North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 116. Higher Education § 116-350.30. Personnel

(a) Employment Authority.--The System may employ a workforce to conduct its operations.  Employees who are employed directly by the System, and not by a System affiliate, are State employees whose terms and conditions of employment, including benefit plans and programs, are determined by the Board.  Only Articles 5, 6, 7, and 14 of Chapter 126 of the General Statutes, the State Human Resources Act, apply to these State employees.  The Board of the System may authorize the System to employ the faculty and staff of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine as well as other health affairs schools and components of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill subject to the provisions of this subsection, provided that any employees who are faculty members shall remain subject to the faculty policies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as established or adopted pursuant to delegation from the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina.  A State employee employed by the System immediately prior to January 1, 2024, has the right to (i) continued State employment if the employee remains in the employee's current role or position, unless terminated in accordance with the terms of employment that existed immediately prior to January 1, 2024, subject to all relevant provisions of State and federal law and (ii) continued participation in the State Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System if the employee was enrolled in the Retirement System immediately prior to January 1, 2024, and maintains State employee status.

(b) Certain Career State Employees.--Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section, a State employee who achieved career State employee status by October 31, 1998, shall remain subject to the rules regarding discipline or discharge that were effective on October 31, 1998, and shall not be subject to the rules regarding discipline or discharge adopted after that date.