Chancellor Search Committee
October 12, 2008 — 3:00 pm
The meeting was called to order at 3:05 pm by Nelson Schwab, committee chair.
Members present:- Nelson Schwab
- Karol Mason
- Roger Perry
- Lauren Anderson
- Kenneth Broun
- Lisa Carey
- Bruce Carney
- Eve Carson
- Russell (Rusty) Carter
- Dwight (Davy) Davidson
- John Ellison
- Julia Grumbles
- James Johnson
- Willard (Mike) Overlock
- Ernie Patterson
- Donald Stalling
- Joseph Templeton
- Willis Whichard
- Anna Wu
- William Harrison
- Geoffrey Sayre-McCord
- Thanked committee members, stressing importance of the work they will be doing.
- Goal is to get the best candidates possible, recommend them to our Board, who in turn will recommend them to President Bowles.
- Need to take on this job with considerable seriousness.
- The process will be an open and inclusive one; will conform to and embrace all laws governing the process.
- During the process we want to represent the University community the best we can. Asked members to introduce themselves.
Linda Naylor called the roll.
Mr. Schwab introduced President Erskine Bowles.
Mr. Bowles’ charge to the committee:- Acknowledged that new chancellor will have big shoes to full. Chancellor Moeser demanded a high quality, diverse student body, and he has done a remarkable job in recruiting and retaining a great faculty. On-going construction and the increased endowment funds are evidence of his leadership. We own him a tremendous amount.
- This is the single most important job anyone on the committee will ever undertake for our University. Nothing positive happens without great leadership and we have to find another great leader. That will be the committee’s job.
- The guide in this effort will be the NC general statutes, the Code of the University, and the open meetings law.
- The committee is diverse and representative of the University as a whole – students, faculty, alumni, trustee, and representatives of the community.
- Some advice:
- Committee must speak through one voice. There must be a sole spokesman for this group; suggest that be the search committee chair. If not, there will be great misinformation out in the market place.
- The resources will be available to conduct the search, but remember this is a public university, so use those resources wisely.
- The committee will want to achieve a working consensus on all major aspects of the search. Can’t hold too many public forums. Input from students, faculty, alumni, and community necessary. People love this university, and “by God, they own it.” “They are depending upon us to bring a strong leader to this university, and they want some input into what they believe are the qualifications that he or she will have.” Public hearings are critically important to whatever decisions the committee makes.
- Strongly encourage committee to maintain confidentially during this process. Committee members must feel confident that they can speak candidly.
- Asked committee to bring him three, unranked, finalists.
- Will be looking for the following qualifications:
- A leader. Someone who will demand that we make the university better. Nothing great happens without great leadership.
- Someone who is a strong administrator. This is a multi-faceted operation and we need someone who knows how to manage.
- Someone who shares his passion for this university, North Carolina, and the fact that this is a public university, the University of the People.
- People skills are critical in this job. There are more constituents here than place he has been. Everyone in favor of coordination – no one wants to be coordinated! The chancellor of this university must have strong people skills.
- Someone who values and appreciates the liberal arts. We need someone with strong creative thinking skills, problem solving skills, analytic skills, political reasoning skills, team building skills, and communication skills. Those skills come from the liberal arts and liberal arts are the basis of this university.
- Someone with a strong commitment to undergraduate education, who understands our critical research mission, and desires to grow it and grow it significantly. Particularly in the areas of basic research.
- Someone who understand the UNC-Chapel Hill statewide mission. It is important to understand how critically important this institution is to the entire state.
- Someone who understand that while Chapel Hill is the flagship, “you can’t have a flagship without a fleet.” Someone who will be a good partner to him and someone who appreciates and values the greater university system and Chapel Hill’s important role within it. Someone who will want to work with our sister institutions.
- Someone who will work with community leaders in Chapel Hill and Orange County.
- Someone who appreciates inter-collegiate athletics and its place at Carolina.
- And lastly, someone who is a proven fund raiser. It is outside fundraising that gives us the margin of excellence here at Chapel Hill. If the committee does that, he will pick among the three recommended candidates a great chancellor for his alma mater.
- Mr. Overlock asked who will be the single source to receive questions that may be asked of committee members. Mr. Schwab indicated that person should be either himself or Linda Naylor.
Mr. Schwab introduced Ann Lemmon, from the Office of the President, to speak on the open meeting law and the necessity of confidentiality. A copy of the document she distributed is attached.
Ms. Lemmon:- The process defined by the code of the University system and requires a body of students, faculty, and staff to make a recommendation to the president who takes his recommendation to the Board of Governors.
- Governed by the Open Meeting law of NC.
- Questions for Ms. Lemmon:
- Are individual notes considered confidential? Your notes are considered confidential information because they are part of the selection process. I would caution everyone to keep information in a confidential setting.
- Is it your preference that we destroy out notes, or turn them over to you? Mr. Schwab answered that notes should be turned into Linda.
- Will mail we receive be marked “confidential?” Yes. Anything that has to do with a candidate should be marked “confidential.”
- Mr. Schwab: We’re dealing with human beings and their careers and it is very important to maintain confidentiality.
Mr. Schwab thanked Ms. Lemmon. He then went on to discuss future meeting dates and other items of interest to the committee.
On Tuesday, October 16, the committee will meet with representatives from three consulting firms, and then, by the end of the meeting, select the firm to work with the committee. Mr. Michael Kennedy, acting as a consultant to the committee, has developed materials that will help the committee with the selection process. Those materials will be emailed to committee members today.
The October 16 meeting will begin at 1:00 pm at the McLean Building at the Rizzo Center. Specific questions to be asked of each presenter will be provided. Committee members will also be free to ask additional questions.
Meeting are also scheduled on October 26 and October 30 and will be open forums. Anyone who cares to attend is welcome. The following schedule has been adopted to accommodate the various constituencies with whom the committee wishes to meet:- Oct. 26. 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dogwood Room at the William and Ida Friday Continuing Education Center. Parking will be available at the Friday Center. The following times have been designated.
- 1 p.m.UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors and General Alumni Association.
- 1:30 p.m. Officers of the University’s affiliated foundations.
- 2 p.m. UNC-Chapel Hill alumni.
- 2:30 p.m. Local elected officials and local residents.
- 3 p.m. Members of the general public.
- Oct. 30. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Chancellor’s Ballroom at the Carolina Inn. The Carolina Inn is convenient from major campus routes served by Chapel Hill Transit. The following times have been designated:
- 1 p.m. Members of the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty.
- 2 p.m. UNC-Chapel Hill staff.
- 3 p.m. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students.
As a result of the forums, the final chancellor position statement will be developed.
November 2 has been identified as the tentative date for an additional forum, if needed. The committee is invited to all forums, but the forums will be video taped and the transcripts made available on the search committee website. The website is accessible through the UNC-Chapel Hill home page.
Committee members were asked to review a list of possible future meeting dates and put holds on their calendars. If there are personal conflicts, Linda Naylor should be notified. The selected search firm will also advise the committee on timing issues.
Professor Broun asked if there was a presumptive time of day for meeting. Mr. Schwab stated that because of these will be traveling to meetings, a late morning or early afternoon time would be most convenient. Personal schedules will be accommodated to the extent possible.
Ms. Grumbles asked when Mr. Schwab would expect the new chancellor to be in place. The answer depends on the new chancellor’s situation, but the beginning of the new academic year would probably be the most likely scenario.
Mr. Schwab asked all committee members and members of the Board of Trustees to read and sign a confidentially statement. These statements will be needed before the next meeting.
Mr. Perry stressed the importance of confidentially. The committee has a serious obligation to protect the confidentially to all candidates. He also stressed the importance of speaking with one voice.
Ms. Grumbles asked to whom to refer the press or others who ask questions of committee members. Mr. Schwab indicated that questions or requests for information be referred to him.
Professor Templeton expressed the need for telephone calls concerning confidential matters be conducted from a secure setting.
Mr. Schwab adjourned the meeting at 3:35 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Linda A. Naylor, Assistant to the Chancellor Search Committee