Cole, Nichol leave positions

Two of the UNC's most prestigious schools spent much of the year in a state of transition as the schools of Law and Journalism and Mass Communication searched for new deans.

Gene Nichol stepped down as dean of the law school to become president of the College of William and Mary on July 1.

Richard Cole announced in 2004 that he was stepping down as dean of the journalism school after 26 years in the position.

The process for replacing Cole initially kicked off later last year, but it stalled during the summer when Gerald Baldasty, chairman of the communications department at the University of Washington and the leading candidate from the previous search, rejected UNC's offer in March.

The two searches are the latest in a trend of empty spots in campus leadership positions.

In January the Board of Trustees approved John Williams to lead the School of Dentistry and Barbara Rimer to serve as dean of the School of Public Health.

Since 2001, officials have replaced nine of 15 deans.

"I don't think there is any one reason why so many have left," said Provost Robert Shelton, who is responsible for hiring new deans.

Factors such as the difficulty of leadership positions, budget pressures and new job opportunities lead to resignations, he said.

Although the number of vacancies has soared during past years, Shelton said, UNC has retained deans longer than the national average, which is about five years.

Five of the deans who resigned have stayed on as UNC faculty members. Shelton said such a shift is natural because deans want to return to the hands-on world of academia, where many began their careers. But after leaving posts at UNC, two former deans accepted top positions at other schools.

Robert Sullivan, former dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, founded a graduate program at the University of California-San Diego.

Risa Palm, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, is provost of Louisiana State University.

Internal faculty members account for half of the leaders tapped for dean positions. In the search for the journalism school dean, no internal candidates have made the final cut.

"You want hometown knowledge that (appreciates) the Carolina tradition, as well as new people that bring new ideas," Shelton said.

Jos-Marie Griffiths knows the challenges and advantages of being an outsider. She left a top post at the University of Pittsburgh to become dean of the School of Information and Library Science school last August. "I feel like as an outsider, I come here with a mission," she said.

Griffiths said she also plans to stay for the long term, giving the Office of the Provost a chance to relax, at least for the time being.

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.