It's the kind of job that forces you to hit the ground running to keep from falling on your face.

And it's exactly the kind of high-paced job Robert Shelton expected when he took over four months ago as the University's new provost and executive vice chancellor.

Sue Estroff, the chair of the faculty, remembers the impression he made when she ran into Shelton on his first official day in the job.

"He walked unabashed and unexpectedly into the Faculty Council Agenda Committee meeting. He sat down and dove into the tasks at hand -- setting the agenda for the next Faculty Council meeting."

The surprise encounter, she said, sent a strong message about the kind of high-energy, hands-on approach he would take as provost, Estroff said. And over the weeks she has watched him, she has seen that first impression turn into a consistent pattern.

"Robert comes into a new setting that has a long history, and he finds a place and voice for himself graciously and by making a contribution rather than by claiming authority," Estroff said.

And at Faculty Council meetings, Estroff said, Shelton is the first to give up his allotted time to address the council in case someone else needs more time, if nothing is pressing.

"This is a good sign -- he doesn't seem to need to speak until he has something substantive to say."

A talk with trustees

In May, Shelton had plenty of substance to talk about when he appeared before University trustees to share with them some of his first impressions of the campus and to lay out some of his priorities in the weeks and months ahead.

Shelton said one priority will be to fill several key positions, including a new vice chancellor for research and two associate provost positions. And by the end of next semester, he expects to have a new academic plan ready for trustees' approval.

That plan will be developed in close consultation with deans and directors, and with professors serving on the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council (ECFC).

"I am committed to getting this academic plan through and finalized and brought to you for consideration by the end of this academic year," Shelton said. "You can't sit around and do it for years and years and years because the landscape changes out from under you."

The new academic plan, Shelton said, should build on the ample learning opportunities for students that already exist. The first-year seminars were such a wonderful creation, Shelton said, "Maybe we should think about sophomore seminars."

The academic plan should seek to provide the kind of international opportunities that students must have to pursue careers in a global economy, while making the campus more international by continuing to diversify both the faculty and student body.

The academic plan should also continue to seek more effective ways to seize upon information technology to speed teaching and learning.

A view from the boss

University Chancellor James Moeser said Shelton has demonstrated the ability to "climb a very steep learning curve very rapidly." And with the nimbleness to avoid any serious stumbles.

Moeser cited the morning that students with the Black Student Movement came to the steps of the South Building in protest of the The Daily Tar Heel's decision to run a column by conservative provocateur David Horowitz on the controversial subject of reparations for slavery.

The students who marched used the column as a platform to raise questions about race relations on campus. The moment held the potential of a public relations disaster. The way Shelton handled the situation was telling in Moeser's eyes about the kind of leader Shelton has proven himself to be.

"He basically said to them, `Don't just deliver your petitions, come on in and let's talk,'" Moeser said.

"He immediately disarmed what could have been a confrontational situation and started a constructive dialogue."

"Robert is a wonderful colleague and academic leader," Moeser said. "He is a good listener, and he has very good insights into problems. I think we share the same vision for Carolina -- to be first among America's public universities, and to be among the elite short list of American universities, public and private, recognized around the world."

Donna LeFebvre, a political science professor, has seen those same qualities in Shelton while working with him as a member of the ECFC.

"I think he's terrific," LeFebvre said. "He really listens. He's soaking up everything folks say to him. He's frank, he's personable -- a great sense of humor -- and he has lots of energy. I think he really wants to move the University forward, and he knows what has to be done to accomplish that."

Estroff said Shelton is not only willing to listen, but has a knack for following up on conversations in a way that reveals he was paying attention to what he was hearing.

"He's uncanny about following up on details and unfinished conversations, and he seems to almost always find a way to be optimistic -- and these past couple of months that hasn't been easy," Estroff said.

She has noticed one other quality as well.

"As we take our measure of him, I have yet to see him flustered, impatient, or hasty in making an observation or decision," Estroff said. "Sometimes I worry about whether he has a temper or is capable of being irritated."

Given the "able elicitors of these sentiments" among the faculty, Estroff is confident that Shelton will reveal the answer to that question soon enough.

Estroff said it is too early for faculty members to say they really know Shelton, but it is not too early to say they like what they have seen so far. He has been received warmly by faculty members and one reason why is because he has been so approachable. He wants to get to know them as much as they want to get to know him, she said.

"I've been impressed with his discretion, his care with word choice in delicate situations and his ability to pick up not so obvious but important points in a discussion or related to an issue," she said. "He is consulting and collaborating with ease -- just at the right moments and on the right issues.

"I think most of us feel the authenticity of the man, and that what we see is who he is -- thoughtful, decent, and eager to take and make his place among us."

Beyond expectations

There were a number of reasons why he wanted to come here, Shelton told trustees. Each one of them has been affirmed again and again since he arrived.

"It's been an overwhelming experience," Shelton said. "There are a lot of reasons why it's been an overwhelming experience, but first, second, third and last it's been the people. There are a lot of extraordinary people."

Through the people he has met he has felt and seen the ethos that has been engrained here to be of service to the state. At the same time, there is a pent-up demand across disciplines and across campus to find new and better ways to do more.

While on the most recent Tar Heel Bus Tour, for instance, Shelton spoke to Mike Smith, the director of the Institute of Government, who highlighted example after example of working partnerships between the University and communities throughout the state.

And on an AHEC flight, Shelton heard firsthand what Smith had described. The pilot -- whose name was Robert -- spoke to him at length about the kind of job that AHEC does for people throughout the state. "It was the best 35-minute commercial that could have existed," Shelton said. "I thought he was an MD."

That spirit of service attracted him here, Shelton said, but beyond the spirit is the stunning breadth of expertise that exists on this campus. That expertise is what has made Carolina what it is -- "one of the few public universities that is really at the pinnacle of excellence."

And Carolina is one of the public universities that is best equipped to make a real difference handling real-world problems from inadequate health care to the uneven quality of public schools.

"From all of my experience in higher education, I am convinced that the comprehensive universities like Carolina are the site, the locale, the locus most suited for tackling the really hard problems that face society," Shelton said. "This is one of those few institutions that is going to make a real difference on these key societal problems. It is, of course, a responsibility then that the leadership -- you, everybody in this room, I certainly - need to be aware of when we make hard decisions about where to put resources."

Glad he's here

Aside from his official duties, Shelton also offered some personal glimpses into what life has been like since he arrived on campus.

Over spring break, his three children arrived from the various colleges they attend to check out the new house. In their minds, it went from a house to their new home when they spotted an ideal place for a Christmas tree.

Another delight for Shelton has been the change in scenery. Whereas Davis, Calif., is a flat and colorless place, "The stunning nature of the physical beauty is a treat every day, day in and day out" at Carolina, Shelton said.

He thanked trustees for the lovely office he was given in South Building. It has windows offering great views of campus and beautiful bookcases that he has filled in part with a 23-volume set of the comprehensive dictionary of the English language he unearthed from storage. He hasn't had time to read them.

As much as he likes the office, he has tried as much as possible to stay out of it during the four months it has been his.

"You have to know me as an experimental scientist -- I function best when I get out and meet people in their own natural habitat where I can see what's going on, where I can touch and feel and kick the tires a little bit."

Shelton said he has been struck, too, by the collegial attitude of the deans and directors. While they all defend and promote their own units, they are all capable of thinking beyond them. "The cross-college, cross-school interactions here are second to none," Shelton said. "Their leadership is something I feel in a very palpable sense each day."

He came to Carolina convinced that this was an institution in a position to make a difference in how this country is shaped over the next decade. After four months of tire kicking, he can say that he was right about wanting to become a part of it. "Whatever I thought was true is true in trumps. I mean it's just beyond one's imagination."

Oh, and there's one more thing.

After four months, he's eager to shed the adjective 'new' from his title.

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