EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The essence of a University is defined by its intellectual life. For a variety of reasons, the current intellectual climate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill needs improvement if we are to maintain our excellence as a public university. Towards this broad end, the Chancellor's Task Force on Intellectual Climate created a dialogue with the university community about the future of our university. We asked faculty, staff, and students what kind of intellectual life is suitable for a university of the 21st century, and how can we generate it?

Our report answers this question with a vision of a better educational experience at UNC for the 21st century and a plan for implementing it. Three key elements characterize this vision: the educational experience should be student-centered with an emphasis on learning how to learn; intellectual exchange should be woven seamlessly into the fabric of everyday life; and education should be linked to life outside the University.

Unfortunately, moving towards these goals is hindered by problems of coordination and commitment. Many coordination problems can be solved by institutional reforms that facilitate better communication and collective activity. Coordination problems aside, people might not pursue our ideal of a shared intellectual life because they lack the commitment. But commitments can be encouraged by reshaping the reward system or cultural ethos for both faculty and students. Thus implementing our vision will require basic changes in the institutional structure of the university, and the cultures of students and faculty alike. Though no set of recommendations can magically transform institutions and cultures to produce immediately a vibrant intellectual community, we believe that over time the cumulative effect of our recommendations can and will transform the university, making us the model public university for the 21st century.

To improve intellectual life at UNC-CH, we have recommended many changes in six, related domains. To set priorities among them, we have divided our recommendations into three broad categories - transforming students, faculty and the university - and set priorities within each category. We recommend strongly that University pursue recommendations simultaneously in each of these areas, and that it begin by implementing the recommendations of highest priority in each category and continue until the plan for change is fully executed.

Change will fail if students are not involved. The best way to alter student commitments is to engage students in an intellectual life when they first step on campus. This can be accomplished through the institution of a first year socialization experience, proposed here as a pilot program: the The First Year Initiative. This is the single most important recommendation in our report. Improving the college advising and departmental advising systems is a necessary complement to any first year experience. Of somewhat lower priority than the First Year Initiative and advising reforms are three equally important proposals for institutional innovations that will transform student culture by expanding and coordinating opportunities for: mentored, research-oriented, learning experiences; connecting in-class and out-of-class activities; and service and community based learning. Specifically, we recommend the creation of an Office for Undergraduate Research, a Central Clearing House to coordinate activities and a "Committee for Intellectual Life" to work with the Clearing House staff, and a Center for Public Service.

Change will fail without the students, but it will never begin without the commitment of the faculty. Accordingly, the second most important recommendation in our study is the proposed change in the faculty reward structure which is intended to reshape faculty culture and motivations. Specifically, faculty change can be instigated by employing individual teaching portfolios, departmental teaching portfolios, altering the evaluation of research, improving rewards for service learning experiences, and for research excellence. Of lower priority, faculty change can also be facilitated by improving access to information about active learning methods, encouraging interdisciplinary research, and establishing an Intellectual Climate Fund to give faculty opportunities to develop their own ideas.

Finally, change depends on transforming the University as both an institution and a place. To transform the university as an institution, we make our third most important recommendation: the establishment of the UNC Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars (ADTS). The ADTS will be an institutional vehicle for the continuous appraisal of the educational enterprise at UNC, while simultaneously providing a means of recognizing outstanding teaching scholars. The culture and commitments of administrators must also evolve if institutional change is to occur. Therefore, we recommend orientation sessions for Deans and Chairs. Finally, to transform the university as a place, the classroom and common spaces of the university must be altered so as to improve the opportunities for intellectual exchanges. Here, recognition of the importance of the creation and maintenance of interaction space by university leaders, those involved in the design and planning of public facilities, and the faculty is a priority.

If this plan for transforming intellectual life at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is to be a success, all members of the university community must assume some responsibility for change. Active leadership must come from the Chancellor and the Provost. Deans will have a central effect for they have the authority to pursue many of the initiatives that we are recommending. The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, in particular, will play an especially critical role in implementing our recommendations. Chairs and unit heads will also play a key role for they stand at the intersect between individual faculty and the university administration; they communicate the institution's expectations to faculty members. The cooperation of individual faculty members is also crucial for they must embrace this opportunity to redefine their roles. Finally, and most critically, the participation and cooperation of students is essential if this plan is to succeed. Together, we can reshape the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and make it the leader among public universities.