Chancellor search members have different hopes

The vision for UNC’s next chancellor will be conceived today.

Since Chancellor Holden Thorp announced Sept. 17 that he will resign in June, the University has gathered 21 people who will conduct the nine-month search for his replacement.

Today, the University’s chancellor search committee will meet for the first time to receive its official charge from UNC-system President Thomas Ross. In the meeting, Ross will introduce a list of priorities for the next chancellor and a set of ground rules for how the search will be run.

But members of the committee — which is made up of current and former trustees, faculty, staff, students and community members — will be bringing their own priorities to the table.

“I want to be open to the other people on the committee,” said Jackie Overton, chairwoman of the Employee Forum.

“But I have a vested interest in listening to my constituencies — which is almost 12,000 employees — on what they expect in the next chancellor and his relationship with his staff.”

Overton said she has been asking for feedback from her staff in order to gauge their priorities.

The main priority among the staff appears to be accessibility, Overton said.

She said staff members want a chancellor who is available to hear their concerns, much in the same way Thorp has been for the past five years.

Search committee member John McGowan, an English and comparative literature professor, said he wants to find a chancellor who will continue a tradition Thorp upheld: the importance of a liberal arts education.

“I think I am one of the few people on the committee who represents the humanities side of the equation,” he said.

“Very important to me will be looking for a chancellor who understands the centrality of the College of Arts and Sciences to the undergraduate experience.”

Michael Bertucci, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation and a member of the committee, said graduate students would like to see someone who already has a connection to UNC.

He said he hopes the University’s affordability and strong relationship with the state will not change as a result of the leadership transition.

“These are things that we would want the chancellor coming in to understand and love the University for,” he said.

“In the framework of the business of the University, (these priorities) may be a little bit more difficult to work with, but we want to maintain them because they make the University a little more special.”

McGowan said despite members’ differing priorities, he is confident they will be able to come together for the search.

“One of the reasons I don’t have any worries walking into the committee is that I know these people want what’s best for the University.”

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