Nikole Hannah-Jones Is Granted Tenure After Weekslong Dispute

The University of North Carolina’s board of trustees voted on Wednesday to grant tenure to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, ending a dispute that stretched on for more than a month.

Nine board members voted in favor of tenure for Ms. Hannah-Jones and four against during a special meeting on the campus in Chapel Hill, which some trustees attended via Zoom. The opening minutes were livestreamed on the university’s YouTube channel before the proceeding moved into a closed session.

Ms. Hannah-Jones, a correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, had accepted a position as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at the university’s Hussman School of Journalism and was expected to start July 1.

Her appointment drew a backlash from conservatives who took issue with her involvement in the 1619 Project, a multimedia series from The Times Magazine that re-examined the legacy of slavery in the United States. Ms. Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for her introductory essay.

The U.N.C. board had not held a vote on whether to give Ms. Hannah-Jones tenure during at least two meetings since her appointment last year, effectively denying tenure despite recommendations from the Hussman School dean and faculty, as well as the university’s provost and chancellor.

Previous Knight Chairs at the university received tenure. Ms. Hannah-Jones had been offered a five-year contract, with an opportunity for tenure review.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.