TABLE OF CONTENTS |
FRONT PAGE
| NEXT ARTICLE |
PREVIOUS ARTICLE |
UNC HOMEPAGE
Timothy Burnett, in his first meeting as chair of the University trustees, said
it was a "daunting challenge" to try to take the place of Anne Cates -- the
same sort of challenge of succeeding Hugh McColl as CEO of Bank of America.
Nobody wanted to be the person who followed Hugh McColl, now himself a
University trustee, Burnett said. "They wanted to be the person who followed
the person who followed Hugh McColl. I have sort of the same feelings about
Anne Cates."
Cates was a great leader of this University board, Burnett said, who gave
freely of her time and energy and enthusiasm. The only good thing that could
come from her departure would be her arrival on the UNC Board of Governors
where she can continue to be of service. Cates served two terms as chair of
Carolina's board.
McColl was one of the six incoming trustees sworn in July 26 -- six people whom
Burnett said will be able replacements for the six strong members that have
been lost. "They have been good friends of this University in a variety of
ways," Burnett said of the new members. "They have worked for this University
and their connections in the state, as well as the judgment and enthusiasm they
bring to this University, will benefit us greatly."
Also unanimously elected as officers of the 13-member board were Richard
"Stick" Williams of Durham as vice chair and Jean Almand Kitchin of Rocky Mount
as secretary.
Burnett, who was elected to the board in 1999, said the board had an obligation
to ensure that decisions made concerning the University's future were in the
best interests of North Carolinians and the students who would one day attend
Carolina.
One way to start, he suggested, is to help the chancellor in whatever ways they
can. "I want to put all the trustees on notice that we will be asked in various
ways to help the chancellor ... Hardly a month will pass when you won't have an
opportunity to be of help to the chancellor in some way."
Do it, he said.
Burnett said it was a critical time for the University and for trustees, a time
of both challenges and unprecedented opportunity.
At the top of Burnett's list of challenges is the $1 billion worth of
construction that will be undertaken on campus over the next decade, a growth
spurt spurred by the passage of a statewide bond referendum last November that
will yield about $500 million for Carolina alone.
"We are going to have sources available to us to make changes and improvements
on this campus that we've never had before," Burnett said. "It is
unprecedented. And so that is going to make your jobs as trustees even more of
a challenge. ... We've got what we've wished for, so hold on."
Part of the mission of the trustees is to be good stewards of the physical
assets of the institution. It falls upon the trustees to make sure that new
buildings are put in place with the size and style that are appropriate to
blend into a campus with a 200-year history.
Meanwhile, there is the Carolina First Campaign that will be kicking off its
official public phase this fall. During the Bicentennial Campaign in the early
1990s, there was the question of whether the University could dare try to raise
$300 million. The Carolina First Campaign will seek to raise more than five
times that amount.
Burnett took time to outline the challenges the University has faced over the
past two years, from the death of former Chancellor Michael Hooker in July of
1999, to the search for a new chancellor, to the arrival of James Moeser a year
ago to the job Moeser has done over the past months filling out his new
administrative team.
Burnett said Moeser has made substantial progress, from working with the town
over issues dealing with the master plan to positioning the University for a
successful fund-raising campaign.
Moeser welcomed the new trustees by reminding them that he welcomes their
comments and suggestions as well.
"By support we don't mean uncritical ascent," Moeser said. "We welcome critical
dialogue. You are here to question and to probe and we want you to do that in a
constructive way. It's been a great year with this board and I look forward to
many more years. I cannot tell you how important it is to have that sense of
support as we move forward."
Burnett, who received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University
in 1962 and his master's of business administration with distinction from
Harvard Business School, is president of the Bessemer Improvement Co. He
represented the Board of Trustees as part of a UNC delegation that traveled to
Qatar in May to explore the possibility of establishing a business school in
Doha. He was a member of the 1999 Chancellor's Search Committee and was chair
of a 1988 UNC Board of Visitors study on faculty salaries; he later served as a
member of the University's Committee on Faculty Salaries and Benefits.
He currently serves as trustee of the John Motley Morehead Foundation and as a
member of the steering committee for the fund-raising campaign that will be
publicly launched on Oct. 12.
The new members who were sworn in last month are:
* Paul L. Fulton Jr. of Winston-Salem. Fulton is chair of the Board of
Directors and former chief executive officer of Bassett Furniture Industries.
He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1957 from the
University.
* Karol V. Mason of Atlanta. Mason is an attorney and partner in the law firm
of Alston & Bird. She received a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1979
from the University and a juris doctorate in 1982 from the University of
Michigan.
* Hugh McColl Jr. of Charlotte. McColl is the retired chair and chief executive
officer of Bank of America Corp. He earned his bachelor's degree in business
administration from the University in 1957 and has received an honorary law
degree.
* Nelson Schwab III of Charlotte. Schwab is managing director of Carousel
Capital Co. LLC, a Charlotte investment banking concern. He earned his
bachelor's degree in English from the University in 1967 and his MBA from the
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business in 1972.
* Russell M. Carter of Wilmington. Carter is president of Atlantic Corp. of
Wilmington. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism in 1971 from the
University.
* A. Donald Stallings of Rocky Mount. Stallings is chief executive officer of
Eagle Transport Corp., Stallings Oil Co. and Truckland Inc. He attended the
University from 1956 through 1960. Stallings, a three-year letterman in
football at Carolina, went on to play professional football for the Washington
Redskins.
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
FRONT PAGE
| NEXT ARTICLE |
PREVIOUS ARTICLE |
UNC HOMEPAGE