Megan Pugh was the Dean of Students at UNC Asheville from 2022 until June 2025, when her employment ended following a secretly recorded video that sparked national attention. This article covers her background, her work at UNCA, and the controversy that surrounded her departure — drawing only from verified public sources.
If you’ve searched for Megan Pugh UNCA, you’re likely trying to understand one of the more widely covered higher education stories of 2025. Pugh served as the Dean of Students at the University of North Carolina Asheville for nearly three years — a role that put her at the center of student life on campus. Then, in early June 2025, a secretly recorded video changed everything.
Here’s what the public record tells us.
Who Is Megan Pugh at UNCA?
Megan Pugh held the position of Dean of Students at UNC Asheville starting in July 2022. Before that role, she served as the Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the same institution.
In her earlier work at UNCA, Pugh received the Mighty Oak Resilience Staff Award for demonstrated resilience, recognized for her persistence and dedication in supporting and advocating for BIPOC students, faculty, and staff.
Students who knew her described her in consistent terms. According to one recent UNCA graduate, Pugh “served as a voice” and “someone that stood for them in every room.” Another student said she was a reliable support system: “I don’t think I would have made it to graduation if it weren’t for her.”
Megan Pugh’s Role and Responsibilities at UNC Asheville
As Dean of Students, Pugh occupied one of the more visible administrative positions on any university campus. The role typically involves overseeing student affairs, managing student conduct, supporting student organizations, and serving as a bridge between the student body and university leadership.
Students who interacted with Pugh described her as kind, compassionate, dedicated, and generous — someone they encountered from freshman orientation through to graduation, with an open-door policy that made her accessible across the campus community.
She explained at one point that because UNC Asheville no longer had a standalone DEI office, DEI-related work had become distributed across numerous programs throughout the university — a structural shift she was navigating within the constraints of UNC System policy.
The Hidden Camera Video and What Followed
In early June 2025, Accuracy in Media — a decades-old conservative organization known in recent years for its activities targeting public school officials and campus administrators — published a secretly recorded video featuring Pugh.
In the video, an unidentified interviewer speaks with Pugh on DEI-related subjects. When the cameraperson states, “I’m so glad that you guys are still doing equity work,” Pugh responds, “We probably still do anyway, but, you know, gotta keep it quiet… But, I love breaking rules.”
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors had voted 22–2 in May 2024 to eliminate its DEI program across all 16 campuses, replacing it with a policy called “Equality Within the University of North Carolina.” All DEI offices and related positions within the UNC System were either removed or adjusted by September 2024.
UNC Asheville responded swiftly. The university confirmed that “following a prompt review of the matter, the individual is no longer employed by the university.” A university spokesperson declined to say whether Pugh was fired or resigned, citing a policy against commenting on personnel matters.
In an email to faculty and staff, Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said the video “was secretly recorded by an individual who misrepresented their identity to gain access to University offices.”
How the Campus Responded
The response on campus was sharp and immediate. A student-created petition calling for Pugh’s reinstatement gathered signatures, with one student writing that Pugh had been “instrumental to my success and the success of the students here at UNCA.”
Students who had recently graduated said the university administration’s reaction was fast and, in their view, disproportionate. Several spoke on record about how Pugh had been a champion for marginalized students throughout her tenure.
The broader climate at UNCA added context to the reaction. In 2023, the university removed banners supporting LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter and also removed a Black Lives Matter mural on the main road through campus. Last year, it eliminated four liberal arts programs. For many students, Pugh’s departure felt like part of a larger pattern.
The Accuracy in Media Investigation: What to Know
Accuracy in Media recorded Pugh apparently without her knowledge, and she did not know she was being recorded. The Chancellor’s email to staff acknowledged that the recording was covert and that the individual involved “misrepresented their identity.”
The same organization published a similar video targeting a UNC Charlotte administrator the same day, which also resulted in that person’s firing.
The ethics of secret recording in journalistic and activist contexts remain contested. Standard practice at legitimate media organizations requires reporters to identify themselves and their organization when working on a story — and to state the general purpose of that story. Accuracy in Media’s approach has drawn both strong support from conservative commentators and sharp criticism from journalists and civil liberties advocates.
Why People Are Searching for Megan Pugh UNCA
The story attracted national coverage across a wide range of outlets, from local Asheville news to ABC affiliates and Fox News. Several factors explain the sustained search interest:
- Pugh’s departure raised questions about the limits of private conversation in professional settings
- It placed a spotlight on how universities are navigating the post-DEI policy landscape in the UNC System
- Students and alumni with personal connections to Pugh sought information about what had happened
- The story became part of a broader national conversation about conservative media organizations targeting university administrators
The fact that Pugh had a visible, student-facing role — and that many former students credited her directly with their academic success — made her dismissal feel personal to a significant portion of the UNCA community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Megan Pugh at UNCA? Megan Pugh was the Dean of Students at UNC Asheville from July 2022 until June 2025. Before that, she directed the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the same institution. She was known on campus for her accessible, student-centered approach.
Why did Megan Pugh leave UNCA? Her employment ended shortly after Accuracy in Media published a secretly recorded video in which she appeared to express continued support for DEI practices despite those policies having been banned by the UNC Board of Governors. The university confirmed she was no longer employed following a review, without specifying whether she resigned or was terminated.
Was Megan Pugh fired? The university declined to confirm whether she was fired or resigned, citing its personnel policy. What is confirmed is that she is no longer employed at UNC Asheville as of June 2025.
Was the recording of Megan Pugh legal? North Carolina is a one-party consent state for recordings, which generally means that as long as one participant in a conversation consents to being recorded, the recording may be legal. However, the university’s chancellor stated that the person who recorded Pugh “misrepresented their identity to gain access” to university offices, which raises separate ethical and potentially legal questions.
Where can I find official information about Megan Pugh’s time at UNCA? The Asheville Watchdog, WLOS News 13, and ABC11 have published thorough reporting on the matter based on direct sources and university statements. UNCA’s official website previously listed her under Academic Affairs staff, though that listing had been updated by the time most outlets reported the story.
A Broader Moment in Higher Education
Whatever one’s view of the underlying policy debate, the Megan Pugh UNCA story captures something real about the current pressures on university administrators across the country. The tension between institutional compliance and personal conviction is not new in higher education, but the tools now available to surface private expressions of that tension have changed significantly.
For students, alumni, and observers of higher education, Pugh’s case is likely to remain a reference point in discussions about DEI policy enforcement, the limits of undercover journalism, and what it means to advocate for students in an environment where the rules keep shifting.
If you’re researching this topic further, the Asheville Watchdog’s coverage offers some of the most detailed and locally grounded reporting available. UNCA’s official communications page also provides institutional statements as the university has released them.
