Chancellor Search Committee continues looking for a leader with second meeting

The search for UNC’s 12th chancellor continues. Members from the Chancellor Search Committee met at the Carolina Inn on Wednesday morning to discuss potential candidates and the progress of this confidential process.

Under the direction of Richard Stevens, chairperson of the Board of Trustees, the 20 members of the committee — including University faculty, staff, students, alumni and Board of Trustees members — have been providing input to keep the search process running smoothly.

Oct. 25 was the last day to apply for the position of chancellor. The search process is now at the point of screening potential candidates, and members of the committee are preparing to conduct interviews.

Advertisements were placed in numerous higher education publications to get the word out to possible candidates. Nominations have been made on campus, in the surrounding Chapel Hill community and around the country, Stevens said.

The committee discussed the comparison of specific individuals being considered for chancellor in the closed session of the meeting, and Stevens emphasized the strict confidentiality of this process. 

The committee organized open public forums on campus on Sep. 17 and Sep. 18, allowing students and staff members of the University to freely share what they are hoping to see in the next chancellor.

Gene Davis, vice chairperson of the Board of Trustees, said the committee attentively listened to all input, and each viewpoint from every stakeholder was represented and incorporated into the leadership profile statement.

“We have copious notes of each public forum and we took something from each comment that was made — every word from every person who spoke out in person or by email,” Davis said. “This is our starting point.”

Stevens said the feedback the committee received from the public forums will be useful for the University and other searches, as well. 

Based on the Chancellor Leadership Profile, the committee hopes the ideal candidate will be a good listener with strong interpersonal skills, have the ability to communicate authentic empathy and showcase emotional intelligence in their endeavors. 

“UNC-Chapel Hill’s next chancellor will have a clear understanding of the System’s strategic plan and the varied ways in which the University’s mission fits within that plan," the document said. "Moreover, the ideal candidate will be an authentic servant leader who is of the people and who truly enjoys spending time with students, faculty and staff, and who encourages each member of the University community to fulfill their destiny.”

As committee members are preparing to conduct interviews, Stevens said all members of the committee are required to complete the Equal Employment Opportunity bias training. 

Since some members of the committee have not yet completed it, he underscored the importance of the training, as it contributes to making the search process as fair and unbiased as possible. 

And those who have completed it in the past must renew it every three years, said Lynn Duffy, senior associate vice president for Leadership Development and Talent Acquisition, as well as the UNC-System Office liaison supporting the committee. 

After candidate screenings and interviews, the committee will make recommendations to the full Board of Trustees, which will vote on candidates to recommend to interim UNC-System President Bill Roper. 

Roper will then recommend a candidate to the UNC Board of Governors, which will elect the new chancellor.

“It has been a very thorough process,” Stevens said.

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