RALEIGH, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper on Tuesday announced a series of public forums hosted by the Governor’s Commission on the Governance of Public Universities in North Carolina at which members of the commission will seek ideas and suggestions on how to enhance and refresh the governance structure of our public universities.

“North Carolina’s public universities are the best in the country, but we know their leadership does not reflect the demographic and political diversity of our state,” said Cooper. “These Forums will provide a critical opportunity for the voices of the people to be heard about how we can improve higher education for generations to come.”

There will be six Public Forums held on the dates and times at the following locations listed below. Members of the Commission will be present at each Forum but full Commission membership will not be at each event. Detailed information for each location and a virtual option will also be made available prior to the meeting date on the Commission website.

The bipartisan Commission created by Governor Cooper is charged with evaluating the current governance structure of the University of North Carolina System and of each constituent institution and making recommendations to the Office of the Governor on how to enhance existing governance, by recommending 1) who should appoint the members of the Board of Governors and the members of each Board of Trustees; 2) how to ensure that the composition of the Board of Governors and each Board of Trustees reflects the regional, ethnic, racial, gender, political, and economic diversity of the state; and 3) a proposed set of principles and responsibilities that should apply to members of the Board of Governors and members of each Board of Trustees.

Individuals interested in attending one of the Forums and speaking should contact Minda Watkins at minda.watkins@nc.gov at least two days prior to the Forum. Not all individuals are guaranteed an opportunity to speak, and priority will be given to those that sign up by the deadline. Each speaker will be given 2-3 minutes and speakers are encouraged to bring comments in written form so commissioners have the opportunity to review all comments.

The purpose of the Forums is to hear ideas and suggestions on how to enhance existing governance within the NC public university system, as stated in the Executive Order. The Forums are not an opportunity to air grievances or discuss past failures and efforts to speak to such matters will be out of order and not addressed.

For more information, visit the Commission website.