§ 116-37.1.  Center for public media.

(a) The Board of Governors is hereby authorized and directed to establish "the University of North Carolina Center for Public Media" (hereinafter called "the Center"). It shall be the functions of the Center, through itself or agencies with whom it may contract, to provide research, development, and production of noncommercial educational and informational media programming, and program materials and communications; to provide distribution of noncommercial media programming and information through the broadcast facilities licensed to the University of North Carolina and other available distribution platforms and otherwise to enhance the uses of television, media, and related technology for public purposes.

(b) The Center shall have a board of trustees, to be named "the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Center for Public Media" (hereinafter called "the Board of Trustees"). The Board of Governors is hereby authorized and directed to establish the Board of Trustees of the Center and to delegate to the Board of Trustees such powers and duties as the Board of Governors deems necessary or appropriate for the effective discharge of the functions of the Center; provided, that the Board of Governors shall not be deemed by the provisions of this section to have the authority to delegate any responsibility it may have as licensee of the broadcast facilities of the University of North Carolina.

(1) The Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Center for Public Media shall be composed of the following membership: 11 persons appointed by the Board of Governors; four persons appointed by the Governor; two members appointed by the General Assembly, one upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and one upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate in accordance with G.S. 120-121; and ex officio, the Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the President of the Community College System, and the President of the University of North Carolina. In making initial appointments to the Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors shall designate six persons for two-year terms and five persons for four-year terms, and the Governor shall designate two persons for two-year terms and two persons for four-year terms. The initial members appointed to the Board of Trustees by the General Assembly shall serve for terms expiring June 30, 1983, and notwithstanding anything else in this section, their successors shall be appointed in 1983 and biennially thereafter for two year terms. Thereafter, the term of office of appointed members of the Board of Trustees of the Center shall be four years. In making appointments to the Board of Trustees the appointing authorities shall consider promoting diversity among the membership, to the end that, in meeting the responsibilities delegated to it, the Board of Trustees will reflect and be responsive to the diverse needs, interests, and concerns of the citizens of North Carolina.

(2) No person shall be appointed to the Board of Trustees who is an employee of the State or of any constituent institution; a public officer of the State as defined in G.S. 147-1, 147-2, and 147-3(c); a member of the Board of Governors; a trustee of a constituent institution; or the spouse of any of the foregoing. Any appointed member of the Board of Trustees who after appointment becomes any of the foregoing shall be deemed to have resigned from the Board of Trustees.

(3) Each ex officio member of the Board of Trustees shall personally serve on the Board of Trustees but may designate in writing a proxy for specified meetings which the ex officio member finds he or she is unable reasonably to attend.

(4) Each appointive member of the Board of Trustees shall personally serve on the Board of Trustees without benefit of proxy. Any appointive member who fails, for any reason other than ill health or service in the interest of the State or the nation, to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Board of Trustees, shall be deemed to have resigned from the Board of Trustees.

(5) Vacancies in appointments made by the General Assembly shall be filled in accordance with G.S. 120-122. Other vacancies occurring during a term among the appointive membership of the Board of Trustees shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by appointment of the original appointing authority for the vacant seat. The principal officer of the Board of Trustees shall promptly notify the Secretary of the University of North Carolina of the vacancy and the Secretary shall give written notice of the vacancy to the appropriate appointing authority.

(c) The chief administrative officer of the Center shall be a Director, who shall be elected by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the President and who shall be responsible to the President. The Center shall have such other staff as the Board of Governors may authorize. (1979, c. 649, s. 1; 1981 (Reg. Sess., 1982), c. 1191, ss. 54, 55; 1987, c. 564, s. 33; 1995, c. 490, s. 61; 1997-443, s. 11A.118(a); 2015-241, s. 14.30(x); 2019-139, s. 2.1(b).)