Kent Chabotar named next president
First non-Quaker to lead Guilford
Daniel Fleishman
NEWS EDITOR
On July 1, Kent Chabotar
will become the eighth president
of Guilford College. And as a Ro
man Catholic, Chabotar is to
becomes the first non-Quaker
ever to serve as Guilford's presi
dent, an issue of contention for
some students and faculty.
Chabotar, 55, succeeds Don
McNemar, who announced last
semester that this, his sixth year
on the job, would be his last.
In accepting the post,
Chabotar leaves behind Bowdoin
College, a liberal arts institution
in Maine, where for the past 11
years he has served as treasurer
and vice president for finance
and administration.
The Board of Trustees,
which had narrowed down the
pool of applicants to two final
ists, offered Chabotar the posi
tion after his on-campus inter
views two weeks ago. The an
nouncement was especially long
With end in sight, McNemar reflects on past six years
Mike Cole
STAFF WRITER
A man raised on a hard-work
ethic, Don McNemar has done a
lot for Guilford College. With his
presidential career nearing its
end, he has a lot to reflect on.
From raising SSO million in
a fund-raising campaign, to
building the Frank Family Sci
ence Center, to vastly increasing
the use of technology in campus
operations and student learning,
McNemar's work ethic has
helped him make several contri
butions to Guilford life.
"It feels good to be able to
pass on the torch to the eighth
president knowing that I have
made some real progress for the
school," McNemar said.
McNemar prides himself on
increasing enrollment by 20 per
cent during the time he was
here.
"Guilford College is well on
its way to enrolling 1600 stu
dents," he said.
Despite his achievements,
few know what has shaped the
working habits he has today.
"I really just had the luck to
Greensboro, NC
in coming due to the untimely
death of Chabotar's father.
Chabotar was considering other
job offers as well.
"My father's death really fo
cused me on what I want to do
with the next period of my life,"
he said. "When that happens, it
really clarifies your thinking as
to what's important. And I was
inclined to go to Guilford any
way, but the whole scene at
home really drove the point
home for me that this is what I
was meant to do."
Chabotar. who has also
taught at Harvard University,
the University of Massachusetts,
and Michigan State University,
and regularly taught at Bowdoin,
has what Bruce Stewart, chair
man of the Board of Trustees,
called, "a national reputation as
a financial manager and as an
academic administrator."
But Chabotar's resume is
not important for those students
See Chabotar p. 1
be born into a Quaker family," he
explained. "They were very sup
portive and encouraging and ex
pected me to do my very best."
'
nn|
President Don McNemar credits successes during
his time here, like the SSO million fund-raising
campaign, to hard work.
McNemar said he was
taught the value of hard work at
a young age.
"When I was in college, I had
many professors who believed in
me, and constantly pushed my
limits," he said. "They helped me
decide to become a teacher and a
■
v J
Chabotar, 55, plans to teach off and on and hold specific office hours 1
listen to concerns of students and teachers.
scholar."
Addressing the suddenness
of his resignation, McNemar ex
plained that his presidency was
only meant to last
six years in the
first place.
"I originally
came here to raise
money for the
school, and to lead
a series of projects
to make life more
enjoyable for the
students," he said.
"Now that I've ful
filled my main ob
jectives here, it is
time for someone
else to lead the col
lege in a new direc
tion."
McNemar
voiced some regret
about not being
JUSTIN BETSON
April 12, 2002
able to get to know as many indi
vidual students as he would have
liked, but also felt he had nc
choice.
"Unfortunately, in a jot
such as mine, one has to priori
tize what is important. I had tc
focus most of my energies on
campaigning and doing other
work which left me little time for
anything else."
McNemar offered few specific
details on exactly what he thought
were the new directions the school
would take, and how the change
would affect students, but seemed
confident Guilford would continue
to serve its students attentivel>
and effectively.
"No one knows what the fu
ture may hold," McNemar said.
"However, Guilford will continue
to maintain its high standards for
good teaching, and for being a
caring community."
COURTESY OF THE BOWDOIN ORIENT/PHOTO BY LIESL FINN
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