Chancellor for students

The chancellor of this University represents a community of thousands — including faculty, staff and students. This position also requires interacting with town, regional and state leaders.

The candidate who is selected to replace Chancellor Holden Thorp after he steps down must be an able and passionate representative of all of these groups.

However, when the chancellor selection committee meets for the first time on Monday, members must remember those who are at the heart of the essential purpose of this institution of higher learning: the students.

Thorp’s successor will have a special responsibility to advocate for and protect the needs of this University’s students.

With so few student representatives on the committee — only two, in fact, including one student representing the entire body of about 18,000 undergraduates — all of the members of the committee should take special care to keep the student perspective at the forefront of their decision-making.

This should include actively seeking out the opinions and concerns of students and taking into account the perspectives of the two students participating in the committee.

The rally in support of Chancellor Thorp on Sept. 21 was a clear indication of a united student vision for what they value in a chancellor. Luckily, while there might exist variance when it comes to the details, this vision is largely shared by faculty and staff as well.

The needs of the whole University community are not — and should not — be in conflict with students’ needs.

As such, if the committee wishes to find the best chancellor for this University, it needs to find the best chancellor for the students.

An important factor to consider will be the candidates’ past experiences working with students. The ideal candidate would have a proven history of successful collaboration and relations with students.

Chancellor Thorp danced with students to Thriller in the Pit. While dancing skills are not requisite for a capable chancellor, the genuine passion for students that Thorp consistently displayed should be.

The stories shared at the rally by various members of the University community showed just how much that genuine interest matters. How can a person make the policy decisions that are best for the students if he or she does not know the students themselves?

Student leaders who came together to articulate their priorities for the next chancellor at the Carolina Vision meeting hosted by student government’s executive branch overwhelmingly cited the need to protect academic excellence and accessibility.

As the debate continues over how academics and athletics can coexist, the selection committee should choose a candidate who considers the aforementioned values the ultimate priorities.

What he or she considers to be the highest purpose of a university education is telling as well. The ideal candidate would appreciate the intrinsic value of education, rather than merely seeing the University as a factory for future workers.

The selection committee has a responsibility to listen to the student voice in choosing the next students’ primary advocate.