UNC Asheville's Chancellor Search Committee to Meet January 10; University of North Carolina President Molly Corbett Broad to Speak

UNC Asheville Board of Trustees Chair Sue H. McClinton announced Thursday, Jan. 6, the formation of a 15-member Chancellor Search Committee. The committee has been established to seek a successor to Chancellor Jim Mullen, who announced in December that he will become president of Elms College in July 2005.

The committee will hold its first meeting at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 10, in the Red Oak Room, Ramsey Library. University of North Carolina President Molly Corbett Broad will charge the committee and two national search firms will make presentations. The meeting will begin with an informal breakfast. The meeting is open to the public; however, some portions of the meeting may be closed in accordance with the state Open Meeting Law.

The Chancellor Search Committee is made up of representatives from the UNC Asheville faculty, staff, students, Board of Trustees, alumni and community.

Committee members are: Sue H. McClinton, search committee chair and vice president of William S. Hein & Co., Buffalo, N.Y; Gwen Ashburn, chair and associate professor, Literature and Language; James Buckner, Class of 1971, chair of UNC Asheville’s National Alumni Advisory Council and regional vice president, Compass Learning Inc., Suwanee, Ga.;  Jeff Konz, associate professor, Economics; Gregg Kormanik, professor, Biology; Gary Nallan, associate professor, Psychology; Scot Schaeffer, Admissions and Financial Aid director; Connie Schaller, Chancellor’s Staff Advisory Committee chair; LaVoy Spooner, UNC Asheville Foundation associate chair and regional director of Corporate and External Affairs, BellSouth; Mike Tanner, MLA Class of 2001 and Board of Trustees member; Charles Tolley, Board of Trustees chairman elect and former general manager of the French Broad Electric Membership Corp.;  Pamela Turner, Board of Trustees member and chairman of Mills Manufacturing Corp.;  Scott Walters, associate professor, Drama; Alfred Whitesides, Board of Trustees member and Wachovia Bank vice president; and Porscha Yount, Student Government Association president.

In addition to considering hiring a search firm to assist the committee, McClinton said another of the committee’s initial tasks will be to establish candidate criteria and qualifications. The process will include a series of forums held to collect comment from UNC Asheville students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community on the qualities and characteristics that should be considered in the selection of the next chancellor.  Forum times and locations will be announced during the week of January 10.

For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Public Information Office at 828/251-6526.

Media Contact:

• Merianne Epstein, UNC Asheville Public Information Director, 828/251-6676