UNC board's top leaders oppose ACC expansion

By Brian Murphy, WRAL

On the eve of a potential expansion vote by ACC presidents, the leaders of UNC-Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees announced their board's opposition to adding western schools to the league.

In an email sent late Thursday by the chair and vice chair of the board, David L. Boliek Jr., Chair and John P. Preyer said "a strong majority" of the board is opposed and that the potential additions of Cal, Stanford and SMU do not solve the league's economic issues.

“The strong majority of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees opposes the proposed expansion of the Atlantic Coast Conference to include Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Southern Methodist University," the email said.

"Although we respect the academic excellence and the athletic programs of those institutions, the travel distances for routine in-conference competitive play are too great for this arrangement to make sense for our student athletes, coaches, alumni and fans. Furthermore, the economics of this newly imagined transcontinental conference do not sufficiently address the income disparity ACC members face. Without ironclad assurances that the proposed expansion serves the interest of UNC-Chapel Hill, we believe it should be voted down.”

Boliek said the statement is the result of one-on-one conversations with members.

The Board of Trustees has 13 members.

"Each board of trustees shall serve as an advisor to the Board of Governors on matters pertaining to its institution and shall also serve as advisor to the Chancellor concerning the management and development of the institution," according to its website.

UNC-Chapel Hill is part of the UNC System, which is governed by a 24-member Board of Governors. Peter Hans is the president of the UNC System. ACC member NC State is also a member of the UNC System.

The ACC presidents are set to meet Friday, according to multiple reports. The meeting was pushed back from earlier in the week due to a deadly shooting on the UNC campus. UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is the voting member for UNC.

North Carolina, NC State, Clemson and Florida State were reportedly opposed to adding the schools previously. The ACC requires 12 votes out of 15 schools, including Notre Dame, in order to approve expansion.

Cal, Stanford and SMU are willing to take less than a full share of television media rights payments from the ACC, according to multiple reports. That money could then be used to give more to current members or to fund an success incentive program recently agreed to by schools. The ACC has fallen well behind the SEC and Big Ten in revenue, though it ranks ahead of the Big 12 and the Pac-12, which is losing eight of its 12 members after the 2023-24 season.

North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance told WRAL last week that he was opposed to adding the Northern California schools.