VOLUME 116, ISSUE 41
The final piece of the puzzle
Thorp will serve as next chancellor
BY BRIAN AUSTIN, UNIVERSITY EDITOR
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 9, Holden
Thorp got his dream job.
The UNC Board of Governors gave him its
unanimous consent to be the 10th chancellor of
UNC-Chapel Hill. After seven months of a search that has
been shrouded in secrecy, the chancellor search committee
recommended him to Erskine Bowies, who gave him a glow
ing endorsement in front of the UNC Board of Governors.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Thorp will face a host of challenges as chancellor —Carolina
North, faculty overturn and University growth, and perennial
issues such as tuition hikes, budgeting and fundraising.
But with difficult responsibilities come great opportuni
ties, as Chancellor James Moeser showed by building a suc
cessful fundraising push with the Carolina First campaign
and opening up the University to hundreds more students
with Carolina Covenant, an initiative now being modeled
across the country.
While Thorp has yet to start, he has taken on a job in
which high expectations are the norm and challenges are
the only constant.
Thorp's Rise to Administrative Power
Chancellor-elect Holden Thorp has only been in a handful of administrative
positions since he graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill over 20 years ago.
H 2008: Elected Chancellor of the University of
, , ■ I North Carolina
(gj 2007: Dean of the Coheoe of Are and Sciences
jUMi 2 *2005: Kenan Professor and chair of the
I .Department of Chemistry
I 2002: Faculty director of fundraising for
Karolina Physical Science Complex
sr'' B 2001: Director of UNC's Morehead Planetarium
m and Science Center
Peal EJ ■ L 1999: Professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill
Hr=jj| ■ Department of Chemistry
£ —— 1993 distantprofaaorof chtmaayatUNC
ifaa ■ i1990: Assistant professor of chemistry at North
BlpjC] M [Carolma State Univetsity
, a ■ 198* Received Doctorate in chemstry from the
I’m ■ California Institute of technology
mJfjjjurniunmm B .1986: Graduated from UNC with a Bachelor ol
■■iIBHBHBMHI 'Science degree m chemistry.
SOURCE: HTTP/ANWWUNC.EDU/C HAN/SEARCH DTH/BUSS PIERCE
Collaboration expected from N.C. native
BY DEVIN ROONEY
STATE 8 NATIONAL EDITOR
As the next chancellor of UNC-Chapel
Hill, Holden Thorp will have to balance his
duty as an advocate for his campus with his
obligation to work within the larger UNC
system to make good on a debt to the people
of North Carolina.
That will be one of Thorps greatest chal
lenges. But many of his colleagues from all
levels in the University believe the native
North Carolinians savvy and drive will help
him succeed.
Although Thorp hasn't talked specifically
about his plans to work with other chan
cellors in the UNC system. Nelson Schwab,
chairman of the chancellor search commit
tee, said this reflects well on Thorp.
Thorp s deanship lends crucial experience
Past approach to
growth universal
BY MARY KATHERINE AYERS
STAFF WRITER
During his year as dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences,
Chancellor-elect Holden Thorp
developed qualities that his col
leagues say will help him succeed
in his new position.
“The college is the heart and soul
of the University and has been his
torically* said William Andrews,
the senior associate dean for Fine
Arts and Humanities. “So it’s quite
appropriate for the chancellor to
announcement
WORK FORTHEDTH
The Daily Tar Heel is hiring summer staff
for all desks! Stop by our offices Monday
through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
in Student Union 2409 or e-mail rullrich®
email.unc.edu for more information.
(Eire Sathj (Ear Mrel
"He is a very thoughtful person who
wants to know the facts and understand the
issues,” Schwab said.
This thoughtfulness was just one of the
traits that helped fuel Thorps roaring ascent
to chancellor. But Schwab said it could mean
that Thorp might take several months to get
his bearings as a leader in the UNC system.
*1 think the next few months are certainly
going to be a learning process to understand
what those issues are and what role we might
play, if any."
UNC-system President Erskine Bowles
said Thorp is keenly aware of his duties to
both the University and the system. “He has
an appreciation for the state and for the
University’s role within the state," he said.
“As we talked about him moving up to chan
come from the college."
Andrews said that although
Thorp hails from a science back
ground, he has been supportive of
other areas of education, as well.
As chancellor, Andrews said,
Thorp will be a good representative
of both students and faculty .
“I think that he’ll appreciate the
kind of opportunities that students
have here to become a fully round
ed person."
The College of Arts and Sciences
is the largest and oldest school at
UNC. About 22 percent of all grad
uate and professional students are
in the college, and more than 70
percent of undergraduates choose
a major in the college.
State | page 5
DOLLARS AND CENTS
Governor Mike Easley
presented his proposed $21.5
billion budget for 2009, al
locating S6B million for reform
in the mental health system.
WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
www.dailytarheel.com
-- Hr #
bjaßßßhr i nil ■■ w
| B ap w
Wf " A mg 1
DTH/RACHEI RODE MANN
Chancellor-elect Holden Thorp furiously spun a Rubik's Cube during an interview Tuesday afternoon. His cube
skills were quite impressive, and he solved the puzzle in a matter of minutes —a feat which seems to mirror
his quick ascent to the top at North Carolina, elected UNC-Chapel Hill's chancellor at the early age of 43.
The college faculty teach 87 per
cent of all undergraduate credit
hours. Bruce Carney, the senior
associate dean for sciences, said
Thorp has been particularly effec
tive in attracting, recruiting and
retaining faculty.
Carney said the best research
ers and teachers in the college are
always those specifically targeted
for recruitment.
“We’ve had a couple of very strong
faculty we’ve wooed in the past year
that we’ve been able to keep despite
expectations that we would not be
able to do so,’ he said.
Carney appointed Thorp as
chairman of the chemistry depart
ment in 2005.
cellor, he talked about how he really believed it
would be in UNCs interest to work in partner
ship with the other UNC campuses."
Thorp has the advantage of being a native
to the state, which many of his colleagues
mentioned as a plus.
Joe Templeton, UNC chair of faculty, said
Thorp will draw on his roots to guide his
work in the UNC system.
"I think that the traits that he brings to
the position of chancellor and his North
Carolina connection and commitment will
serve him well in working with the other
campuses," he said.
Thorp is also known as a passionate col
laborator and leader, and Schwab said Thorp
will draw on that to work with other system
chancellors.
Karen Gil, the senior associate
dean for social sciences, said that
Thorp is concerned not only with
recruiting for the college, but also
fundraising for it
'He spent a lot of time work
ing with and talking to our alumni
and friends and donors to the
University."
Gil said the funds Thorp raised
helped support distinguished pro
fessorships, the honors program,
the first-year seminar program,
study abroad programs and newer
minors in the college, such as the
entrepreneurship minor.
And fundraising is becom-
SEE A&S LEGACY, PAGE 4
I page 6
HOT NEW EATS
Anew Columbia Street restau
rant, Buns, opened Monday,
offering plenty of variety on
the American dinner staple:
the hamburger.
“He has an appreciation
for the state and for the
University's role within
the state."
ERSKINE BOWLES, UNC-SYSTEM PRESIDENT
“Thorp's approach that we got through the
interview process is certainly one of reaching
out and learning from the other campuses
and seeking ways in which all the campuses
might work together."
Contact the State fif National
Editor at stntdesk(a unc.edu.
Chancellor role key in
Carolina North plans
BY MELISSA BROWN
STAFf WRITER
As James Moeser steps down
as the ninth University chancel
lor, he leaves behind not only his
influence on UNC, but also the
town the University calls home.
Moeser leaves after leading the
University—and by default the
town of Chapel Hill—in anew
direction with the promise of sat
ellite research campus Carolina
North.
But the future of Chapel Hill
and the University now lies in the
hands of Chancellor-elect Holden
this day in history
MAY 15,1972
Alabama Governor George C.
Wallace was shot by a 21 -year-old
man while campaigning for the
Democratic presidential
nomination in Laurel, Md.
THURSDAY. MAY 15, 2008
Straight
from the
horse’s
mouth
Daily Tar Heel Editor-in
chief Allison Nichols talked
with Chancellor-elect Holden
Thorp on Tuesday in his South
Building office.
Nichols, who had heard that
Thorp won the adult division
of a Rubik's Cube competi
tion when he was 17. tested the
future chancellor on his speed.
He finished the puzzle in
less than seven minutes, pro
testing his "rustiness" all the
while. Nichols remains uruiblc
to soli <e the dum thing.
DTH: What do you see as the
biggest issues for the University in
the coming years?
HT: Well, I think the good news
is that James Moeser has provided
both a tough act to follow and a
great place to start. The University's
in great shape: we've got great peo
ple on our leadership team ....
So the good news for me is that
I'm not needing to fix some gigan
tic problem. I think the biggest chal
lenge facing me is the same one
that faced me on Wednesday when
I was dean of Arts & Sciences and
not the chancellor-elect, and that
is to maintain and even improve
the academic atmosphere for our
students and faculty in terms of
the academic quality, while at the
same time responding to the inter
est that we have from the people
of North Carolina .... I'm only inter
ested in serving more students if
were going to be able to maintain
or improve the character and aca
demic quality of the education that
people are going to get.
DTH: Well, I've seen the
numbers you've seen about
enrollment, and that seems to
be the balancing act that we
need to think about Where do
you see Carolina going? Do you
see a drastic change or growth in
enrollment in the future?
HT: Well I think it's too early
to tell. We re still in the process of
trying to figure out how much we
can grow without compromising
doing things the way we want to.
So until I've got a concrete plan
for how we re going to do that, I'm
not ready to say how we re going
to grow one way or the other,
DTH: What about tuition?
When Chancellor Moeser came in
he had a record at Nebraska that
we could compare to and an idea
of what he felt.
What are your thoughts about
tuition predictability at UNC? Just
recently in the past few years we
have the plan that (UNC-system
President) Erskine Bowles has
spearheaded to have the 6.5 per
SEE Q&A, PAGE 4
Thorp.
“Chapel Hill is the commu
nity we all live in and where the
University exists." Moeser said.
“Good relations between the two
are very important, because the
quality of life in Chapel Hill is
what makes UNC such an attrac
tive place to attend."
He said Thorp has an advan
tage since he has been active in
the earliest stages of Carolina
Norths planning during his ten
ure as dean of the College of Arts
SEE TOWN RELATION, PAGE 4
weather
T-Storms
H 73,161
index
calendar 2
games 7
sports 7
opinion g