Chancellor Search Advisory Committee hold special meeting on July 17

On Wednesday, the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee hosted a special meeting in which they shared updates on the continued search for the University’s next chancellor. 

Most of the 13-member committee was in attendance, as well as UNC System President Peter Hans and UNC System Secretary Pearl Burris-Floyd. Additionally, Laurie Wilder, president of Parker Executive Search — the company that is helping UNC-CH with its search for the next chancellor — was in attendance. 

What’s new? 

• Cristy Page, chair of the committee, discussed the ongoing chancellor search and the interest that they have seen from a number of candidates. 
  • “I hope that all of you feel, as I do, just that reflection of pride truly for how strong our University is, the history of our University, where we are now and how it points for the future given the level of interest and engagement we have throughout this process so far,” Page said.  
  • She also said that she is thankful to the University’s community for the feedback that they have provided after the committee sent out a survey asking for ideas and priorities that they would want to see in the next chancellor. 
    • Page said that based on the feedback they received from these surveys, the UNC community that has spoken up about the search is looking for the same things as the committee — someone that is committed to the mission of the University. 
• Wilder gave a quick overview of where they are in the process and the next steps that Parker Executive Search will be taking. 
  • She said that the company has been aggressively in the market, recruiting candidates for a number of weeks and reaching out to hundreds of individuals to determine their interest in the position as well as solicit recommendations and nominations.
    • “These individuals range from presidents and chancellors of large public research universities to [Association of American Universities] to provosts. We’ve reached out to vice presidents of research, we’ve had deans, we’ve national academy members. We’ve had individuals with military and corporate backgrounds,” Wilder said. “So, we really took a really broad base approach of recruiting efforts.” 
    • Page said that the University is looking at candidates that are not only in academia, but in all different backgrounds. 
    • She noted that the one common theme in all of the conversations that they have had while recruiting is the idea that UNC is a special place. Many candidates discussed the quality of the student body and the research the University does, the ability for the institution to be innovative, the ravenous nature of alumni, the success that the University has had from a fundraising standpoint and the System as a whole. 
  • Wilder emphasized two different factors regarding the search process as they entered the market to look for more candidates, stating that this is currently a very competitive national market. 
    • First, she said that there are a number of institutions that are looking for chancellors and presidents. Because of this they are seeing a “war for talent” as institutions want to keep people that they feel are outstanding. 
    • Second, she said that confidentiality throughout this process is critical and has been a driver in conversation. 
      • “This is not a day and age where someone wants to risk their current relationships with faculty, staff, students, donors, their board. Confidentiality is critical,” Wilder said. “They love this institution, they love what we stand for, but they also have a day job.” 
  • Hans asked Wilder what the timeline for the search would look like based on the confidentiality and the competition that they are experiencing in their search process.
    • In response, Wilder said that process matters — the timing between when you identify a candidate and when you name them needs to be as fast as possible. However, she said that in the search process, the University has to have quality candidates and can’t rush the search.
    • Paige said the committee is trying to stick to the timeline where a new chancellor could be named by the end of the year. 
• Most of the meeting was held in closed session. It was reopened after approximately an hour and a half. Page spoke for a couple minutes before ending the meeting and opening up the floor to questions from reporters. 
  • Hans discussed how the search at UNC-CH has differed from the other UNC System schools that have recently appointed a chancellor or are in the process of currently looking for one. He said that the reason behind this could be the “moving pieces” at the University. 
  • Hans noted that chancellor terms are decreasing nationally, and the number of changes that the UNC System is seeing could be a delay from the pandemic. At UNC-CH specifically, the last three chancellors have not been in their terms for longer than six years. 
    • “It’s a tough job, I think that explains it,” he said. “But it’s also a wonderful job. And I think we saw that acknowledgement and recognition reflected in the quality and depth of the [candidate] pool.” 

What’s next? 

• The committee will meet again in August to share their progress.