U. North Carolina-Wilmington Eliminating Gender Studies Director Position

“wider restructuring effort”

Posted by Mike LaChance Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 11:00am 1 Comment

This is good news, but it’s just a tiny drop in a big bucket.

UNC Wilmington to eliminate gender studies director position

As part of a “wider restructuring effort,” the University of North Carolina Wilmington will eliminate the position of director for its Gender Studies and Research Center.

The center itself will cease to be an “independent” entity and become part of the university’s Interdisciplinary Studies “umbrella” as of July 1, according to a News & Observer report.

Dana Stachowiak, the center’s current director who uses the plural pronoun “they,” lamented the change, telling the Observer the “loss of independent leadership” will jeopardize many of the center’s programs, such as the “wildly successful” UPLfT: Unleashing Powerful Leaders for Tomorrow.

According to the Gender Studies and Research Center’s website, UPLfT “provides student participants with intensive leadership training, an affinity support group and unparalleled engagement with experienced leaders at UNCW and in the Wilmington area.”

It is “geared toward” students “who identify as women, non-binary and transgender.”

Stachowiak (pictured), whose expertise lies in the realm of “inclusive and equitable curriculum, social justice in education, trans/gender topics in education, and healing-centered engagement,” said “even if some programs continue to exist, they may not be able to operate at the same scope, consistency, or impact without a dedicated leader.”

Stachowiak added that transgender students and faculty “will lose a central advocate for scholarship, visibility, and institutional support” due to the restructuring.

According to Stachowiak, the university said it “couldn’t justify” having directors for both the Gender Studies and Research Center and Interdisciplinary Studies. “They” said “they” felt “locked out” of UNCW’s restructuring decisions.