How would new chancellor be selected at UNC? Faculty cautious about process

It’s been nearly three weeks since UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz confirmed he was “weighing” an opportunity to become the next president of Michigan State University, but there’s still no answer from Guskiewicz on what he will decide: stay in Chapel Hill, his academic home for almost three decades, or take the job in East Lansing, Michigan.

The situation has left UNC faculty in a holding pattern as they wait to see what their university’s top leader will do — and who might be selected to replace him if he chooses to leave.

“I think the news came as a shock to a lot of people,” UNC Faculty Chair Beth Moracco told The News & Observer, adding that she received “an immediate outpouring” of inquiries from her fellow faculty members after the news broke of Guskiewicz’s candidacy at MSU.

Moracco sent a letter on behalf of the faculty to Guskiewicz last week, expressing her personal, and the faculty’s collective, support for him in his current role.

Guskiewicz has led UNC through a turbulent four-plus years, taking the reins at the university in 2019 as it dealt with the aftermath of protesters pulling down Silent Sam, then guiding it through the pandemic and this semester’s fatal on-campus shooting, among other events and controversies.

Even when faculty haven’t agreed with the decisions Guskiewicz made in those scenarios, Moracco said, she has been confident that “he makes the decision that he thinks is best for the university.”

Not all faculty share those sentiments about the chancellor’s tenure.

But many share similar worries about who might succeed him, either on an interim or permanent basis, and the process that will be used to select that person.

“There’s lots and lots of speculation, but we’ll just wait and see,” Moracco said, “and really hope that whatever process, and whenever we do engage in the process, for a new chancellor, that it is participatory.”

Faculty opinions on Guskiewicz differ

For her part, Moracco said she “would be very disappointed” and would feel “a lot of sorrow” if Guskiewicz were to leave UNC.

“Your love for Carolina and devotion to our passionately public mission inspires us all,” Moracco wrote in her letter to the chancellor last week. “And, while we respect your decision-making process and the many factors to be weighed, I join a multitude of faculty voices in saying that I fervently hope that you will remain at Carolina.”

Michael Palm, president of the UNC chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a national faculty group, noted that the chapter called for Guskiewicz to resign almost three years ago, citing “serial dishonesty displayed by the chancellor and his associates” — including the university’s handling of the Confederate monument Silent Sam and the COVID-19 pandemic — that they said led to a “pattern of institutional dishonesty” at the university.

“Certainly my opinion is his leadership has not changed since then,” Palm said of Guskiewicz.

Palm said the news of Guskiewicz potentially leaving the university, and the length of time it has taken for a final decision to be made, is “frustrating” — not necessarily because of the chancellor’s departure, but because of what might come next.

In recent years, the university has been the subject of criticism by faculty and others over perceived political overreach in actions such as the development of the School of Civic Life and Leadership this year.

In written answers Guskiewicz provided to questions from MSU faculty in mid-November — first answered anonymously, then reported by the university’s student newspaper, The State News, and since obtained by The N&O — Guskiewicz said he would only take the job at MSU “without undue interference” from the university’s governing board.

Palm said recent events, particularly those involving political interference, at UNC do not lead him to trust the search process that might unfold, nor its potential results.

“I think there is a complete lack of confidence among faculty at UNC that the process will be transparent or ethical,” Palm said.

UNC System president would name interim chancellor

In the event that Guskiewicz were to leave UNC, UNC System President Peter Hans “intends to appoint a capable interim who can provide continuity as we prepare for a full search,” system spokesperson Andy Wallace told The N&O by email.

“That’s been the UNC System’s practice for a long time,” Wallace said. “Appointing interim leadership is considered part of the President’s duties as the chief administrative and executive officer of the University.”

Hans would eventually submit to the system Board of Governors a candidate to fill the role permanently, with input from a search committee he appoints. The Board of Governors voted earlier this year to revise its policy on chancellor searches, allowing BOG members to participate in searches and altering some authority of the system president in the process.

Wallace said the system expects “a competitive search that will attract a wide range of great candidates from all over the country.”

Several news reports, including from The Chronicle of Higher Education, have named potential candidates for the job on an interim or permanent basis. They include Lee Roberts, a current member of the Board of Governors and a former state budget director under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, and current UNC provost Chris Clemens, among others.

“There are a number of good candidates who could ensure a smooth transition while the University undertakes a full search for a permanent chancellor,” Wallace said.

Roberts, an investor who does not have experience in academia or university administration, would be required to step down from his position on the Board of Governors in order to be appointed as an interim chancellor, according to UNC System policy.

He would be the second board member to do so for that reason in recent years.

Darrell Allison, now chancellor at Fayetteville State University, served on the board before resigning to be considered for the chancellorship. Upon being selected as chancellor in 2020, Allison said he followed protocol during the process and, when he knew he was leaning toward applying, he immediately stepped down from the board, The N&O reported.

Moracco said she thinks it would be difficult for someone without experience in higher education to serve as chancellor, though “it’s not impossible.”

“It’s hard for me to imagine, and the learning curve would be would be really steep,” Moracco said. “That doesn’t mean that, you know, there aren’t things that someone from outside of academia would bring to that role that would be valuable. I just think it’d be really difficult to have someone without any background in higher ed as a chancellor.”

Wallace said feedback from faculty, board members, alumni, lawmakers and students “will factor into any decisions about leadership at Carolina.”

UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer told The N&O the campus board would “welcome the system president to come and talk to us in advance of making a decision, so that he can get the benefit of the perspective of our trustees and their take on things.”

Faculty hope to give input on next chancellor

Moracco, as faculty chair, would likely be asked to serve on the committee to search for a new chancellor. In the two most recent searches — one at UNC Asheville that concluded last week and another at NC A&T State University that is currently underway — the respective faculty chairs at each of those schools were the sole faculty representatives on the search committees.

Moracco said she “would gladly serve” on the committee if she is asked. But said she would also want additional faculty to be “actively engaged in the search process” and able to give their perspectives on the characteristics and qualifications that they would like the next chancellor to possess.

“I think all of that’s going to be very important to build our confidence in the process and our trust in the results of the process,” Moracco said.

UNC System chancellor searches are conducted in near-complete confidentiality. While members of the campus community may give input on the qualities they would like to see in their next chancellor, any person serving on the search committee or interacting with candidates is required to keep those names and interactions private.

Palm said he thinks the university’s next chancellor should, most importantly, advocate for students, faculty and staff.

“And in the current political context of the state of North Carolina, that often means opposing the Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors and the state assembly,” Palm said. “And I think it’s important to have a chancellor who’s willing to do that, and to do that publicly.”