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A respected scholar. An outstanding communicator. An experienced academic
administrator. Familiarity with the University, its traditions and its
workings. And an ability to say "no" without provoking ill will.
These were some of the qualities that faculty members said they want to see in
the University's next provost.
The comments came during a meeting May 12 hosted by the search committee
charged with nominating the next provost.
Richard J. Richardson, the current provost, will retire in June 2000.
Richardson's retirement date was set when he was named provost in 1996 and is
unrelated to his medical leave this year after suffering a heart attack.
Richardson is scheduled to return from that leave on June 1.
The meeting was the first of many the committee plans to have into the summer
as it tries to create a profile of what is needed in the next provost, said
Jeffrey Houpt, chair of the search committee and dean of the medical school.
About two dozen faculty members attended and talked almost an hour with the
committee.
Faculty Council Chair Richard "Pete" Andrews started the discussion, saying
the provost is "the guardian of our academic mission."
Andrews said that to be successful, the next provost needed to get the deans
to focus on improving the University as a whole as well as improving their
respective schools. In addition, the next provost needed to have stature,
Andrews said.
"The provost will have to be strong enough intellectually and administratively
to command the respect of the deans and the chancellor," Andrews said.
Several people said they wanted the next provost to stay in the job for at
least five years. Fred Brooks, Kenan professor of computer science, got a lot
of agreement from the audience when he said the committee should try to
identify, and avoid hiring, "academic vagabonds" moving from job to job.
Joseph Ferrell, Albert Coates professor at the Institute of Government, said
the provost should be able to mediate among the University's deans and focus on
helping the faculty do its work.
Kerry Kilpatrick, chair of the health policy and administration department,
was one of several people to say the next provost should be an outstanding
scholar. Kilpatrick added that the next provost should be someone with a record
of attracting grants and should be "well-networked in North Carolina and
beyond."
That last point was one of many in what became the most-discussed topic of the
meeting: the pros and cons of hiring someone already working at the University
versus an outside candidate.
The discussion focused on how valuable it would be to have a top administrator
with "institutional memory." Those advocating an inside candidate pointed out
the large number of top administrators and deans hired from outside Carolina in
recent years. Others contended that such memory was a minor concern when
weighed against other qualifications.
The meeting with faculty members was the first of several group meetings the
search committee will hold, Houpt said. Other groups the committee will meet
with include the deans, the University Priority and Budget Committee and
student groups. Houpt said he also expects to get input from Richardson and
other top administrators.
The committee will spend a couple months developing a list of the personal
qualities the University community thinks are important in the next provost,
Houpt said. Committee members will spend the summer evaluating applicants as
well as seeking high-caliber candidates and encouraging them to apply.
Houpt said he does not think the committee will get around to interviewing a
short-list of candidates until the fall.
"I think we have a really good committee and that we will get a lot of
excellent candidates," Houpt said.
Anyone with ideas or concerns about the search for the next provost may send
suggestions to Houpt via e-mail. His address is jlhoupt@med.unc.edu
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