Bond Money, Faculty Salaries Top Priorities for Finance VP

Chancellor James Moeser and the Board of Trustees last week approved Nancy Suttenfield, the vice president for finance and administration at Case Western Reserve University, as UNC's next vice chancellor for finance and administration.

If she is approved by the Board of Governors on Oct. 13, Suttenfield will begin work Nov. 20.

The post oversees the departments of finance, auxiliary services, facilities services and human resources. Suttenfield said she is excited about becoming a part of UNC in this capacity.

"It's a very prestigious institution," she said, "and the opportunity to come to Carolina when a new leadership team is taking over is very exciting."

The search for someone to fill the job has not been easy, said Robert Sullivan, chairman of the selection committee and dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School. He said the committee considered about 22 candidates for the post. "Once we were confident with the job description, we advertised in all of the major academic outlets," Sullivan said.

The position has been empty since June 1999, when James Ramsey left UNC. Jack Evans has since been serving as the interim vice chancellor for finance and administration.

Sullivan said Suttenfield's leadership qualities, top public and private school experience, and communication abilities make her perfect for the job.

Before going to Case Western, Suttenfield served in the Virginia Department of Planning and was assistant secretary for finance and administration at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. She said she looks forward to bringing her abilities to UNC and tackling issues like the distribution of bond money, faculty salaries and research funding.

"She clearly shows an ability to look at issues that deal with finance in ways we haven't looked at them before," Sullivan said. He said that if the $3.1 billion bond package passes in November, much of the allocation process will be left to Suttenfield. "(Suttenfield will) define priorities and lay out a schedule to monitor the use of funds to make sure jobs get done."

Suttenfield said she was up to the challenge. "My primary responsibility (with the bond issue) would be to see that we have the in-house staff or the external contractors to take care of all the necessary work that needs to be done," Suttenfield said.

She also said she would have a critical role in supervising the everyday budget of the University. "I would be overseeing the budget process. I would have an external role in advocating the budget to the governor and the state legislature."

During recent campus visits, Suttenfield met some of the people with whom she would be working, including Roger Patterson, associate vice chancellor of finance.

Although Suttenfield's appointment must still be approved by the BOG, she said she is already very enthusiastic about beginning her job here. "I already feel a part of the Carolina family."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.