Smith, Jay

UNC Service

In the history department I have chaired: Undergraduate Studies, the Speaker's Committee, the Prize Committee. I was also Associate Department Chair twice. At the College level I have been Associate Dean for undergraduate curricula and co-chaired the Academic Compliance Subcommittee for SACS Reaccreditation Review in 2006. At the university level, I chaired the Committee on Interdisciplinary Initiatives, served on Faculty Council, served on the Educational Policy Committee, and spearheaded a review of the Honor System in 2011. I currently serve as Vice-President of the Chapel Hill chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Candidate Statement

I have observed the FAC for years and I understand its charge. I am a student of the history of college athletics and teach a course on the subject. I wrote a book on the UNC scandal. My commitment to robust faculty governance and my expertise as a historian would inform my work on FAC. I would push for greater transparency in both the admissions office and the athletic department, securing for faculty the knowledge they need to exercise their oversight powers effectively. I would also advocate for the athletes. The big-time "system" not only hides from faculty the data reflecting our athletes' experiences but also deprives athletes of a whole panoply of rights--to privacy, free expression, effective medical care, and much more. I will use my voice on the FAC to urge UNC to be a national leader on this new civil rights frontier.