The UNC-system Board of Governors bid goodbye to the system’s President Erskine Bowles at its last meeting of the year Friday.
After five years of guiding the university system through an economic crisis and budget cuts, Bowles will officially step down from his post Dec. 31.
President-elect Thomas Ross takes over Jan.1.
Both leaders have similar roots and political affiliations, but have different professional backgrounds. Bowles was grounded in business while Ross has experience in higher education and law, which could be instrumental in lobbying legislators this spring to prevent further budget cuts.
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Erskine Bowles Born and raised in Greensboro, N.C. |
Thomas Ross Born in Greensboro, N.C. |
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Education: graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1967 and from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in 1969 |
Education: graduated from Davidson College in 1972 and UNC-Chapel hill School of Law in 1975 |
| Professional career: Corporate finance associate at Morgan Stanley & Co., Chief Executive Officer and founder of Bowles Hollowell Connor & Co. |
Professional career: Executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Inc., Director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, N.C. Superior Court Judge, Davidson College |
| Political career: Deputy White House Chief of Staff and later Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton. Currently leading a bipartisan federal deficit commission. |
Political career: Chief of Staff to Democrat U.S. Rep. Robin Britt (1983-1984) |
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Salary as UNC-system President: $477,148 |
Expected salary as UNC-system President: $525,000 |
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Tuition policy: Established the Four Year Tuition plan for UNC-system schools in 2006 to make tuition predictable and affordable. Calls himself “a low-tuition guy.” |
Tution policy: Ross said in September he did not have a specific tuition agenda in mind yet. Tuition at Davidson College is more than $36,000 per year. |
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
