Change the culture; Administration needs to view transparency as an asset

The culture of closed processes in selecting administrators needs to change.

Recent searches by the University to fill key administrative positions have shown half-hearted efforts at transparency. They indicate a sentiment that open records and open meetings requirements are an obstacle rather than an asset.

The most recent iteration of the impulse toward opacity is, of course, the sudden selection of Bruce Carney as the new provost.

It has been said before on this page that Carney may very well be an excellent candidate.

But that is a conclusion that the UNC community was prevented from reaching. Carney was hired without ever being a candidate, without being publicly vetted and without opening up his candidacy to the broader campus.

More than $70,000was spent on a process that yielded an internal and impromptu pick. It contradicts the notion that a closed search yields a more successful result.

The same vein runs through Chancellor Holden Thorp’s selection. The candidate pool and all discussion regarding it was largely a mystery.

Minutes from the chancellor search committee meetings are a farce. They generally consist of the same pattern: opening remarks, closed session to discuss candidates, return to open session and adjournment. It defeats the entire purpose of keeping minutes.

And it doesn’t have to be this way.

Florida provides a great counterexample. The state has a strong “sunshine law” that calls for open records and meetings.

Lawrence Abele, the current provost at Florida State University, has held his position for nearly two decades. During his tenure, he has led two presidential search committees.

Abele said records of the consulting firm hired to assist in the selection are open, as is the candidate pool. The committee he led ultimately narrowed the broader pool of candidates and held open meetings with all of them.

Abele recognized that sometimes candidates prefer a closed process because they don’t want it to be made public that they are considering leaving their current position.

But when asked on the whole if the transparency of his searches hindered the outcomes, his response was crystal clear: “No — they don’t.”

Laws that promote open processes must be met with the recognition of the virtues of transparency.

As a public institution and the flagship university of the state, UNC would do well to rethink its approach.