Bowles' role unique in search

Erskine Bowles is not a member of UNC's chancellor search committee. But long-standing ties to UNC-Chapel Hill could give the UNC-system president key influence in selecting the University's next chancellor. The chairman of UNC's search committee, University trustee Nelson Schwab, is a longtime friend of Bowles. The two cofounded Carousel Capital, a major investment firm based in Charlotte, in 1996. Schwab remains the managing director of Carousel, and Bowles continues to serve as a senior adviser to the firm. That puts the two in regular contact. "He's one of my closest friends," Bowles said of Schwab. "I've asked Nelson a few times how the search is going." And so far, Bowles said, he has been impressed with the candidates being considered. During an interview last week, he said the current list includes both internal and external candidates. "I think the search committee has been very receptive to what I said I would consider," Bowles said. As system president, Bowles has the power to interview and choose from three nominees chosen by the committee; he has said his involvement will not go beyond that role. "I shouldn't have any involvement in it until it comes to me," he said, describing his discussions with committee members as "cursory." But John Sanders, a professor emeritus in the School of Government who has been a close observer of past searches, said it is common for the president to remain involved from the early stages. "There has been, in the past, at least some communication between the search committee and the president as the search has been going on," Sanders said. "I would be astonished if there were not some discussions between them." In addition to his friendship with Schwab, Bowles has a lengthy personal history in Chapel Hill. He graduated from UNC in 1967 before earning his MBA at Columbia University. His father, Skipper Bowles, was a prominent fundraiser for the University, as well as a trustee. His service to UNC was so highly regarded that the South Campus road near the Smith Center is named for him. Whether that has heightened Bowles' interest in the chancellor search is difficult to gauge. "It's something he holds very close," said Jeff Davies, Bowles' chief of staff. Davies, like many UNC-system officials, said there is a palpable sense of excitement about the search. There is an almost universal expectation that the University's prestige will draw a top-notch applicant pool. "Can you imagine?" Davies said, smiling at the thought. "We're talking about the cream of the crop in higher education." Given those high expectations, Bowles could have the toughest job of anyone in the search process. It will be up to him to turn down two of the committee's three nominees. "I expect those three candidates will meet the criteria I set out, and if they do, I'll have a hard time picking the best among them." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.