UNIVERSITY GAZETTE | October 25, 2006 | The University of North Carolina

UNC President Erskine Bowles played the role of proud alumnus in offering up a University Day message of hope during Oct. 12 remarks at the annual convocation.

Bowles articulated his strong support for the University's vision of becoming America's leading public university and pledged to partner with Carolina to achieve that ambitious goal.

"A Chapel Hill degree means quality," Bowles told a Memorial Hall audience that included a strong faculty turnout. "It stands for excellence. But I agree whole-heartedly with Chancellor [James] Moeser that Chapel Hill must again become the number-one public university in America.

"... On every national ranking of educational value, Chapel Hill ranks right up there at or near the top - and for good reason. We earned it. But we who love Chapel Hill ... have a big job to do. We have a real responsibility, not just to maintain our well-deserved, well-earned reputation for quality and value - but to improve upon it ... so that we are unquestionably again the best public university in America."

Such a positive message about the University's future came as the campus celebrated its past, marking the University's 213th birthday and the creation of public higher education in America in Chapel Hill.

Bowles offered a six-point plan for success: remaining accessible to students, investing in faculty, graduate students and research, not losing touch with the liberal arts and remaining accountable to the taxpayers of North Carolina.

University Day, which falls every October 12th, commemorates the laying of the cornerstone of Old East, the nation's first state university building.

Other convocation highlights included performances by student musicians and the presentation of Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards to Valerie A. Batts, Angela R. Bryant, William "Bill" Burwell Harrison, Jr., Weiming Lu, Charles B. Nemeroff and George E. Stuart III. Later in the day, the University unveiled a virtual museum of University history at a public symposium.

As much as I liked Dr. [Joe] Templeton’s introduction, Nelson’s [Schwab] was closer to true. I do thank you so much. Since Nelson did tell you the truth about Billy, himself and me — me for sure — you can imagine how really thrilled, absolutely thrilled I was when the chancellor asked me to speak at University Day. For you see, I just plain love Chapel Hill. It’s true. I love this University to my very core. I am a Tar Heel born. I am a Tar Heel bred and, by God, when I die I’ll be as Tar Heel dead as you can be, and I hope to dickens I get lucky enough to be buried right here in my beloved Chapel Hill.

Serving as the 16th president of the University of North Carolina is by far — nothing else is even close — it’s by far the single greatest honor I can imagine being given. Because I love what this University stands for and, particularly, what this campus stands for. It is proudly a public university and it is — this campus is — a university of the people.

Carolina stands for access. We believe to our very soul in affordability. It’s what we are. And thanks to the leadership of a great and good chancellor and a strong Board of Trustees that truly cares and cares deeply about affordability, we have the Carolina Covenant. And, with it, anyone, no matter what their financial needs, they can come to Chapel Hill to our great University, to my alma mater, and they can graduate debt-free. You can imagine how proud that makes me. I love that Carolina stands up for all the people of the state — except, of course, for Dookies. Nobody would stand up for them. I told you I was a Tar Heel born. I love that we believe that any North Carolinian who is qualified ought to get a chance to come to this great University. At the same time I know — and I know that you all know — that I’ve got a real job to do to expand our need-based financial aid so that we can expand the Carolina Covenant and more worthy students from low- and moderate-income families can continue to come to Chapel Hill without the financial hardship and strain I know, try as we might, it still puts on some North Carolina families.

Why are access and affordability … so important to me, to you, to this University and to the future of our state?

As many of you know I spent much of 2005 working for the United Nations coordinating the global response to the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. My time in Asia changed the way I think, changed the way I feel, changed the way I act and it certainly changed how I’m going to do this job I’m so blessed to have. Traveling throughout Asia showed me that if North Carolina and that if America as a whole — if we don’t wake up and get more of our own people better educated, we are going to be a second-rate power in America and here in North Carolina before we know it. I’m not talking about in 50 years. I’m talking about in my lifetime. I’m talking about in your lifetime.

That’s why in this new job of mine that I love I have to work as hard as I possibly can to hold down the cost of a college education and to do all I can to make sure that everyone that we accept into any of our universities graduates with a diploma that means something. A diploma at Chapel Hill has always, always meant something! I love the fact that a Chapel Hill degree means quality. It stands for excellence. But I agree whole-heartedly with Chancellor Moeser that Chapel Hill must again become the number-one public university in America.

Yes, Carolina defines quality, and nobody can give you that kind of reputation. You have to earn it. I love the fact that on every national ranking of educational value, Chapel Hill ranks right up there at or near the top – and for good reason. We earned it. But we who love Chapel Hill and we who work for this great university — we have a big job to do. We have a real responsibility, not just to maintain our well-deserved, well-earned reputation for quality and value — but to improve upon it, and to improve upon it so that we are unquestionably again the best public university in America. I don’t want to hear excuses about why Berkeley or Michigan — or, for God’s sake — Virginia rank ahead of us. This chancellor behind me knows that I am a zero-excuses guy. As Chancellor Moeser said not long ago in his “State of the University” address, “We must never — this University must never — be content with the status quo. Good enough is never good enough. Not for an institution that aspires to be America’s leading public university.”

What does Carolina have to do to turn that aspiration into reality? I’m going to give you six action items, six things that I think we must do if we’re going to go from an aspiration to a reality of being number one.

First we must remain accessible. We must keep tuition as low as practicable so that low-and moderate-income families don’t get priced out of the market.

For its part, the UNC Board of Governors is going to seek additional state funds for need-based financial aid, such that every eligible North Carolina student who applies for the UNC need-based grant actually receives one, and such that all students receiving these grants are held harmless from any tuition and fee increases.

In addition, a proposal now before the Board of Governors, which I hope they will approve this afternoon, would limit the scope of campus-initiated tuition and fee increases over the next four years — and this proposal also requires that every UNC campus set aside at least 25 percent of new tuition revenues for need-based aid.

Carolina has already gone far, far beyond that requirement and that makes me very, very proud. The Carolina Covenant not only sets a high bar for other institutions within the UNC system, but it has set the national benchmark for what it truly means to be a great and accessible public university.

Second, we’ve got to invest in you. We’ve got to invest in our faculty. This magnificently restored Memorial Hall, in all its grandeur, and all these great buildings that you see when you walk throughout this campus, they are fabulous, but they are absolutely meaningless if we don’t have great faculty here to teach our students. There is nothing else I believe more strongly than this.

Our faculty are our greatest asset. You are our reputation. You hold the key to our future in your minds. We have to be able to attract and keep great faculty. And to do that we must pay them and we must provide them with the facilities, the equipment and the freedom of inquiry that they need to carry out their three-part mission: teaching, research and public service.

I promise you that as long as I am president of this university that will be my top priority. Your chancellor, the Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors and I, we are all going to work hand in glove with the Legislature to begin this year — not in 50 years, not in 10 years, not in five years, not in two years, but this year — to increase the faculty salaries so that we can get all of our faculty to the 80th percentile of their peer institutions. That’s not smart, that’s common sense. That’s where we have to be to attract and keep the best faculty in America. That’s also why, under the four-year tuition plan being considered by the Board of Governors, at least 25 percent of any campus-initiated tuition revenues must go to faculty salaries until a campus reaches the 80th percentile level.

The endowed professorships that are being made possible by the Carolina First Campaign, they are so important to this effort, since … endowed chairs allow us to attract and retain the kind of talent — that’s what you all are — talent, talent that we just can’t afford with state funding alone. If you doubt … that such endowments can make a real difference, think of the Kenan Professorships. The Kenan Professorships literally put Carolina on the national map. But it will take a lot more — not a little bit — it will take a lot more private investment on this scale to take Carolina to number one and to keep it there. And Paul Fulton, Mike Overlock and Charlie Shaffer — they are leading the effort in the Carolina First Campaign to raise the funds to do just that — and to do it now. I thank them from the bottom of my heart and you should, too.

Third, to be number one, we must also provide far more graduate scholarships and other financial support so that we can recruit the very best graduate students in the world to Chapel Hill. Again, it’s common sense. It’s no different than trying to recruit the very best basketball players in the world to North Carolina.

Toward that end, I have to convince the Legislature — James and I together, we have to convince the Legislature — of the importance of graduate students to our teaching, scholarship and research. That’s our job, and I know full well that the recruitment packages that we are able to offer today with state funds to these smart graduate students, they just aren’t competitive with other top universities across the country. Our state leaders, they have got to understand that providing adequate support for the best and brightest is an investment. Yes, it’s an investment that will pay huge economic dividends for our state in the years ahead.

Fourth, to be number one we must invest in research. Through our research mission, Carolina contributes enormously to the economic development of North Carolina, to technology transfer and to the expansion of industry throughout our state. Chapel Hill accounts for more than $600 million of our University system’s total sponsored research awards, and that is largely due to our well-deserved and well-earned reputation in the health sciences fields.

Like Chancellor Moeser, I believe that Carolina must build on that remarkable foundation if it is to be the leading public university in America. The development of Carolina North will certainly play a critical role in that effort and, I promise you, you will have my total support, my total commitment, to that undertaking.

I believe this to my soul that America must increase our volume of research. We as a nation must stay on the cutting edge. That means that we must face this challenge with the same commitment, the same investment — and the same focused passion in leadership — that characterized the 1950s reaction to Sputnik and the threat it posed to our nation’s scientific and technological superiority. Because believe you me, the economic threat we face today in this knowledge-based global economy is just as great, if not greater, than that we faced in the 1950s.

Fifth, I also believe that we must not lose our focus on the liberal arts. For Carolina to again be the number one public university in America, we must keep our focus on the liberal arts. We must make absolutely sure that our students and graduates have the problem-solving skills, the creative-thinking skills and the communication skills that every employer and every community needs and demands today to compete and win in this knowledge-based global economy. If we fail here, then everything else we do is for naught.

Finally, to be number one we have to hold ourselves accountable. We have to set our standards higher. We must accept nothing less than excellence at Chapel Hill. That’s why James has set new, higher and more difficult retention and graduation goals for Carolina. He is serious, as am I, about having the best retention and graduation rates in America; and we are both equally serious about implementation of the programs and support needed to help our students survive and succeed both here and after they graduate.

Raising the bar — establishing new and higher standards of excellence — is why the chancellor and I are working as hard as we possibly can with the faculty and the Board of Trustees to establish new performance measures for Chapel Hill. These measurable outcomes will enable the Board of Governors to hold me personally accountable for providing James with the resources, the assets, the faculty and the framework we need to make Chapel Hill our nation’s leading public university

The first North Carolina State Constitution declared that one of the principal roles of our state university was to deliver “all useful learning.” What is useful today is clearly different from what was useful for past generations. The world has gotten smarter — a lot smarter — and we have got to get smarter with it.

I’m positive that when — not if — but when we do these six things I’ve just mentioned, that this University I love so deeply — the University of North Carolina right here in Chapel Hill — will be number one — not just in public health and not just in basketball — but as a University. And our graduates will be able to compete — and compete successfully – with the world’s best and brightest, wherever they may be.

Holden Thorp, a University chemistry professor with a passion for music and a history of service, will deliver the December commencement address.

Chancellor James Moeser will preside at the ceremony, set for 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Moeser chose Thorp in close consultation with the University’s commencement speaker selection committee. The committee, chaired by Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred, is made up of an equal number of students and faculty.

“Holden Thorp is one of our star faculty members,” Moeser said. “He’s a leading chemist, a great classroom teacher, a musician and a Tar Heel born and bred. He will be an absolute inspiration to our graduates.”

Thorp is the Kenan professor of chemistry and chair of the chemistry department in the College of Arts and Sciences. He was the director of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center from 2001 to 2005 and is faculty director of fund raising for the Carolina Physical Science Complex, a $205 million facility that is the largest construction project in the University’s history.

Thorp said he planned to use his address to draw connections between science and other interests and to convey the importance of human factors in innovation.

“What I hope to tell people is that success in anything, including science, requires an understanding of the human element,” he said. “I’ll try to connect how innovation arises in multiple fields to try to get people to see how originality and creativity are common themes underlying advances in disparate disciplines.”

As director of the Morehead Center, Thorp expanded the original emphasis of the planetarium to encompass science education. He also established momentum for the center’s first major renovation.

Thorp, a Fayetteville native, has won more than a dozen teaching- and research-related honors: the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Philip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement, the David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award.

He was named in 2002 an honorary member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the campus’ oldest honorary society, and also that year was named the UNC General Alumni Association Distinguished Young Alumnus.

Thorp attended UNC and received his bachelor of science degree, with highest honors, in chemistry in 1986. He came to UNC in 1993 as assistant professor of chemistry.

Sharpen your pencils. It’s time once again for the Gazette’s annual December writing assignment: readers’ stories of their holiday memories. This year we’re asking you to tell us about the person in your life who best exemplifies that elusive quality: holiday spirit.

Write a story about a friend, family member or colleague — funny or poignant — and we’ll share selected anecdotes in our Dec. 13 issue. Plus, everyone who submits a memory will be included in a drawing for either dinner for two at the Carolina Inn or your choice of two tickets from a selection of Carolina Performing Arts events at Memorial Hall. We’ll publish the winner’s names on Dec. 13, as well.

The University is entering a key phase of deliberations about a project that will transform how the daily operations of the campus are managed.

The Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, process involves integrating the University’s administrative data and business processes that combine to manage how bills and employees are paid and students register for courses.

A team of University administrators, led by Executive Vice Provost Bernadette Gray-Little, have been talking about ERP this semester wherever they go, including at meetings of the Employee Forum, Board of Trustees and Faculty Council. The idea is not just for people to know what it means, but how important it is for the University’s future because everyone on campus, in some way, will be affected by it.

Gray-Little, in a presentation before the Faculty Council on Oct. 13, reiterated how extensive the project will be, as well as how urgently it is needed.

It will take years to finish and millions to pay for, Gray-Little said. The pay off, she said, will be measured not in dollars saved but in high-quality services to be realized to keep a top-level university going.

Gray-Little said planning for ERP has been taking place for about a year. Between Nov. 7 and Dec. 1, three vendors will begin demonstrating software products on campus that officials hope will involve extensive participation from a broad cross-section of the campus community. Those sessions follow responses to a Request for Information about products and support for four administrative functions: Student Services; Procurement Services; Finance; and EPA and SPA Human Resources and Payroll.

Gray-Little, echoing comments from Chancellor James Moeser, said completion of the project will enhance the University’s ability to meet the long-term goal of becoming the nation’s leading public university. She compared the scope and influence of the project to the successful completion of the capital construction program.

Dan Reed, vice chancellor for information technology, in a presentation to trustees last month, said ERP should not be viewed as a burden, but a major opportunity to be seized.

The replacement of outdated and aging software and systems, he said, will allow Carolina to examine and optimize its processes, identify and rectify structural inefficiencies and position Carolina for the future.

The decisions must be made on our watch, he said, but the full rewards of those decisions will accrue to our successors.

Staying on PACE
In a separate presentation at the Oct. 13 Faculty Council meeting, Dwayne Pinkney, assistant vice chancellor for finance and administration, and Jack Evans, professor of operations, technology and innovation management at Kenan-Flager Business School, reported on the PACE initiative (President’s Advisory Committee on Efficiency and Effectiveness) that UNC President Erskine Bowles announced last May.

Pinkney said the goal of PACE is to review campus operations and look for ways to reduce campus expenditures on administrative costs and allocate the savings to core functions.

Evans said PACE represents three major opportunities: to examine administrative costs, to rework processes and to leverage system strengths.

Evans said all 16 campuses have been asked to provide preliminary saving targets in November and December that General Administration would compile into a preliminary report in January. Evans said a final report from General Administration would be ready between April and June of next year.

Moeser, in his remarks on PACE, said Carolina compares favorably to other UNC system campuses in the proportion of its budget allocated to the core mission rather than to administrative costs. He stressed that the Chapel Hill campus has not received any specific number for potential cost reductions.

Moeser said he is confident that both the UNC Board of Governors and administrators within GA understand that each campus has a different set of circumstances. They understand that the “one size fits all” formula would not work and will not be applied.

Moeser said the system-wide PACE process will be closely linked to the ERP process begun here. They are separate initiatives, Moeser said, but added, “These two processes are interwoven.”

Keeping cars off the roads, through public transit, has been a recurring theme during meetings of the Carolina North Leadership Advisory Committee.

On Oct. 19, Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton gave that theme a new turn by suggesting that the surest way to reduce traffic to and from Carolina North is to for UNC to build enough houses on Carolina North to accommodate employees working there.

Housing, Chilton said, should be the “number one solution” to transportation, followed by the use of walkways, bike paths and public transit.

Furthermore, Chilton said, Carolina North should not exacerbate the shortage of affordable housing in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. To prevent that from happening, Chilton suggested that the University build a variety of homes with a price range that reflects the range of incomes of UNC employees.

To achieve the level of density needed to accommodate that many people, Chilton said, the University should build some residential buildings as high as nine stories tall, rather than limit building height to three or four stories as previous plans, now off the table, once called for.

Reaction to the Chilton’s ideas among the LAC was swift — and generally favorable — although University representatives cautioned there are a host of factors, such as market viability, that must be considered.

University Trustee Roger Perry, a major Chapel Hill developer, said the University would need time to reflect on the “housing equals employment” concept, which he said was a new standard to ask of any public or private entity.

On the idea of getting people to live in nine-story buildings, Perry cautioned, “You can call the demons from the deep, but you can’t make them obey,” adding there are a limited number of people in the current market who would be willing to live in a nine-story building.

“You’ve got to factor in a market-driven constraint into this as well,” Perry said.

Jack Evans, the University’s executive director for Carolina North, linked Chilton’s call for a large-scale residential development on Carolina North to prior discussion focused on the connection between housing density and the success of public transit.

The scale of development that Chilton called for would create the level of density of people and volume of users to justify the expansion of a transit system that LAC members want to see happen, Evans said.

Barry Jacobs, Orange County Board of Commissioners chair, added that housing drives needs for child care, health care and other services. To make Carolina North a place people choose to live, the availability of these services has to be considered, he said.

David Gerber, a professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, said the availability of affordable housing is a key factor that can work for or against the University’s efforts to recruit faculty members. If taller buildings would add to the availability of convenient, affordable housing, he supported them, Gerber said.

Evans also said he supported Chilton’s idea of taller buildings to squeeze more people into the same amount of space, but also suggested that taller buildings should be built in the interior of Carolina North — out of sight of residents in surrounding neighborhoods who in past years have raised concerns about building height.

Another sign of encouragement for Evans and others is the possibility that the LAC may be able to finish its work as early as December — three months ahead of the March 2007 endpoint set by Chancellor James Moeser.

To do so, the group is considering the possibility of adding longer sessions, possibly on a Saturday, to expedite its work.

Facilitator Ken Broun said the new goal is to finish the LAC’S work by the end of the calendar year. Preparation for remaining meetings is underway, which includes the gathering of background data needed to further explore the “housing equals employment” formula in Chilton’s proposal. University representatives have been asked to come back to the next meeting with proposed language about housing.

The University, in partnership with the State Health Plan, is offering flu shots to employees this fall. In response to requests for an alternative location with more accessible parking, a Nov. 17 clinic has been added at the Friday Center.

Student Union, Room 3509 - Nov. 14; Dec. 12, 13; 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Nov. 16, 8 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.

The shots are free to employees covered under the State Health Plan or one of the state’s preferred provider organization (PPO) plans. If you are not a member of the State Health Plan, you will need to pay $25 by cash or check at the time of vaccination and obtain reimbursement from your insurance.

You will receive an e-mail reminder two days prior to your appointment. At your appointment, you will need to present your State Plan/PPO card along with a photo ID for coverage under the plan. These flu shot clinics are for University employees only. Contact your health care provider for flu shots for family members and dependents.

Make your appointment online at the Environment, Health and Safety website (ehs.unc.edu); click on the “2006 Flu Shot Information” link.

UMA is hosting four leadership and management programs in 2006-07. The next one, on Nov. 21, will be presented in collaboration with Bell Leadership. Gerald Bell, co-author of “The Carolina Way” with Dean Smith and John Kilgo, will host a book promotion. Bell has taught at Kenan-Flagler Business School for more than 30 years, with a visiting professorship at Harvard Business School and teaching at Cornell, Stanford, McGill and the London School of Business. At UNC his award-winning “Power, Politics and Leadership” class is a perennial favorite for up-and-coming MBAs. The program will be held in the Carolina Club of the George Watts Hill Alumni Center, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with networking and the book presentation from 9 to 10 a.m.

The first program of the season was presented by Winkie LaForce, executive director of Leadership Triangle and chair of the board of directors of El Centro Latino. She presented leadership strategies and practices and shared advice and training experiences working with academic and community leaders, as well as her passion of multigenerational training in Nairobi.

UMA provides a forum for the exchange of information relevant to management in the University setting and encourages productive interaction among members. UMA benefits all campus managers by being a voice for change on issues of widespread importance.

For a membership application or information about its monthly lunches or quarterly programs, refer to: uma.unc.edu.

Bunting out as football coach

John Bunting will not return as head football coach, Director of Athletics Dick Baddour announced Oct. 22. The 1972 alumnus is in his sixth year and will finish this season. He has three seasons left on his contract at $286,200 per year.

“Changing coaches is never a pleasant experience, but it is even more difficult when you consider the character and integrity of someone like John Bunting,” said Baddour. “... John led us to some of the most exciting wins in Carolina football history, put character and academics first, and never once compromised his or the University’s principles. This is simply one of those times when it is in the best interest of the football program to make a change.”

Said Bunting, “I am disappointed and of course I don’t agree with the decision, but I know I must accept it. My love for this great University has not and never will waver. ... We simply have not won enough games this year.”

Chancellor James Moeser said, “John Bunting is a great Tar Heel, and he has run our football program with integrity and honor. We have utmost respect for John, his passion for the University and his commitment to his student-athletes and staff.”

Moeser said he hoped the decision would stop questions about the program’s future and allow the team its best chance for success in the five remaining games.

Life-hacking, blogs, wikis among meeting highlights

Ten years ago, technology staff from across the Carolina campus created the Carolina Technology Consultants (CTC) to provide a forum for conversation and problem-solving for Information Technology (IT) staff.

(Left-right) Tyler Johnson, network specialist with Information Technology Services; Fred Stutzman, research assistant with the School of Information and Library Science; and Cynthia Baker, gifts-in-kind specialist with University Library; chat during a break in the Oct. 19 CTC conference.

This year, nearly 300 IT professionals from across campus attended the 10th Annual CTC Conference, titled “A Forum for Technology Conversation, Education and Innovation.” Sponsored by Information Technology Services and held at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History on Oct. 19, the conference offered attendees the opportunity to celebrate the past, explore the present and imagine the future.

“The CTC conference was a wonderful chance to examine current issues and explore future opportunities in a relaxed professional setting far from interruptions and daily tasks,” said Dee Marley, CTC facilitator.

One of the highlights of the conference was a presentation on life hacking, which was defined recently in the Economist as applying “a programmer’s mentality to streamlining daily routines and getting things done.” According to one presenter, David Potenziani, director of information technology for the School of Public Health, life hacking helps us face life in the 21st century.

“Hacks offer solutions that aren’t elegant, but they are effective,” said Potenziani, “and in a world where most of us only get 11 minutes of uninterrupted work each hour, that’s important.

“As those 11 minutes get fragmented into tasks we do within that time frame, eventually the time gets broken into smaller and smaller chunks — giving all of us a feeling that our time is completely fragmented. It encourages a sense of helplessness,” explained Potenziani. “As New York Times journalist Clive Thompson puts it, we are interrupt-driven. But distractions are not just an affliction of work, sometimes they are our work.”

So how do we handle all the “stuff” that crowds our lives? Potenziani, a fan of David Allen’s “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity,” offered several novel suggestions.

“First, get it out of your head and write it down — someplace where you will find it. Then process each item, organize the results and review it regularly,” said Potenziani. “Ask yourself if it is actionable. If it isn’t, trash it, incubate it in a tickler system or store it away for reference. If it is actionable and it will take less than two minutes, just do it. If it will take more than two minutes then delegate it or defer it.”

Potenziani described some of the life hacks that he uses in his own day-to-day activities. “For instance, I have a daily briefing with my senior staff where we all stand. It encourages everyone to come to the point and allows the most efficient use of that time for communication. I also schedule work time as a meeting on the calendar which deters people from asking for that time. It’s important that people take back their personal work space so that you can get the uninterrupted time that you need to work on important projects.”

Other conference highlights included keynote speaker Fred Stutzman, School of Information and Library Science, who spoke on “The Social Revolution: How our connections will change technology,” a presentation on “Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts,” and panel discussions on course management software and content management systems. Additional topics included a case study on the deployment of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), tips on career development, convergence at Carolina, security and business continuity plans.

To learn more about the conference or if you are interested in becoming a member of the CTC, visit the CTC website at its.unc.edu/ctc.

Biotech research ranks highly in global survey

North Carolina is fertile ground for start-up biotechnology companies and a major reason why is the kind of research being done at Carolina, according to a recent national ranking.

The Milken Institute, a publicly supported economic think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif., released a new report in September ranking the world’s universities based on the quality of their biomedical research. Carolina looked strong in these rankings when compared with its public and private peers.

The report looked at three metrics: publications, patents and technology transfer and commercialization. Carolina’s rankings are 28th, 41st and 25th, respectively.

Chancellor James Moeser, while sharing the report with University trustees last month, said it was good news for the University to rank so highly in a competitive, worldwide environment. At the same time, the rankings serve as a reminder of the potential of the University to do even more once improved facilities on main campus are completed and Carolina North is developed.

Gov. Mike Easley, in a recent release, pointed to these rankings as proof North Carolina continues to be a global leader in economic development. The Milken Institute also listed two other public universities in the state — North Carolina State University and East Carolina University — along with two private institutions — Duke and Wake Forest universities — among the top 100 in the world in their ability to move biotech research into business start-ups. More information on the Milken Institute rankings can be found at www.milkeninstitute.org.