Shelton Expresses Opinions on Visit to UNC Campus

He has a stance on many of the crucial issues facing UNC -- but the one decision he is still trying to make is whether he wants to join the University community as its next provost.

Shelton was the sole candidate recommended by the Provost Search Committee, but still needs approval by Chancellor James Moeser, the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors.

And as Shelton sat in his room at the Carolina Inn after spending the weekend getting to know UNC, he said he knows his main roles if he takes the job will be to work effectively with Moeser, tackle financial issues and maintain a standard of excellence for the University.

When Moeser came to the University in April, he issued a challenge to UNC to become the best public university in the country in the next 10 years.

Shelton, who comes from the University of California system, home of UC-Berkeley, the public university currently ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report, said UNC should pursue this goal.

"I think it's a realistic goal and an important goal. The real question is, what does it mean to be the best?" he said. "To me, you're in the top group when you get the best faculty you recruit, the best staff you recruit and the best students you recruit."

Shelton said UNC has strong ties to the state and surrounding communities, enabling the University to find the support to maintain quality.

"(The goal of being number one is) realistic because of Carolina's history, the reputation it has and most of all, the support it has from the community," Shelton said. "The residents and citizens of California are very supportive, and I get the sense it is the same with Carolina."

To achieve these goals, Shelton said he will work closely with Moeser. The provost is second in command after chancellor and serves as the University's chief academic officer as well as executive vice chancellor. "From my perspective, I think we'd make a terrific team," he said.

He said Moeser impressed him as the two men attended the UNC-Georgia Tech football game and shared a series of meetings and meals. "Clearly, in a very short time, he has invested 100 percent in every part of Carolina. I think we'd be very compatible."

One of the main topics Moeser and Shelton would both have a hand in is determining tuition. Moeser told The Daily Tar Heel in April that he favored an increase in tuition as long as it was matched with financial aid and did not restrict access to the University.

Shelton says his philosophy is similar. "We have to maintain access -- we are a public institution. But we also have to maintain excellence, otherwise people will vote with their feet and go elsewhere."

He says student fees have been dramatically increased during his time in California and that it has happened without enough consideration for the impact on students.

"(Dramatic increases) violate a tacit agreement. You have to be reasonable -- you don't want to make huge unforeseen jumps in how much students have to pay."

Shelton says he wants to observe the repercussions of this year's tuition increase before advising any future increases.

He also stresses the importance of finding money from sources outside the students' pockets. He says along with salaries, a key element of retaining top-notch faculty is ensuring campus facilities are of the highest quality. "We must ensure that facilities, from art galleries to biochemistry labs, are state of the art," he said.

And he says the University's $3.1 billion bond package will play a crucial role in meeting financial needs. "The bond issue is clearly critical, another manifestation of how a public university must be supported by the community."

Along with facilities, Shelton says it is crucial to attract faculty by providing opportunities for both spouses. "This is increasingly important because energetic career-minded people are marrying energetic career-minded people."

This issue falls particularly close to home for Shelton -- his wife, Adrian, works in the University of California Office of Business Contracts, and he says one of the main objectives of their visit was for her to meet with UNC officials. Although he spent most of the weekend tackling tough issues and attending meetings, he says time to walk around the campus helped him feel at home here more than anything else. "I'm sure we've only scratched the surface, but it's a great surface to scratch."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.