CHAPEL HILL – UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt told the school’s trustees Thursday that it’s important for the institution to make amends by fully acknowledging mistakes that led to athletic and academic scandals, mistakes that could have been avoided – and must be avoided in the future. “As one of a small number of leading national research universities that also has a highly competitive athletic program, what happens at Chapel Hill is of great interest both regionally and nationally,” Folt said. “We have to accept and do accept that scrutiny. We have to welcome it, and see it as a tremendous opportunity for us."

Folt, hired to replace Holden Thrope, is working with top school officials including  Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost James W. Dean Jr concerning what the school terms “making sure athletics is in proper alignment with the University’s academic mission.”  Dean Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham are co-chairing the Student-Athlete Academic Initiative working group, and strong initiatives are already under way in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Academic Support Program for Student Athletes.

"We also accept the fact that there was a failure in academic oversight for years that permitted this to continue," Folt said. "This too was wrong. And it has undermined our integrity and reputation. And it's created a very unhealthy atmosphere of distrust."

Even though there is no evidence that courses in the since-renamed African and Afro-American studies department were initiated to benefit student-athletes, nearly half of the students who took those courses were student-athletes, she said

 “Offering courses that were unsupervised was not reflective of the standards that we expect for our University,” Folt said. “All of those students who were involved in those courses deserved better