UNC won’t release results of its months-long investigation into School of Civic Life
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC won’t release K&L Gates probe findings, citing privilege and harm risk.
- Investigation cost $1.2 million; UNC says it may take corrective actions.
- No inaugural faculty remain, yet UNC highlights SCiLL’s growth and $10M NEH grant.
UNC-Chapel Hill will not release the results of its investigation into its School of Civic Life and Leadership, the university says. The investigation into the two-year-old school cost $1.2 million, according to UNC.
The school, commonly referred to as SCiLL, is controversial for two main reasons: its leadership’s conservative values and the infighting and allegations that have caused massive turnover in its faculty ranks. The latter is what led Jed Atkins, inaugural dean of SCiLL, to request UNC conduct a third-party investigation.
UNC obliged, and hired the law firm K&L Gates to conduct interviews with concerned parties over the course of seven months. Incoming faculty chair Michael Gerhardt served as an expert advisor to K&L.
The school characterized the investigation as “lengthy, detailed, and exhaustive,” but won’t release the firm’s findings — saying that would run the risk of harming or embarrassing subjects and sources in the investigation. The university said it considered releasing the report, but ultimately decided not to in order to protect the people who shared their perspectives with K&L. Leaders also cited attorney-client privilege and the preservation of the university’s culture as central reasons for the lack of transparency.
UNC did say, however, that while the university is committed to taking any necessary corrective actions, the investigation left leadership “fully confident in the continued strength and success of SCiLL under [Atkins’] leadership.”
When SCiLL was dreamt up by conservative UNC faculty and leadership, it was intended to be a refuge for intellectual diversity at what they saw as a liberal institution.
But quickly, bureaucratic and personnel issues began to plague the school. None of the inaugural faculty from 2024 are still working at SCiLL. The associate dean David Decosimo was suddenly fired in the fall. SCiLL defectors have been loud about what former SCiLL advisory board member Jon Williams called an “unmitigated disaster.”
“Reform must be built on merit, courage, & principle, not nepotism, ideology, & secret handshakes,” Decosimo wrote on X in September 2025 after his firing. “Demanding loyalty oaths & unquestioning docility while selecting for personal connections & membership in certain networks is even worse.”
While Atkins is at the center of much of the accusations and drama surrounding SCiLL, he said in a statement that he remains positive about the school’s mission: “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,” Atkins wrote.
In a January faculty council meeting, Gerhardt said the report is more than 400 pages. The law firm reviewed more than 200,000 documents and conducted more than 50 interviews with dozens of current and former faculty and leadership, but no students.
In its statement about the conclusion of the investigation, UNC lists some of SCiLL’s successes:
- Added more than 20 faculty and taught nearly 1,000 students.
- Started what it calls a civil discourse residential community.
- Exported its signature civil discourse class to 35 other colleges and universities.
- Launching a summer civics institute for high school teachers and students and a public fellows program using US Department of Education funding.
- Currently developing a master’s-degree program in military leadership for active-duty officers and a Ph.D. program for civics educators.
- Received $10 million from the National Endowment of the Humanities.
Chancellor Lee Roberts also released a statement on the investigation.
“Launching a new school at a leading public research university is an ambitious undertaking under any circumstances,” Roberts wrote. “Doing so amid scrutiny and intense public attention requires resilience, focus, and resolve. Dean Jed Atkins has demonstrated that resolve.”
“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,” Roberts added. “The School will continue to evolve and improve, and the University will stand alongside it with confidence in its future.”
UNC did not use any state money to fund the investigation, according to university spokesperson Kevin Best, but rather funds from its endowment.
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 12:07 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated Jon Williams’ affiliation with SCiLL.
