Interim BCC Director Harry Amana and his staff spent the majority of the time listing qualities they think the future director should have, including creativity, competence, approachability and accountability.
The meeting in South Building was run by Charles Daye, a professor of law and chairman of the search committee for the BCC director.
Sue Estroff, faculty chairwoman and a member of the provost-appointed committee, said the committee hopes to have a new director in place by June, although no definite deadline has been set. The meeting consisted largely of Daye and others on the committee asking questions of Amana and his staff.
Amana took over as acting director during the fall of 1999 when Gerald Horne stepped down to pursue studies in Hong Kong as a Fulbright Scholar. When it became clear in June 2000 that Horne would not return to the position, Amana became the interim director, and the search for a new director began.
Amana began by stating the BCC's purpose. "Basically our mission is to share black culture with the University and the ways which we do that are myriad," he said. "My emphasis (as director) has been on a couple of things: student leadership and community outreach."
Daye also offered his view on whether the candidate should be a UNC professor or an "outsider."
"If one has tenure, it might give them more 'stature' in the community," he said. "At the same time, it would detract from their administrative capabilities, especially with the new BCC building, because of their responsibility as a tenure professor."
Nadera Malika-Salaam, the programming coordinator for the BCC, voiced a different concern to take into account.
"It is very important for (the new director) to be able to work with their programmers and to suggest new programs on a somewhat regular basis," Malika-Salaam said.
