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Thomas Wolfe, a fellow Carolina graduate, once wrote that "you can't go home
again." I feel very fortunate over the last year at Carolina to have proven
that sentiment undeniably wrong. When I left the university in 1955, bachelor's
degree clutched tightly in hand, I had no idea that I would return 45 years
later to lead Carolina in a time of need. Looking back over the past year,
however, I'm glad I could be here for my alma mater.
When I returned to the Chapel Hill campus at President Broad's request last
April as acting chancellor and then in July as interim chancellor, I thought I
had a good understanding of the university - after all, I had been an active
alumnus and had spent several years working at UNC General Administration. But
I quickly realized that one cannot fully appreciate its complexity and nuances
without being here day in and day out, without personally having one's finger
on its pulse.
And now that I have been able to see more of the specific activities on our
campus -- and more of the many achievements by our students, faculty, staff,
and academic and administrative leadership -- it is clear to me that we can
take pride in many great accomplishments during the last year. Tremendous
strides, for example, were made in continuing to enhance the campus
intellectual climate, especially for our newest students with programs like our
First-Year Seminars. Our undergraduate advising efforts were bolstered, and we
successfully piloted the new freshman laptop computer initiative in preparation
for it to become a requirement this fall.
We continued to move forward in making Carolina the very best public university
for our students and the citizens of North Carolina. Last fall we opened the
Center for Undergraduate Excellence in the renovated Graham Memorial Hall, and
the School of Journalism and Mass Communication moved into its new home, the
refurbished Carroll Hall, where it has three times more space and
state-of-the-art technology. The five millionth volume was added to our
library. We moved into the final stretch of our master planning effort, which
will guide future physical growth on campus. Our planning committee continued
to explore possible uses for the Horace Williams land. And, with coordination
through the newly opened Carolina Center for Public Service, we provided
critical support in the wake of Hurricane Floyd -- both in professional
expertise and in student and employee manpower for relief efforts.
Everyone also should be proud of Carolina's record-setting growth in research
funding and private giving, including the receipt of our largest bequest ever
and a gift that will create an innovative partnership with Duke University.
Such support is a clear indicator of external confidence in our university and,
in the case of fund raising, provides a superb base on which to build as we
prepare for the new capital campaign.
The year hasn't been without challenges, but they have been handled well. We
were able to overcome a budget shortfall last summer without damaging our
academic integrity and, as an outgrowth, undertook a thorough examination of
the overall budget process, updating and fine-tuning it to make it more open
and understandable and more responsive to our priorities. We reached agreement
on the need for more competitive faculty salaries and a proposal for funding
them. And despite last summer's lack of legislative consensus concerning
funding for higher education capital needs, we and other public universities
and colleges in the state successfully told our story in recent months and
garnered approval from Raleigh to place a bond package on the November ballot.
If passed, Carolina would see an unparalleled infusion of dollars to support
much-needed repairs, renovations and new construction. We surely shall work
hard to see that it does pass.
The strides we have made occurred in large part because of Carolina's
outstanding faculty and staff. Indeed, I have never encountered such a spirit
of cooperation, dedication and loyalty. The Carolina family has pulled together
in times of joy and sorrow, crisis and celebration, and I'm deeply honored to
have been associated with this great team.
While Thomas Wolfe may have been wrong about going home, he truly captured the
essence of this place when he called it "as close to magic as I've ever been."
I couldn't have said it better. When I step down next month, I'll take with me
a sense of mutual accomplishment and a better understanding of what can be
achieved when we all work for the greater good of this institution. I'll also
take many special memories and new friendships, as well as a renewed sense of
Carolina pride. I thank each of you who have made this past year so successful
and so magical.
Go Heels!
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