# How the University of North Carolina Tried to Avoid Trump’s Wrath

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-the-university-of-north-carolina-tried-to-avoid-trumps-wrath/
- Published: 2026-11-14T13:24:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T14:23:21+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Times (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/13/us/university-north-carolina-science-research-cuts-trump.html
- Topics: Health, Medicine, World

## Key points

- UNC used quiet negotiation to protect its research funding.
- Major projects were still cancelled or disrupted.
- Funding later recovered, but faculty trust weakened.

## Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tried to shield its research from the Trump administration’s funding cuts through quiet negotiation and conciliation. The approach helped preserve most of the university’s research funding, but major projects were still cancelled or disrupted, while faculty mistrust grew over whether leaders were adequately defending academic work.

Chancellor Lee Roberts and other officials sought to calm faculty and influence federal decisions rather than sue the government. Research on cancer, infectious diseases, heart failure and other areas was affected; some professors were advised to revise proposals to avoid topics the administration might object to, a suggestion one called “whitewashing”. National Institutes of Health funding fell early in the administration but later recovered to slightly above Biden-era levels, and the university secured new federal funding for priorities including artificial intelligence and quantum technology.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.