At a public university, allowing public input should be a requirement in the hiring process, not a choice.
In a time of steep budget cuts, the University has chosen to keep secret the names of finalists for Vice Chancellor for Finance, UNC’s top-ranking finance position. This approach could not be applied at a worse time for a university facing steep budget cuts and sets a dangerous precedent for the future of searches at UNC.
Before making its choice, the University should unveil the names and hold public hearings for each finalist, just as it usually does.
When Dick Mann, the current vice chancellor for finance, announced in January that he would be retiring, the University expected his role to be one of the easiest to fill. But the search has been drawn out, and Mann has agreed to stay on until November. That deadline gives more than enough time to schedule open forums and give community members the chance to lend input.
As the chief financial officer of the University, the Vice Chancellor for Finance oversees the financial strength of the University and should be subject to public review. As a public institution, openness and transparency should be the norm, not the exception.
Chancellor Holden Thorp said the search committee opted to withhold the names because each of the candidates has a job. Disclosing their names, he said, would make them less likely to continue in the search process.
While it is important to create an attractive environment for applicants, UNC has an obligation to shed light on its hiring decisions. So long as taxpayers pay their salaries, candidates should be open to scrutiny.
Employment hasn’t gotten in the way of transparency in other searches. In the ongoing search for Dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the heads of three journalism programs were named publicly. None of them were ultimately selected.
If a candidate doesn’t wish to be publicly associated with the University, that should send a clear message about his or her willingness to take the job. Keeping the names confidential sends a troubling message to the University at a time when the positions of athletic director, associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs, and others have yet to be filled.
Secretive hiring — and the excuses for it — should never be acceptable at UNC.
