The News & Observer reports that a special meeting has been called by UNC for Thursday to name a new president to replace Erskine Bowles.
Earlier this year, I talked with Jane Shaw of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy about the Bowles retirement announcement, his legacy, why Shaw wished Bowled had stayed longer, and the qualities she would like to see in a new president. Here’s an excerpt from the full transcript.
Martinez: What do you believe the [UNC] Board of Governors should look for in the next president?
Shaw: I think someone who can carry on the professionalism that Erskine Bowles has brought to it. And I will say that the chairman right now, Hannah Gage, who is a businesswoman essentially, is very capable. And so I think there’s hope, but the chances are, it will be very, very difficult to find someone with the set of skills that Erskine Bowles has.
Martinez: And in fact, he has such an interesting background. He’s done a lot of different things — business person, worked in the White House, et cetera. Should the president of the system have any education-specific background?
Shaw: I kind of don’t think so. I think his success reveals that you don’t need to have a Ph.D. in an obscure topic in order to be a good manager. And I think that is an important part of that job.
Martinez: And finally Jane, it appears that whenever these big jobs come up, there’s always a controversy over whether the search and the finalist list should be public, or whether these folks deserve privacy. What’s your take?
Shaw: I think this is an attractive enough job so that at least the finalists should be known and they should be willing to be known. So I’d say at least the final round of the search should be open, maybe not the beginnings of it
