New USC President Carol Folt Faced Backlash as Leader of UNC for Supporting Removal of Confederate Statue

A Confederate statue, coined Silent Sam, is guarded by two layers of fence, chain and police on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Aug. 22, 2017. (Credit: Sara D. Davis / Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Mar 21, 2019 / 08:49 PM PDT

Updated: Mar 21, 2019 / 08:49 PM PDT

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The monument in the heart of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus was a landmark, honoring former students who fought for the slave-holding Confederacy.

But the Confederate statue became a lightning rod for Carol L. Folt, who led the university amid intense debate over the statue and was named Wednesday as the new president of USC.

Folt championed the removing of the statue from its central location on campus. The decision would play a role in her abrupt departure at the North Carolina college.

Now, Folt is returning to California. An environmental scientist, she received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UC Santa Barbara and a doctorate from UC Davis.

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