Here's how the former UNC-System President Tom Ross and current UNC-System President Margaret Spellings compare:
Compiled by Caroline Metzler and Kelsey Macon
Stances on Higher Ed Issues
Background
Professional Career
Comparison of System Presidents
Goals
Graphic by Meggie Cruser and Callie Williams
Salary
Tom Ross and Margaret Spellings
Political Ties
Professional Roles
Tom Ross
Home
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C.
Education: Davidson College, B.A. Political Science (1972)
UNC School of Law,J.D. with honors (1975)
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Education: University of Houston, B.A. Political Science
Margaret Spellings
Founded Margaret Spellings and Company, an educational consulting firm based in Washington, DC.
Director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the courts
Senior Advisor at U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group
Executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a group that gives monetary grants to nonprofits, from 2001 to 2007
President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
President of the George W. Bush Presidential Center
President of Davidson College from 2007 to 2010
Assistant professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Law
N.C. Superior Court judge in Guilford County from 1983 to 1999
President of the UNC System position from Jan. 1, 2011 to Jan. 3, 2016
Board chair of the Ceannate Corporation, a student loan collection agency
Served on the UNCG Board of Visitors
Former chairman on the UNC Greensboro Board of Trustees
Roles on Professional Boards and Organizations
Served on the board of directors of the Apollo Education Group, the parent company for the University of Phoenix.
Expected: $775,000/year
Last year of presidency: $600,000
Emphasized the need for increased financial aid following tuition hikes
Believed in keeping Elizabeth City State University open despite low enrollment and financial issues
Raised the N.C. tuition system-wide by 8.8 percent in 2012 following budget cuts
Committed to make the UNC system more military friendly
Pushed for college affordability, accessibility, and accountability
Wants to close the achievement gap among students
Stances on Issues Facing Higher Education
Spearheaded increase college degree attainment in North Carolina and maximize financial efficiency
Director for George W. Bush’s gubernatorial campaign (1994)
U.S. Secretary of Education during Bush's second term (2005-2009)
Democrat
Bush’s senior advisor during his time as governor (1995-2000)
Bush’s domestic policy advisor for Bush's first presidential term (2001-2005)
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation gives some grants to liberal causes such as social justice and the environment
Unite the Board of Governors, currently majority Republican
Work with the legislature for successful budget
Goals Coming Into Office
Combating economic and budget instability
Promote good relations with students and faculty
Reconstructing the UNC System’s efficiency due to 2011 budget cuts that cut 15.6 percent into the budget
Comparison of UNC-System Presidents
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C.
Education: Davidson College, B.A. Political Science (1972)
UNC School of Law,J.D. with honors (1975)
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Education: University of Houston, B.A. Political Science
