In his nominating letter for the Massey Award, Marcus Bullett wrote: “Terry Bowers is one of the most valuable employees that the University of North Carolina could ever ask for.”

In the four years he had known Bowers, Bullett continued, he had yet to meet another employee who cared about the students, the University or his job more.

“He has always stepped up to any challenge without complaining,” Bullett said, and he is always the first to step up whenever there is an emergency.

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Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, smoking will not be allowed within 100 feet of all outdoor areas controlled by the University, both on and off campus. That includes any facility in which the University leases the entire space. The smoking ban also applies to state-owned vehicles.

In addition, there will be no designated University smoking areas.

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Faculty members recognize that many strong leaders in higher education have come from backgrounds outside the academy, particularly politics and business. But they also believe that such leaders are the exception rather than the rule, and a gamble not worth taking when choosing Carolina’s 10th chancellor.

That was one sentiment expressed by faculty who spoke before the Chancellor Search Committee at the Oct. 30 forum. In this second of three forums the committee is holding, faculty, staff and students expressed their feelings about the kind of chancellor they would like to see when Chancellor James Moeser steps down next summer.

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Noted journalist and policy expert Hodding Carter III, a professor of leadership and public policy at Carolina, will deliver the December commencement address.

Chancellor James Moeser will preside at the ceremony set for 2 p.m. Dec. 16 in the Dean E. Smith Center. Moeser selected Carter in close consultation with the University’s speaker selection committee. The committee, chaired by Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred, is also made up of four students, the faculty chair, the faculty secretary and two distinguished faculty members.

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The Office of University Relations wants to know more about the ways you use print, online and e-mail sources for the information about Carolina you need and want. We want to know what type of information is most meaningful to you and what format(s) you prefer.

This feedback will help with general communication with faculty and staff, and it will be instrumental in planning for a redesign of the University Gazette and information for the Gazette’s Web site.

Please take a few minutes to respond to a short survey of 10 questions. The survey is completely anonymous, so be candid. You can complete the form online at: ir.unc.edu/communications/
communications.htm.

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There is no known safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke experience immediate adverse effects on their cardiovascular systems, which can lead to coronary heart disease.

These are among the conclusions of the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2006 report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke.

The report concludes that even short-term exposure to tobacco smoke is hazardous, said Adam Goldstein, professor of family medicine and director of the School of Medicine’s Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program.

“In the past, we thought there had to be cumulative, long-term exposure to tobacco smoke to be harmful, but that isn’t what the surgeon general’s report shows,” he said. “The more we’re exposed to secondhand smoke, the worse it is, so there is no safe threshold. That’s why the new policy at UNC is so beneficial; it removes that risk of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, smoking will not be allowed within 100 feet of all facilities controlled by the University, both on and off campus. That includes any facility in which the University leases the entire space. The smoking ban also applies to state-owned vehicles.

In addition, there will be no designated University smoking areas. The practical effect of the policy is that Carolina will be smoke-free, Chancellor James Moeser said when he announced the new policy.

“It isn’t simply a choice of whether to smoke or not smoke, but a choice not to be exposed to secondhand smoke at all. Essentially, if you can smell smoke whatsoever, you have raised your risk for cancer and heart disease,” Goldstein said. “This policy is a big step for our university, and it shows real leadership for the entire nation.”

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