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I can't imagine a better description of Carolina's public service role than
Albert Coates, founder of the Institute of Government, offered in his 1978 book
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: A Magic Gulf Stream in the
Life of North Carolina. In its dedication he wrote: "From the coming of the
first student to its open doors -- the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill has been a magic gulf stream flowing in an ever-widening current through
the lives of people in the cities, the counties and the state of North Carolina
and beyond -- tempering the customs, traditions and habits of the people it
serves and lifting them to higher levels of living wherever it has gone."
Public service is the conduit through which the information learned in our
classrooms, the research conducted in our labs and the other knowledge
discovered and created at Carolina is shared with the public. It improves the
lives of our citizens in countless ways and provides a dividend for the state's
tremendous investment in this institution.
Early this century, UNC President Edward Kidder observed that the boundaries
of the University are co-terminus with those of the state. The problems facing
North Carolina, he reasoned, were also those of its state university. That
philosophy is expressed today in our mission statement, which calls for us to
"extend knowledge-based services and other resources of the University to the
citizens of North Carolina and their institutions to enhance the quality of
life for all people in the state."
Carolina has quite a track record of doing just that. Each year, our public
service activities reach more than 400,000 people in every corner of the state.
Female employees of manufacturing plants in eastern North Carolina are being
taught better health habits through a University initiative. Faculty and
students are designing biomedical devices for disabled children. Law students
are offering pro bono work to underserved areas of the state. Faculty and
students are working with public schools to improve the quality of education
received by N.C. children.
The University enriches North Carolina's cultural climate through its theater,
musical performances, art exhibitions and the diverse speakers who come to
campus. Indeed, we have much to be proud of.
Until recently, however, public service has been a decentralized activity at
Carolina, making it difficult for citizens and organizations to tap our
resources.
Imagine the frustration of a caller who is passed from department to
department in search of a particular program or faculty member who can help
them. With no central clearinghouse of public service information, even our own
University family has no way to know where all the expertise resides on this
vast campus.
With the formal kick off of the new Carolina Center for Public Service later
this week, the University will underscore its long-standing commitment to
public service at many levels.
The center will assure that the University continues to respond to the
public's changing needs by encouraging new initiatives and coordinating public
service across campus. It also will reward and recognize our faculty, staff and
students who become involved in such activities through grants and other
awards.
The center will be a major step forward in placing the University's expertise
in the public's hands. Nick Didow, professor of business and director of the
center, has described it as a "gateway" for the public seeking Carolina's help
-- a place to call, a web site to visit, a database to search, a live person to
speak to.
With the birth of the Center for Public Service, Carolina joins only a handful
of universities nationwide that have demonstrated such concrete support for
public service.
In recognition of our leadership role in this area, U.S. Secretary of Health
and Human Services Donna Shalala will help us launch the center with a free
keynote address Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. in Polk Place. What an appropriate way for
us to celebrate our past accomplishments and look ahead to even greater and
more meaningful public service efforts in the future!
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