Jim Mullen to Step Down as UNC Asheville Chancellor in May;
Will Return to Massachusetts to Lead Catholic Liberal Arts College

Chancellor Jim Mullen

James H. Mullen, Jr., Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, today announced that he will step down from that office in May 2005 to become president of The College of Our Lady of the Elms, a Catholic liberal arts college, in Chicopee, Mass. 

In announcing his move to faculty, staff and students, Dr. Mullen said, "The presidency at Elms College calls me home to my roots and to serve my faith. It is a presidency that I have accepted because it represents a singular call to return home and help a Catholic college that I know well to achieve its full measure."

Mullen will have served for six years as Chancellor when he departs in May. During his tenure at UNC Asheville, the liberal arts university has seen growth in its student population while honoring its long-standing commitment to teaching and learning in a supportive, intellectually rigorous, service-oriented manner. 

Responding to the news, Sue H. McClinton, chair of the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees, said, "I am saddened by Jim's departure, but I am grateful for the time he and his family shared with this community. Jim Mullen is a man of uncommon courage, accepting the calling of faith and family and roots to make a difference in the world of Catholic higher education committed to social justice and intellectual freedom. His mark on this campus and this State can perhaps most eloquently be summarized by the strength of his relationship with students - for in them he vested his trust and hopes for the future." 

University of North Carolina President Molly Corbett Broad has asked Dr. Mullen to remain as chancellor until the end of the academic year. A search committee for the university's next chancellor will be appointed within in a few weeks. The goal will be to have a new chancellor selected and in place by fall, President Broad said. 

Mullen added, "My wife Mari and I will always be grateful to President Molly Broad for her support and kindness to us. North Carolina is truly blessed to have a leader of her vision, integrity and grace.

"Our greatest appreciation extends to Chair Sue McClinton and UNC Asheville's remarkable Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board, every member of the faculty, staff, student body, and alumni. Together, they have inspired my every day on this campus.

"I also thank the members of the Board of Governors for their commitment to the University as well as the members of the N.C. General Assembly who fight for higher education and this campus, to Congressman Charles Taylor for his support of UNC Asheville, and to all in this community and State who work on behalf of our liberal arts mission."

Mullen's return to Massachusetts is a return home. A native of western Massachusetts, he attended and holds degrees from the College of the Holy Cross, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to his appointment at UNC Asheville in April 1999, Mullen was vice president of Trinity College, a liberal arts college in Hartford, Conn. 

The College of Our Lady of the Elms, founded in 1928 by the Sisters of St. Joseph, is located near Mullen's hometown of Holyoke, Mass. The 650-student liberal arts college seeks to combine education for life with education for a career. Mullen's appointment was voted on by the Elms College Board of Trustees on December 6, 2004. 

Media Contact:

• Merianne Epstein, UNC Asheville Public Information director, 828/251-6676 (office); 828/257-5501 (pager)