UNC system president Thomas Ross is leaving office in January 2016. The system’s Board of Governors (BOG) is now searching for his replacement.
In May and June, the BOG sought input from the public and campus stakeholders. Based on results from an online survey, four town hall forums, and informal discussions, the board’s Leadership Statement Committee created a profile of the ideal candidate, released June 18.
The “leadership statement,” which requires full board approval, is intended to serve as a guiding document for the BOG and Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm hired by the board to identify and entice top candidates. Unfortunately, it offers little in the way of substance.
For example, the profile states that “working constructively across multiple sectors and stakeholder groups” is an “essential skill” that the next president should possess. And in terms of “essential characteristics,” the consensus is that he or she should “[demonstrate] integrity in word and deed.”
Roughly $300,000 is being spent on the search process. How much of that money was required to determine that the next UNC president should work constructively and have integrity?
The presidential hiring will affect the state’s 16 public universities for years to come. A search process guided by superficial statements and platitudes will not help the board find the best person for the job.
