THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
Office of the Chancellor
William 0. McCoy
Interim Chancellor		 103 South Building
Campus Box 9100
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-9100
(919) 962-1365 Fax (919) 962- 1647
william_mccoy@unc.edu
January 18, 2000

MEMORANDUM
 
  

TO: Deans, Directors and Department Chairs in Academic Affairs and Health Affairs
FROM:  William 0. McCoy, Interim Chancellor
SUBJECT:  Tar Heel Bus Tour 2000
Application Deadline: Friday, February 25, 2000


Almost 100 new faculty members have benefited from participating in the Tar Heel Bus Tour since 1997. Past participants have unanimously endorsed the tour because of the information they have learned about the state they serve and close ties they have developed with their colleagues from other disciplines.

Planning is underway for the Tar Heel Bus Tour 2000 and I ask that you encourage your faculty to take advantage of this unique opportunity. This spring's tour will take place from Monday, May 22 to Friday, May 26-the week after commencement. Full-time faculty members with tenure, tenure-track or fixed term positions who have come to the University during the past three years are invited to apply.

The goals of the bus tour are to:

  1. Develop among faculty and administrators an awareness of the state's geography, economy, culture, government and politics, history, educational systems, health issues and connections to the University.
  2. Become familiar with the home communities of our students.
  3. Promote bonding among faculty across disciplines.
  4. Encourage service to the public and research to address state problems.
  5. Introduce faculty and administrators to the North Carolina that some of them might otherwise never see.
  6. Expose our new faculty members to North Carolina's multiple publics.
  7. Show that Carolina is connected to the entire state.
The Tar Heel Bus Tour has proven to be an excellent program for new faculty. I need your help to ensure that every eligible faculty member is aware of the opportunity before the application deadline on Friday, February 25. You can help us by talking to your new faculty members about the tour, encouraging a short presentation by a former participant during a faculty meeting, and posting the application in a place frequented by faculty members. An application form is attached for you to share. Interested faculty can also apply on-line or find more bus tour information by visiting www.dev.unc.edu/pubrellbustour. If you have any questions, please contact Ronni Gardner, Office of University Relations, at 962-1996.

cc: Mike Smith, Chair, Tar Heel Bus Tour Steering Committee
Pete Andrews, Chair of the Faculty