About the Office of Federal Affairs
The Office of Federal Affairs is the lead representative of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill charged with coordinating and expanding the University’s relationships with the federal government.
The Office serves as a liaison between the University and the North Carolina congressional delegation; assists faculty and campus leaders with identifying opportunities and securing federal research support; and strengthens the University’s visibility and contributions to national policy by representing the institution in interactions with federal agency personnel, colleagues from peer institutions, and coalitions of university advocates.
The Office of Federal Affairs provides the following services to the UNC-Chapel Hill community.
- Advancing federal funding for campus priority research
- Increasing Carolina’s visibility in the nation’s capital
- Formulating and conveying the university’s positions on issues of national importance
- Furthering communications and relationships with members of Congress, their staffs, and representatives of federal agencies
- Managing the university’s federal advisory committee nomination process
UNC’s Office of Federal Affairs hosted a campus visit for congressional staff to learn about transportation research at UNC-Chapel Hill (October 2019). Staff visited with multiple faculty and student researchers, as well as NC Department of Transportation officials, and learned about how UNC is a leader in multiple areas of transportation research.
Leaders from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care were joined by Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr to dedicate the new UNC Horizons Program center in downtown Carrboro.
The University of North Carolina Policy Manual (300.1.7): Regulation on Contacts with Covered Federal Government Officials
(4) Contact by University Employees with Covered Federal Government Officials
Prior approval from the Chancellor or his/her designee is required before any campus employee may initiate contact with covered federal government officials on behalf of the University. The Chancellor may delegate this responsibility to the Federal Relations Officer. The following scenarios specifically require advance approval by the Chancellor or the Federal Relations Officer:
- Appearances on behalf of the University before federal bodies, including testimony before Congressional Committees or participation in meetings with White House personnel. Note: When University employees appear before such bodies as representatives of other agencies, such as professional societies, it is requested that they notify the campus Federal Relations Officer prior to the appearance
- Any request on behalf of the University to a covered federal government official, particularly requests for Congressionally-directed funding, support of grant proposals or nominations to federal advisory councils.
- The delivery of materials, University publications, and periodicals to covered federal government officials.
- Any verbal or written statement made on behalf of the University that concerns federal policies, legislation or regulations.
- Invitations to covered federal government officials to visit campus in an official capacity. Note: The visit should be coordinated by the FRO.
- Responses to requests for information, reports, and statistics from covered federal government officials and their staffs, including responses to inquiries from investigative congressional committees.
- Participation in press events with covered federal government officials intended to promote federal policy or funding priorities.
- Any planned University event to honor a covered federal government official including but not limited to, the naming of a building or endowed chair, conferral of an honorary degree, or hosting of a meeting, retreat, conference or other similar event in the name of the official.