8 The Tar Heel Thursday, June 9, 1988
Fordham
from page 1
cerns has always been the student
body. He described UNC's students
as "exciting, lively and interested in
the University and what's going on
in the world."
But he understands the dilemma
that students face seeking to serve
oneself while trying to serve others.
Students want to find the delicate
balance between independence and
interdependence, he said.
Fordham, impressed by students
ability to find this balance, said
students cherish the freedom Amer
icans have, but still have concern for
others even those in far-off lands.
"I am encouraged by this generation
of students," he added.
And he always tried to be receptive
to what students had to tell him.
Fordham said he adopted an "open
door policy" to students by encour
aging them to come by and talk to
him.
Part of this effort to keep the lines
of communication open included
monthly programs of "Breakfast (or
Lunch) with the Chancellor" spon
sored by the Carolina Student Fund.
Fordham admitted that the title
"chancellor" might discourage stu
dents from sharing their thoughts, but
iii general, students have been "pretty
straight" with him.
It is somewhat ironic that Ford
ham, who said he didnt really have
any opinions about UNC's adminis
tration when he was an undergrad
uate, should occupy the chancellor's
office 31 years later. When he grad
uated from UNC in 1949, the admin
istration was "sort of nonexistent,"
although he did meet then-UNC
President Frank Graham once, he
said. At that point, he had no
ambition to return to UNC as an
administrator.
But the Greensboro native did
return. After receiving his M.D. from
Harvard University in 1951 and
completing his residency in Boston,
Fordham came back to Chapel Hill
as a senior resident assistant at North
Carolina Memorial Hospital. He
taught and served as associate and
assistant dean in the medical school
before leaving again in 1969 to
become dean of medicine at the
Medical College of Georgia, return
ing again two years later as dean of
UNC's School of Medicine. In 1978,
he became vice chancellor for health
affairs, and moved into the chancel
lor's office in 1980.
As one who left Chapel Hill and
later returned, Fordham wishes other
alumni would do the same. He said
he encourages alumni to visit the
campus and take advantage of the
University's resources. There is more
to see than athletic events, he said,
adding that the Alumni Association
is planning programs to bring faculty,
alumni and students together.
But this influx of people can cause
problems for the small-town atmo
sphere that Chapel Hill tries to
maintain. Fordham said University-
I ....
Christopher Fordham
town relations were high on his
priority list during his stay in office.
The town and the University cannot
be separated, he said, because the
University is the town's main busi
ness. They must continue to try to
understand each other's problems
and work together to solve them, he
said.
Fordham tried to nurture a good
relationship with the town, and
evidently the Chapel Hill Chamber
of Commerce thinks he has suc
ceeded.'It annually presents a "Town
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and Gown Award" to someone who
shows a commitment to civic affairs
and who has helped to bridge the gap
between University personnel, stu
dents and citizens. Fordham was this
year's recipient.
When asked about a report saying
that UNC is "coasting on its former
glory," Fordham quickly pointed out
that the report referred only to faculty
salaries, not the quality of education.
"UNC has gone uphill," he said.
"No one has said it's going downhill."
Fordham said he preferred to
characterize UNC as a "soaring eagle
with a wounded wing," with the
wounded wing being faculty pay. "We
are running the risk of coasting if we
don't attain the resources we need to
make our faculty salaries competitive
with the best institutions in the
country," he said, adding that UNC
"has not gone down one drop" in
other areas.
He said the University has con
tinued to increase its research fund
ing, private support and quality of
students and faculty. UNC needs to
make its salaries comparable with the
quality of its education, he said, and
he is optimistic that this will happen.
While Fordham supports higher
salaries for faculty members, he
refused to comment on other policies
the UNC should adopt. "That is not
for me to say," he said. "The new
chancellor should decide the direction
the University should take."
Fordham said he was impressed
with incoming Chancellor Paul
Hardin from Drew University and
was "comfortable that he will artic
ulate new directions and continue
growth in some of the same
directions."
Although the retiring Fordham
said he didn't have any words of
wisdom to give Hardin, he said he
would offer any advice or informa
tion that Hardin might request.
The main objective now is a
graceful transition, he said. "I want
to help make the change as smooth
as possible (and) to be as helpful and
as non-intrusive as possible," he said.
Although he will leave his office
in South Building on June 30,
Fordham is not leaving the Univer
sity. He plans to take a one-year leave
of absence for study and research
before returning, once again, as an
instructor in the medical school.
Yet neither the town nor the
University will forget what Fordham
has done for them. Noted for his
success at increasing research fund
ing, Fordham will have a new $11.1
million biology and biotechnology
building between Carrington, Mit
chell, Wilson and Coker halls named
for him.
The Chapel Hill Transportation
Board is also considering renaming
a portion of U.S. 15-501 for him.
Although officials are still unsure
about the exact section, they said it
is likely to stretch from N.C. 54
through Carrboro and Chapel Hill to
the Durham city limits.
When asked how he felt about
having a building and a road named
for him, Fordham's modesty and
devotion to the University once again
came through. "Anyone who does
anything to honor me. . .is honoring
the University," he said, "sd I'm
grateful."
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