Click to copy

N Carolina university head leaves after Confederacy tiff

January 31, 2019 GMT

1 of 3

The first and largest piece of the remnants of a Confederate statue known as "Silent Sam" is lifted before being transported to the bed of a truck early Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. The last remnants of the statue were removed at the request of UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt, who also announced her resignation in a move that increases pressure on the system's board of governors to give up on plans to restore the monument. (Julia Wall/The News & Observer via AP)

1 of 3

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The head of the country’s oldest public university is saying goodbye to the North Carolina campus she’s leaving after a tiff over a Confederate monument.

Carol Folt spent Thursday comparing herself to college seniors looking beyond graduation to life’s new chapter. She joked during her last trustees meeting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that she feels like she’s graduating early.

Folt planned to leave in May, but the state university governing board forced her out early because she unilaterally ordered the removal of the stone base that formerly featured the statue of a Confederate soldier. The metal soldier was torn down last summer by protesters who said the monument was a racist symbol.

News outlets report Folt said Thursday she’s “at peace” with her decision.