CHAPEL HILL — It’s been one year since former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings took her seat as president of the University of North Carolina system.

Over that time, Spellings has dealt with controversial student and faculty protests. She’s also been entangled in the legal battles involving the state and federal governments over facility provisions for transgender students and concerns regarding the Trump administration’s immigration policies and their effect on international students.

UNC also has developed a strategic plan to accommodate an economy in which many students worry more about income than about college acceptance letters.

Spellings spoke with Carolina Journal on March 1 about campus free speech, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and plans for a second tour of all 16 UNC campuses, among other things.

Look for our full interview with President Spellings in the April print edition of Carolina Journal. Here’s a preview:

CJ: What kinds of changes should be made to improve campus free speech across the UNC system? Will legislative action benefit the universities, or should campuses continue to form free speech policies individually?

American higher education prides itself on being a place where free speech reigns. And I think you can tell that walking around any campus. … I don’t hear a lot about [free speech] as a big problem on campuses. I think maybe there’s a perception more in the political and policy arena … than in the reality. But I know that our institutions are places of full and free-flow of ideas, diverse points of view, and many many other speakers representing all of that.

CJ: What do you think about safe spaces and free speech zones, or of places where students may have to apply to hold an event, or have to abide by a certain standard of how close they are allowed to a building, etc.?

Well, we have some of that. I mean, obviously it is appropriate to [put safety first]. We are charged, if you will, in caring for an environment that is productive for learning all over the place. So sure, there are a lot of organizational and logistical issues around that. But the main idea, obviously, is that we promote, and believe in, and support, and want to be very open to any and all free speech.

CJ: What type of action would you like to see the Trump administration take to help North Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities?

I am very encouraged that the Trump administration has embraced our HBCUs, because they’re a critical asset for the United States, and in particular here in North Carolina, where we have five HBCUs. And if we really believe — as I know we do — that we need more people, especially first-generation poor and minority students, accessing and completing higher education, the HBCUs are often the most attractive for those students. So the fact that the administration is making that a priority, is talking about investing in them, about elevating their work, I’m really thrilled about that.

I’ve talked with [Education Secretary Betsy] DeVos about a variety of things, and I am looking forward to meeting with her in a few weeks — and certainly, HBCUs are one of the things on my list.

CJ: You’re headed out on a second tour of the UNC campuses. What will you focus on this time around?

I’ve been to most of the universities more than once, but I’ve decided to get out there again. I find it energizing and inspiring, and really a lot of fun. And I encourage my fellow North Carolinians to make themselves frequent users of the University of North Carolina.  

I love to meet with students. I love to hear from them about what’s on their heart. What are they struggling with? What are they proud of? What advice do they have for us? I was just [visiting] earlier this week with students who are thinking about colleges and what barriers they have to overcome, whether it’s applying for financial aid, or immigration status, or various other issues that they struggle with. So it’s fun to get out and meet our users, meet our students, meet our customers … and I’m looking forward to doing that.