Chancellor Holden Thorp’s new right-hand man is going to be a lot like him.
In addition to wearing glasses, all four of the finalists for the position of executive vice chancellor and provost are white males with a science background.
All four have extensive experience in academics and administration, which qualifies them to be the chief academic officer.
But some say a diversity of viewpoints — including different racial, gender and academic backgrounds — could help UNC better manage budgets, create a new academic vision and recruit students.
The prevalence of candidates with science backgrounds could be the result of changing priorities within academics.
“It reflects the reality of the big research university,” said John McGowan, director of UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities. “Most of the research dollars come from the sciences, and the reality of financing issues is that these universities are depending more and more on this money.”
Thorp’s experience in these areas was cited as a reason for his selection as chancellor.
McGowan said there is a perception in the academic community that administrators must already have experience with finance and research. He said faculty members from arts and humanities fields are often seen as lacking these skills, regardless of whether it’s true.
The prevalence of science backgrounds in academic leadership could also limit the number of women and minorities, since arts and humanities fields typically draw more of these demographics than the sciences.
While 16 percent of UNC’s full-time faculty are minorities and 40 percent are women, the overwhelming majority of senior officials at UNC are white males.
Shelton Earp, chairman of the search committee, said the group struggled to get a significant numbers of women and minorities to apply for the provost position.
When the committee received few applications from these individuals, Earp said the committee reached out to potential applicants through personal correspondence but received little response.
“There are a limited number of people who are qualified for a position like this, and most of the people we talked to were quite happy in the positions they were in,” he said.
Members of the community said there are tangible benefits to having a diverse administration.
“There’s a lot of literature that shows that corporations with a diverse workforce are more successful,” said Donna Bickford, director of the Carolina Women’s Center. “That also holds true for academic institutions.”
Diverse backgrounds also create diverse skill sets, which could help Thorp in making major decisions — something the next provost will inevitably do.
“Holden doesn’t want a bunch of yes people,” Bickford said.
When former Chancellor James Moeser, whose academic background was in music, picked his first executive vice chancellor and provost in 1999, he said he looked for someone with skills that complemented his own. He ended up picking Robert Shelton, now the president of the University of Arizona, whose background was in physics.
Others fear that too much emphasis on the sciences could hinder the core of a liberal arts education.
“At UNC, we have maintained a strong liberal arts tradition, and we shouldn’t be complacent about that,” he said.
The four finalists will visit campus during the next month before Thorp makes his final decision.
Philip Hanlon
Jeffrey Vitter
Anthony Monaco
Scott Zeger
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
