Thomas Ross, president of Davidson College, will be named the new UNC-system president by the UNC Board of Governors at an emergency meeting Thursday morning, former President Bill Friday confirmed today.
Ross will replace outgoing President Erskine Bowles, who announced his retirement in February.
Bowles was widely popular among legislators and administrators, and was considered a difficult man to replace. While Ross will come from a smaller institution — Davidson is a small liberal arts school with about 1,700 students — friends and colleagues said he is a dynamic individual and a good pick for the job.
Ross has been president of Davidson since August 2007. He earned his law degree from UNC and was named the youngest N.C. Superior Court Judge in the state by Gov. Jim Hunt in 1984. He also served as director of the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts and executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
The emergency meeting of the board will be held at the General Administration building in Chapel Hill Thursday at 11 a.m. The new president will hold a press conference with reporters immediately following the meeting.
