who have come together in deep commitment to our shared work.

I am especially grateful for the partnership of Associate Deans Kavita Hall and Dan DiSalvo, whose leadership has been marked by courage and integrity. I am also encouraged by our partners across campus. These faculty and leaders, who embody Carolina's longstanding commitment to excellence, have given invaluable support to our academic mission of strengthening civic education at Carolina.

Our sense of purpose will shape the education of students for generations to come - students whose learning, character, and leadership will enrich our state, nation, and world.