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UNC system president Tom Ross defends SB 575

mschultz — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:34:03 -0400

UNC system President Tom Ross is defending a proposal to remove university workers from the State Personnel Act.

In tomorrow's N&O and Chapel Hill News, the president of the university system, says having one personnel system for workers exempt from and currently subject to the State Personnel Act would benefit everyone.

“We’re not interested in taking away the rights of our SPA employees,” he says. “Unfortunately some outside groups have attempted to create that fear. What we want to do is create flexibility to do more for our employees.”

Senate Bill 575 would put 22,000 workers under the UNC Board of Governors. The bill's dead this session, but its HR change could be inserted in the final budget bill. Among other provisions, the board would adopt policies on compensation, health and disability benefits, and “any other human resource policy the Board deems appropriate to promote the recruitment and retention of capable, diligent, and effective employees.”

Last week, a group sent a letter signed by 130 individuals and organizations to UNC-CH Chancellor Holden Thorp, asking him to publicly state where he stands and to speak at a rally at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday outside South Building on the UNC-CH campus. We'll be at the rally and have a report Thursday in print and online.

Critics fear the legislation could end policies that protect them against unfair treatment and for reporting workplace problems. They worry about putting personnel rules in the hands of an appointed board. The UNC-CH Employee Forum passed a resolution last June against the personnel provisions in SB 575. In an email, forum chair Jackie Overton says for now she has nothing else to say about it.

Ross says he’s disappointed in the response to SB 575. Any new system would have a grievance process and protection for campus whistleblowers, he says, and there is no move to make SPA workers “at-will” employees able to be terminated at any time for any reason.

“Some employees don’t trust the university,” he says. “I don’t know why that is.”

Read the full story in tomorrow's newspapers and online and tell us what you think by sending a signed letter to the editor to editor@newsobserver.com

Kiplinger's ranks UNC-Chapel Hill No. 1 value among public colleges and universities

mschultz — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:12:38 -0500

UNC-Chapel Hill ranks as the No. 1 value in American public higher education, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine reported today.

For the 11th time in a row, UNC-CH ranked first on Kiplinger’s list of the 100 universities and colleges that provide the best value to in-state students. The magazine also listed Carolina No. 1 for the value offered to out-of-state students.

The new ranking appears in the February issue posted along with a related story this morning.

“Kiplinger’s takes a hard look at what we care most about at Carolina: providing a great education to a diverse student body at an affordable price,” Chancellor Holden Thorp said in a statement. “We established for the country the idea of higher education as a public good. So we are doubly proud to be recognized as one of America’s most accessible and high-quality public universities.”

The universities of Florida, Virginia and the College of William and Mary ranked second, third and fourth, followed by New College of Florida, and the universities of Georgia, California-Berkeley, Maryland at College Park, California at Los Angeles and California at San Diego. Other UNC system campuses on the list are UNC-Wilmington, 15th; NC State, 19^th; Appalachian State, 33^rd; UNC School of the Arts, 41^st; and UNC-Asheville, 45^th.

In a news release Kiplinger said it changed its methodology this year because of the economic challenges facing higher education. For academics, the formula considered the percentage of students returning as sophomores and the four-year graduation rate. The magazine favored campuses with low sticker prices and abundant financial aid, with bonus points for schools that keep student borrowing low.

Kiplinger’s calculated value for cost and financial aid (low sticker prices, generous need-based aid and percentage of need met) and student indebtedness (low average debt at graduation and low percentage of students who borrow). Other categories were competitiveness (high test scores among freshmen, a low admission rate and a high yield as measures of selectivity and “intellectual synergy”); graduation rates (maximum points for the four-year rate; half that amount for a strong six-year rate); and academic support (number of students per faculty and freshman retention rate).

Duke Chapel Dean Samuel Wells to become vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London

mschultz — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:24:22 -0500

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells, the dean of Duke Chapel since 2005, will leave Duke early next summer to become the vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, he announced today.

“I’ve loved being a part of Duke as we have explored together what faith means to head, heart and hand in a diverse culture at a challenging time.” Wells said in a statement. “It has been an amazing privilege and joy to lead the ministry of the Chapel and share in the vibrant Duke and Durham communities. I shall miss it more than I can say.”

Wells will return to England to lead a prominent church that enjoys a close relationship with national leaders. Located in Trafalgar Square beside the National Gallery, the church is renowned for its high profile in the arts and engagement with poverty, often appearing in public broadcasts tied to issues of social justice.

“St. Martin’s is at the crossroads of London and the world, of faith and action, of social justice and the arts, of tradition and innovation, of commerce and charity, of political and personal struggle,” Wells said. “It is a great honor to be invited to join this dynamic ministry.”

The appointment committee reached its decision unanimously, saying, “We believe that Sam’s rich and varied experience, alongside his theological depth and integrity, make him ideal to be Vicar of St. Martin’s.”

In addition to serving as dean of the university’s iconic chapel, where he leads weekly services and oversees a staff of 25, Wells has worked closely with the associate dean for religious life to assist 28 student groups that minister to the spiritual needs of Duke students, Duke officials said in today's release. He has been an active leader of the Duke and Durham communities, making connections with students, campus deans and others to address ethical issues and establish close ties with diverse faith groups. He also has emerged as an influential voice on behalf of the poor, recently co-authoring “Living Without Enemies,” a book describing care for those directly affected by gun violence.

Known for his eloquence as a preacher and theologian, Wells has attracted a wide following within the Duke community and more widely through live Internet sermons and video recordings on Duke on Demand, the release said. A research professor of Christian ethics who has published 17 books, Wells also has been active in the university’s academic life, teaching graduate students in the Divinity School and undergraduate students in the Sanford School of Public Policy.

Neighbors of animal holding center to meet with UNC Monday

mschultz — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 04:00:00 -0400

Neighbors of UNC’s Bingham Facility will meet with university officials Monday to discuss the latest plans for the animal holding center west of Carrboro.

The facility was in the news last year when UNC planned to add three buildings and expand from 85 dogs to up to 450 dogs and 150 hogs. After repeated leaks of treated wastewater, it shelved the plan and returned a $14.5 million federal grant when it determined it would need another $20 million to make the plan work.

Now UNC is rebuilding the facility’s wastewater treatment system. There are no plans to expand, the university says, but neighbors in the group Preserve Rural Orange are wary. The state last week granted their request for a public hearing on the university’s application to modify its permit, which calls for spreading treated wastewater over a larger area than before.

In an interview, Associate Vice Chancellor Bob Lowman emphasized that UNC is not expanding and that the facility's three buildings are probably all there will ever be, he said. There likely won’t ever be more than 85 dogs or any hogs permanently housed there, he said.

A building that was expected to house specially bred golden retrievers for a muscular dystrophy researcher who is now leaving the university will likely be used for mice, Lowman said.

Look for more on this story coming Sunday in The Chapel Hill News.

Education reform expert to speak Monday at Duke

mschultz — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:33:56 -0400

A Bush administration official who led and then changed her mind on federal education reform will speak at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, in Page Auditorium on the Duke University campus.

Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. She has written 10 books on education, most recently last year’s “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.”

From 1991 to 1993, she was Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. In that position, her website says, she led the federal effort to promote the creation of voluntary state and national academic standards.

From 1997 to 2004, she was a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the federal testing program.

“As No Child Left Behind's (NCLB) accountability regime took over the nation's schools under President George W. Bush and more and more charter schools were launched, I supported these initiatives,” Ravitch wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “But over time, I became disillusioned with the strategies that once seemed so promising. I no longer believe that either approach will produce the quantum improvement in American education that we all hope for.

"On our present course, we are disrupting communities, dumbing down our schools, giving students false reports of their progress, and creating a private sector that will undermine public education without improving it. Most significantly, we are not producing a generation of students who are more knowledgeable, and better prepared for the responsibilities of citizenship. That is why I changed my mind about the current direction of school reform.”

Ravitch's appearance is presented by Durham Public Schools and the Duke University Program in Education. Tickets for the Page Auditorium talk are free, but must be obtained in advance. They are available on-line at tickets.duke.edu, by calling 919-684-4444.

Student records stolen in UNC Honor Court office break-in

ldouglas — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:55:17 -0400

Confidential student records were stolen from a UNC building that houses the Honor Court.

Officials discovered the break-in to the student judicial system office in Student Academic Services Building North this morning. Thirty students’ confidential records were stolen, according to a news release.

The office contains the Honor Court, which was discussed at last week’s board of trustees meeting. The Honor Court disciplined football player Michael McAdoo for receiving impermissible help on a paper from a tutor last year but failed to catch McAdoo’s plagiarism. (Read Dan Kane's story on that here.)

UNC-CH declined to comment on any possible connection between McAdoo’s case and the break-in.

If you know anything about the beak-in, police ask you to call Investigator Ross Barbee at 919-962-0564 or Crime Stoppers at 919-942-7515. All callers may remain anonymous.

Duke named one of best colleges to work for

mschultz — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:53:55 -0400

From Duke Office of News & Communications

For the fourth consecutive year, Duke has been named as one of the best colleges in the country to work for by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

After an independent survey of employees for the 2011 "Great Colleges to Work For" program, Duke earned high marks for its commitment in five workplace categories. Duke was among colleges highlighted for programs and achievements in:

Professional/ career development programs (Employees given opportunity to develop skills and understand requirements to advance in careers).
Facilities, workspaces and security (Facilities adequately meet needs, appearance of campus is pleasing and the institution takes steps to provide a secure environment).
Job satisfaction (Provides insight into satisfaction with job fit, autonomy, resources).
Work/life balance (Policies give employees flexibility to manage personal lives).
Supervisor/department chair relationship (Supervisor makes expectations clear, solicits ideas).

This year, 310 colleges participated in the program, and Duke was one of 111 institutions that received recognition in various categories.

UNC airport authority legislation repealed

mschultz — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:51:00 -0400

State lawmakers have repealed legislation that allowed the UNC Board of Governors to create an airport authority to replace Horace Williams Airport with another airport in Orange County.

Senate Bill 593 eliminates “certain state boards and commissions that have not met recently, are duplicative or are not deemed critical.” The airport legislation is on that list.

Three years ago, lawmakers authorized UNC to look for and site a new airport in the rural county (See our story here.). A consultant estimated a new airport could pump up to $53 million into the local economy, more than four times what Horace Williams generates. (See our story here.)

The search caused great concern in the Bingham Township area, where possible sites included land some families had lived on for generations. The group Preserve Rural Orange collected 1,100 signatures on a petition opposed to the search (See our story here.) Chancellor Holden Thorp eventually ended the search, and UNC decided to move airport operations to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where a new hangar was recently completed.

Preserve Rural Orange member Laura Streitfeld says board members Tom Schopler and Cliff Leath met recently with state Reps. Verla Insko and Joe Hackney, and state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird to thank them for helping to repeal the airport authority legislation, which remained on the books.

“The repeal of the airport authority legislation gives us all a cause to rejoice and thank our legislators for listening to us," Heath says. "It also reminds us that people working together for the common good can and do make a difference. The formation of Preserve Rural Orange, meetings held at White Cross Community Center, petitions that neighbors signed, news articles and letters to the editor, and communication efforts by Orange County Voice, local businesses and other community groups were all a testament to our resolve over this issue.”

Duke to host public session with Greg Louganis

ewarnock — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:59:35 -0400

The Duke University diving team will welcome a very special guest on campus this week as the 1984 and 1988 Olympic double gold medalist Greg Louganis will come to town as part of an athlete mentor program put on by USA Diving.

As part of his visit, Duke will host a club day beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday (July 2) at the Blue Devil dry land practice facility, where Louganis will talk with local divers, coaches and fans.

The facility is located at 808 West Trinity Avenue in Durham.

The club day is free and open to the public.

Louganis, who won 47 U.S. national diving titles and was also a silver medalist on the platform in 1976, will spend three days with Duke divers Abby Johnston and Nick McCrory as they prepare to travel to the World Championship and compete for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic squad. A three-time NCAA champion, Louganis will watch both Johnston and McCrory train and share knowledge as they prepare for the upcoming championship.

School of the Arts chancellor releases Gershwin recording

brookecain — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:27:51 -0400

UNC School of the Arts chancellor John Mauceri has released a new studio recording of the George and Ira Gershwin 1930 Broadway classic, "Strike Up the Band."

An earlier version of the score was released in 1991, but the final score, which was extensively revised by the Gershwins, was never fully tracked until now.

The disc was released by PS Classics, a label devoted to American theatre music and popular song.

Mauceri conducted the 28-piece orchestra featured on the score. The final project was completed this spring. You can get more details at Playbill.

Mauceri has been the chancellor at UNCSA since 2006. He was a consultant for music theater at Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for more than a decade, and for 18 years, Mauceri worked closely with Leonard Bernstein and conducted many of the composer’s premieres at Bernstein’s request.

Goodbye

eferreri — Wed, 18 May 2011 06:00:00 -0400

A couple months back, I ran into a UNC employee who asked me if I had been sick the previous week.

I had, and I asked him what made him suspect as much.

Well," he said, "There wasn't as much stuff on the blog last week as there usually is."

This was encouraging news, since it meant that Campus Notes was gaining some sort of foothold. It was flattering that at least one person followed it regularly enough to notice an occasional gap in service.

I've tried to use this blog to bolster my higher education reporting for the News & Observer in print and online. The blog and its twitter feed, @campus_notes, have helped me reach new audiences. They've also taught me what's popular on the web. For example, people seem to like videos of silly college kids engaging in what I like to call "planned spontaneity" in the campus library.

And blog posts about controversial Muslim leaders headed to town are popular too. And of course, the Granddaddy of all Twitter Trash Talk, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp's Krzyzewskiville blast. That was an amusing day.

I'm really going to miss it all.

It's bittersweet for me to report that I'm leaving the News & Observer, my third newspaper in a 15-year journalism career, for a new job with the news office at Duke University.

My last day is Friday.

These are tough times for newspapers, which struggle to make money. (You're probably reading this on your computer. For free.) But the News & Observer is committed to its coverage of higher education here in the Triangle, one of the nation's most complex and dynamic higher education markets.

And the blog will remain as well, with contributions from a number of reporters and editors.

I've spent most of the last dozen years writing about universities here in the Triangle. I've learned a lot and I hope my reporting has been useful. I'm leaving this beat just as it's getting interesting, with sweeping changes to public universities beckoning on the horizon.

I'll follow all the twists and turns in the newspaper. I hope you will too.

Thanks for reading.

NCCU official: 'Deeply saddened and disappointed' in student who copied speech

janestancill — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:09:35 -0400

N.C. Central University Provost Kwesi Aggrey today issued a statement regarding Preston Mitchum, the NCCU law graduate who admitted that he copied a speech from a YouTube video for his remarks at last week's commencement.

"We are deeply saddened and disappointed that our student engaged in plagiarism," Aggrey's statement said. "At North Carolina Central University, we completely disavow this behavior by any of our students in any capacity. To our knowledge, this is the first time someone has replicated remarks for one of our Commencement exercises. We hope this incident will serve as a teaching moment for our students."

Mitchum said Monday he meant to credit Binghamton University graduate Anthony Corvino for his original speech last year. Read the story from today's N&O.

N.C. Children's Hospital 10th best in pulmonology

mschultz — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:58:21 -0400

North Carolina Children’s Hospital at UNC Hospitals has been ranked in six of 10 U.S. News Media Group’s “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” categories. The hospital nabbed its second Top 10 ranking in pulmonology -- the only top 10 ranking achieved by any children’s hospital in North Carolina, according to a news release.

N.C. Children’s Hospital ranked 10th in pulmonology, 37th in diabetes and endocrinology, 39th in gastroenterology, 42nd in orthopaedics, 43rd in cardiology and heart surgery, and 44th in neonatology, the release said.

The new rankings recognize the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology. Seventy-six hospitals are ranked in at least one specialty.

Now in its fifth year, Best Children’s Hospitals pulls together data from a lengthy survey completed by the majority of the 177 hospitals asked to participate for the 2011-12 rankings. The survey asks hundreds of questions about survival rates, nurse staffing, subspecialist availability, and other areas.

Should UNC limit enrollment?

eferreri — Mon, 16 May 2011 09:48:25 -0400

Should UNC limit enrollment? Reduce it, even?

Gasp!

This isn't the sort of idea that has ever gotten much serious consideration in North Carolina, a state that prides itself on providing an affordable and accessible education to its citizens.

But these woeful economic times are changing the minds of decision-makers. In today's paper, a story about why this may not be the worst time for the state to consider scaling back enrollment.

One note: There's an error in the story that will be corrected. There are 58 community college campuses in North Carolina, not 56.

Paying for college: one student's story

eferreri — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:40:21 -0400

In today's paper, a big story about the rising cost of college and the impact legislative decisions may have, in particular, on financial aid and debt levels.

In reporting the story, I ran across an interesting student at N.C. Central University, William Anyu. He didn't make the story, but his tale is worth telling here. A version will likely also appear in the Durham News at some point soon.

William Anyu is so tuned in to his finances that he can tell how much he spent on the clothes he’s wearing.

That gray cardigan was $15 from the clearance rack at J.C. Penney. The sweatpants? Ten bucks at Walmart.

The N.C. Central University sophomore is proud of his financial smarts. But ask him about the rising costs of college, and a brief storm cloud shadows his sunny disposition.

“It’s a depressing thought,” he said one recent evening during his graveyard shift manning the front desk of a NCCU residence hall. “I can’t do anything about it.”

Anyu is far from alone. Across North Carolina, public university students are feeling the effects of the state’s continuing economic woes. Tuition has risen steadily as funding for higher education has been reduced. In the last four years, the UNC system has shouldered $620 million in cuts that have forced campuses to significantly curtail services. And the next fiscal year promises to be worse. The state House’s budget proposal would cut nearly $472 million from the university system, a 15 percent reduction.

Over the last decade, tuition for public universities has grown as much as 200 percent. Last year alone, NCCU tuition rose 24 percent, and Anyu pays largely through loans. He already owes more about $15,000, and he’s just halfway through college.
But it’s still worth it. The degree he’s pursuing in mass communication, with a minor in English, is a necessary starting point toward a life far more comfortable than that led by his mother, who earns $21,000 a year working in a nursing home.
Eventually, he wants to go to law school. Yes, more loans are on the horizon.
“These days,” he said, “A bachelor’s degree isn’t enough.”
Anyu has the right attitude, said Kevin Rome, NCCU’s vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management. Rome counsels students not to fear debt and fights entitlement - the notion some students have that their education should be paid by someone else. He pushes accountability and the value of education,
not often an easy sell to poor students who struggle to pay their tuition and fear long-term debt.
“For an 18 or 19-year-old, having $30,000 or $40,000 in debt, for someone from a low-wealth family, that’s overwhelming,” Rome said.
“But they know life is so much better when you have the expertise to pay it off.”

Anyu took a circuitous route to NCCU. A native of Minneapolis, he is the youngest of six siblings, all of whom have gone to college – many close to home, most incurring debt. After high school, he enrolled at the University of Minnesota’s Mankato campus, a popular choice among his friends and just an hour from home.
But Anyu quickly realized he wanted to escape the comfortable and challenge himself somewhere new and unfamiliar. The Mankato campus is part of a national campus exchange program that allows students to attend college in other states while paying tuition to their home school. Through that, he discovered NCCU.

“The moment I stepped foot on campus, I felt I was home,” he said. So here he is, closing in on the end of his sophomore year of college, his first in Durham. He’s paid in-state rates so far, but that deal ends soon. Under the terms of the exchange program, he’ll now be a full-fledged out-of-state NCCU student, paying
$13,525 a year.

That’s roughly $10,000 more than he’s paying now, which helps to explain why Anyu spends many of his nights at the front desk of NCCU’s Ruffin Residence Hall, filing papers, working on his homework and helping students who locked themselves out of their rooms. It’s quiet here in the middle of the night, the silence interrupted by the occasional student passing through the lobby, and the clickety-clicking of hands on keyboards in the nearby computer lab. A student will occasionally approach the front desk, say hi to Anyu, and rummage through the basket of free condoms set out on the counter.

Anyu does receive some federal Pell Grant funding, but his financial aid package is still largely comprised of loans, he said. And since he’ll soon be paying out-of-state rates, the $15,000 or so in debt Anyu has rolled up so far could double by the time he gets his bachelor’s degree. if he’s going from in-state to out-of-state tuition, i’d bet it’ll be more than that. So it’s not like this desk job that pays nine bucks an hour will save him the burden of years of post-graduate debt.

But it provides a small margin for fun. He works 19 hours a week, including three straight nights on the midnight to 5 am. shift, and brings in $342 every two weeks. He puts $100 into his savings account, and uses the rest to pay for his phone, credit card and the occasional burger from somewhere other than the campus dining
hall.

He keeps close tabs on his bank account, tracking deposits and withdrawals while living in fear of the bank’s $35 overdraft charge.

“To me, knowing how much money I have is like breathing,” he said.

Senate spending would favor UNC

eferreri — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:08:39 -0400

Senate budget writers would offer $87 million more to the UNC system than their N.C. House counterparts have proposed.

But K-12 and community colleges would take a bigger hit, according to new spending targets released Tuesday by Senate officials.

As Lynn Bonner and Craig Jarvis report in today's paper, the Senate would spend about $40 million less overall on education than the House would, while apportioning that spending in different ways.

K-12 education would receive $106 million less than the House's version, while community colleges would get about $21 million less.

Find your UNC graduate in the crowd

eferreri — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:48:04 -0400

If you're not sure what sort of silly hat your kid was wearing Sunday at UNC-Chapel Hill's commencement, we've got you covered.

Navigate your way over to this super-fantastic, interactive panoramic photo of the graduation ceremony, zoom in and find your child in all his or her silly glory.

Have fun.

UNCW names a new chancellor

eferreri — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:51:29 -0400

UNC Wilmington has a new leader.

He is Gary L. Miller, who since 2006 has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and research at Wichita State University.

He was named chancellor at UNCW Tuesday by the UNC system's Board of Governors.

Miller, 57, starts work no later than July 1, succeeding Rosemary DePaolo, who is retiring after an eight-year tenure.

One of three research universities in the Kansas Board of Regents System, Wichita State University is an urban doctoral research university enrolling approximately 14,500 students at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels.

From a UNCW press release: As provost and vice president for academic affairs and research, Miller is WSU’s chief academic and research officer. In that role, he has been responsible for the overall vision, mission, and operations of all undergraduate and graduate academic programs on WSU’s main and satellite campuses, as well as providing leadership for academic support, research, strategic planning, outreach programs, and international programs.

Last year, Miller was a finalist for the presidency of Binghamton University.

A native of Dayton, Va., Miller graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in anthropology. After completing a master’s degree in biology (1979) at William and Mary, he earned his doctorate in biological sciences from Mississippi State University in 1982. He also has attended programs in educational leadership at Harvard University and Yale University.

Miller began his academic career in 1983 as an assistant professor of entomology at Mississippi State and two years later joined the faculty of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

In 1989, he began a 14-year tenure at the University of Mississippi, where he rose through the academic ranks and served for seven years as chair of the Department of Biology. In 2002, he was recruited to serve as dean of arts and sciences at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., where he was helped expand in expand programs in the sciences, organize a full revision of the general education program, and increase enrollment.

He left California in 2006 to join WSU as provost and vice president for academic affairs and research.

AAU expels Nebraska

eferreri — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:03:18 -0400

The American Association of Universities, an elite organization of institutions that excel in research, has taken the rare step of kicking out one of its members.

The group, of which Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill are members, has expelled the University of Nebraska, the first time the group has kicked out one of its own, according to this coverage in Inside Higher Ed.

The move has drawn a great deal of attention within the higher education elite. Membership in AAU is coveted, and the group rarely adds or removes members. It expelled Nebraska a year after revising its membership criteria and focuses largely on the level of biomedical research and research funding.

Members voted on Nebraska's fate last week, and the university would have remained in the group had two fewer universities voted to expel it, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Vote details are not public, but presumably, UNC-CH Chancellor Holden Thorp and Duke President Richard Brodhead cast votes representing their respective institutions.

A spokesman for Thorp declined to comment Monday, deferring to AAU itself. I haven't heard definitively yet today from Duke, though it will likely decline to comment as well, I'm guessing.

A second university is leaving AAU under pressure. Syracuse University, whose credentials are also receiving scrutiny now from AAU, has announced plans to voluntarily withdraw.

The AAU's newest member is Georgia Tech, added in 2010. It has 62 members in all; Duke joined in 1938, while UNC has been a member since 1922.

N.C. State is not a member, though some feel it carries the necessary credentials. When Georgia Tech joined last year, NCSU Chancellor Randy Woodson told the Chronicle of Higher Education he'd like his institution considered.

"The AAU is the pre-eminent research-intensive membership group," Woodson told that publication. "To be part of that organization is something N.C. State aspires to."

Annual dues are $80,500, according to that same Chronicle story.

UNC proposes to run 523 E. Franklin St. as Chapel Hill arts venue

mschultz — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:55:02 -0400

We reported this week how the Town Council is considering different ideas for the former Chapel Hill Museum building at 523 E. Franklin St., including turning the building into a permanent arts venue. (See previous blog post here) We will have a fuller story in this Sunday's Chapel Hill News.

This morning we received a copy of professor elin o"Hara slavik's proposal, in which the UNC Arts Department offers to partner with the town in running the space, including offering slavik's services as a coordinator at no cost to the town. Here is a copy of that proposal for the program she suggests calling CHART (Chapel Hill Art).

After reading it, tell us what you think. Should the town make 523 E. Franklin a permanent arts space? Do you support a different use for the building, or do you think the town should sell it, as a citizens budget advisory committee recommended a few years ago. Tell us here or at editor@nando.com by Wednesday, May 4, and we'll publish your responses in the Sunday, May 8, issue of the Chapel Hill News.

CHART
(A Cultural Arts Space in Chapel Hill)

Proposal by elin o’Hara slavick
Distinguished Professor of Art, UNC, Chapel Hill
and Jeff York, Public Arts Administrator for Chapel Hill

March 14, 2011

523 East Franklin will be named CHART to be able to promote, brand and support the space as a location to be visited. It will be a collaborative project space between the town of Chapel Hill (Jeff York, Public Arts Administrator) and UNC’s Art Department (Professor elin o’Hara slavick), with a 3-year renewable contract/lease with an "out clause" for both parties

The reasons for a 3-year renewable contract/lease are critical to the success of this proposal. To call for submissions, curate, install, advertise and de-install exhibitions and organize events takes advance scheduling. To mount exciting shows and hold popular events requires a calendar and funding. Slavick is currently applying for several UNC grants (10K + 50K) for this project and would apply for more regional and national grants if there was 3-year renewable agreement to guarantee a commitment to support the grant applications. Since the exhibitions will primarily be installed and de-installed (with all the accompanying work: press, wall text, website, etc) by Professor slavick and students, the general calendar would be 2 serious exhibitions a year – 1 in the fall and 1 in the spring, with various programming and smaller/shorter shows throughout the year. The Town of Chapel Hill, through the Public Arts Commission would program the space for the summer months of May, June and July (for community art exhibitions, juried shows, events, etc). The East Gallery will be entirely under this plan. The West Gallery (the carpeted room) will also fall under this plan, but with these considerations: no sculpture/floor pieces will be installed in the room so that it can be utilized for community meetings, events, performances, retreats, etc; The Town of Chapel Hill, through the Public Arts Commission, will program this space during the summer months of May, June and July and will have other opportunities to mount juried community art exhibitions in the space during the year (depending on the schedule and needs of other exhibitions).

Some ideas for exhibitions, to be determined by Slavick, students and the advisory board, and which will strive to be inclusive, eclectic and expansive: Community Projects Are Art; Utopic and Dystopic Landscapes; Nests; A Collaboratory; Activism as Art; Buried Truths; The Climate Condition; The Personal is Political; Church and State; Visionaries; Post-Media; North Carolina Triennial.

Slavick’s salary as Curator/Coordinator of CHART will be covered by UNC as her regular salary. CHART will constitute her service for the Art Department and the University. Jeff York will serve as Advisor to CHART and an initial advisory board will be set up with 2 members of the Public Arts Commission, Jeff York and James Hirschfield, the Chair of the Art Department. The Advisory Board will grow over time to include other community members.

The value of Slavick's role as Curator/Coordinator is hard to quantify. However, the salary for Director of CAM (Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh) is 90K and the Director of Frank Gallery in Chapel Hill is 40K. Not only would Slavick be providing a valuable service in curating and coordinating this unique and exciting venture, she would also bring the talents, skills, vision and energy of students to assist in the exhibitions from start to finish – an immeasurable value, as well as the immeasurable value of a positive, constructive and creative collaboration between the town and university. She also brings a broad knowledge of and connection to the international art world.

Slavick, and potentially other faculty at UNC, will teach classes in/through the space, for example: Professional Seminar; MFA Seminar; Mixed Media; Art as Social Practice; Collaborative Strategies. The students will gain experience through service learning while providing creative labor through: producing websites and exhibition cards; writing press releases, wall texts and grants; organizing exhibitions and gallery guides; curating; installing exhibitions, arranging the lighting, installing sound pieces and figuring out other technical projects and problems; receiving, unpacking and packing art; dealing directly with artists regarding exhibitions and materials; planning and running an exhibition space, openings, special events; working closely with Professors and artists. While there are universities that have working relationships with galleries and museums in the towns where they are located, a truly collaborative cultural space between the town and university is unique. It is certainly different than any other cultural institution in the region.

Every effort will be made to exhibit North Carolina (Triangle) artists alongside international artists. The Local Histories show includes 54 artists, 38 of whom are either from NC and live elsewhere now, live in NC currently, or have a serious relationship with NC as alumni of UNC and other NC schools.

Every effort will be made to provide the space for the multiple purposes suggested by the Public Arts Commission: workshops; residencies; classes; lectures; events, etc.

While the UNC Art Department, under the supervision of Professor elin o'Hara slavick, will be "running" the space, every intention is to INCLUDE and COLLABORATE with the town of Chapel Hill and other organizations (Center for Documentary Studies/Student Action with Farmworkers, RAFI-USA - The Rural Advancement Foundation International, Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Project, The Elsewhere Museum in Greensboro, The Sacrificial Poets), Professors and students in other disciplines (Latina/o Studies and the Carolina Latina/o Collaborative, Communication Studies, Music, English), regional high, middle and elementary schools to community art projects and visiting culture producers (like the Tibetan monks creating a sand mandala).

The Town of Chapel Hill will be responsible for basic maintenance of the building. Jeff York and elin o'Hara slavick will be responsible for communicating needs and budgets as necessary, serving as liaisons between the town and the university, the building and the public.

The Art Department/UNC will be responsible for the cost of exhibition cards and any costs incurred by the classes. The value of students producing websites for the exhibitions, wall text and labels, press releases, organizing events, installing and dismantling shows, documenting whatever happens at CHART through videos and podcasts is unquantifiable/immeasurable for the town and university. Through Slavick applying for grants from UNC, the State and other sources, UNC would provide funding above and beyond the aforementioned service values.

Using Local Histories: The Ground We Walk On as an example, a show organized in less than a month for close to no money, one can see the possibilities, excitement and energy generated from such a project: March 5, Bird Watching-Listening Walking Tour with artist Julie Thomson had 20 people in attendance; March 18, Performances by Cathy McLaurin (from Boston), Where the Arms Hook Onto the Body, Neill Prewitt (Chapel Hill), Untitled and Lance Winn (from Delaware), Full Body Scan, with participation from the Homeless Shelter; April 4, Mildred’s Lane Goes Elsewhere - A collaboration between artist J. Morgan Puett and Elsewhere, A living museum in Greensboro, North Carolina (Sponsored by the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation and the Institute for Arts and Humanities at UNC, Chapel Hill – 3K raised) and April 11, Local Food and Politics - RAFI-USA - The Rural Advancement Foundation International, Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Project, (Joseph Schroeder, Program Director and Alix Blair, Information Specialist), SAF - Student Action with Farmworkers and graduate students from NC State and a history professor at UNC-CH to discuss cartography, urbanization and history.

Over 500 people attended the opening of Local Histories and it has been reviewed/mentioned in/on: Frank Stasio's State of Things on WUNC with elin o'Hara slavick and artist Cici Stevens; twice on WCOM, interviews with Jackie Helvey and Molly Matlock, with graduate students and artists Ashley Florence and Amy White; WCHL, an interview with Ed Camp, with graduate student and artist Tracy Spencer and elin o'Hara slavick; the front page of the Sunday Chapel Hill News, March 13; The Independent; The University Gazette; The Daily Tar Heel. A forthcoming review will be in Temporary Review, an new online magazine out of St. Louis. This kind of coverage puts Chapel Hill on the cultural map, along with the NCMA, the Nasher Museum, the Weatherspoon in Greensboro, and SECCA in Winston-Salem. Slavick has given tours to a group of home schooled students; The Durham School for the Arts; seniors at the Emerson Waldorf School; Dean Bill Andrews; Chancellor Holden Thorp and his wife Patti; curators; reporters; a Conceptual Photography; a Basic Drawing and a Basic Painting class.

Advantages:

The town of Chapel Hill will have a cultural art space that exhibits excellent, thematically driven shows, like Local Histories: The Ground We Walk On, on a regular basis. A space like this will bring many visitors to Chapel Hill, to the beautiful Historic District, thereby increasing revenue for the town and business owners. NOTE: Many neighbors were at the opening and were thrilled with the use of the space.

This project will improve the relationship between the university and the town. Working together, both providing services, this collaborative project will function as a welcome center as people enter the historic town – CHART.

The building does not go unused and into further disarray. It would remain a free site for the community as it was originally as a public library.

The building in its current state is most suited for art exhibitions.

Potential revenue:
(Via the 5013c status of The Friends of Parks and Recreation or UNC)

When art sells, the agreed upon percentage of sales (20%) would go back into the maintenance of the building as an exhibition space.

Participating artists could make limited editions for sale in the space.

An annual art auction could be held – a fun and exciting event.

Special events, like concerts and certain performances, could have a small entrance fee.

There could be a suggested donation of $5 to the museum.

The west wing, and possibly other spaces/rooms, could be rented for meetings, events, retreats, etc. through a rental fee schedule.

Artists would be responsible for shipping costs to and from exhibitions (except under special circumstances, like monies being raised to cover such costs.)

NEA, University (Slavick is applying for 2 UNC grants – 1 for $50K and 1 for $10K for this project) and Regional (NC Arts Council) grants.