UNC provost candidate Scott Zeger 'a broadly based individual'

At first, Scott Zeger’s charts, graphs and scientific approach were a concern Monday for some humanities and arts professors.

But Zeger, who is one of three finalists for the position of executive vice chancellor and provost, tried to address their concerns during a public presentation in Wilson Library.

Zeger, a biostatistics professor who currently serves as the vice provost for research at Johns Hopkins University, said he has an interest in working with faculty to tailor a humanities education focused on helping students find employment.

He added that he values an education in the arts to foster creativity.

UNC is looking to fill the position held by Bernadette Gray-Little, who left to become the new chancellor of the University of Kansas in May.

The provost is the school’s top academic officer and No. 2 administrator.

The words “inspire” and “discovery” were a key part of Zeger’s discussion of his goals for leading a public university on Monday.

“I’m hoping to inspire students to lofty ambitions and to make a difference in the world,” he said.

He added that education is a noble cause.

“I loved being the person to bring a faculty member and student together,” he said of his work at Johns Hopkins. “There’s nothing better in the world than the feeling you get when the person you’ve been working with understands a new concept.”

Zeger also stressed that students should be rewarded for talent and hard work instead of social status.

“We should be a force for social equality and justice,” he said.

Along with sharing his ideological beliefs for higher education, Zeger presented some of his research projects, which include the Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project and an American air pollution study.

Joe Templeton, former chairman of the Faculty Council, said he was impressed with Zeger’s appeal to professors in the sciences and humanities.

“He’s clearly a broadly based individual with academic credibility and outstanding experience,” Templeton said.

Zeger said he wants to become a part of UNC’s administration because of its structure — more decentralized than Johns Hopkins — and for its high academic standards.

He said he would look to create a more equitable and just society as the provost.

Zeger also emphasized the importance of people, building an ethic among staff members and the value of listening.

“A university is only as good as the quality of its people,” he said.

While his presentation touched on his approach to research and running a school, it was not without humor.

“I couldn’t resist one cheap trick,” he said, as he clicked to his last slide, which read, “Beat Duke.”

Shelley Earp, chairman of the provost search committee, said he enjoyed both Zeger’s presentation and Anthony Monaco’s, who spoke Thursday.

“I’m very pleased with both their ability to express their scholarship regarding a transition to a job that’s a service to others,” he said.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.