TO THE EDITOR:
I was saddened to hear of the departure of Chancellor Holden Thorp, a man who has devoted his life to UNC. This is a loss and an injustice.
I met Thorp in a freshman seminar called “From Ideas to Reality,” which explored entrepreneurship and how to make concepts — from companies to social change initiatives and beyond — work on the ground.
His brilliance, enthusiasm, and commitment to a variety of fields — from theater to genetics — were apparent. It was in this class I learned about social entrepreneurship and began to work with a local community leader and start my own projects.
From there I graduated and took a job at Ashoka, a social entrepreneurship organization in Washington, D.C., returning annually to judge the social business plan competition at Kenan-Flagler Business School with Thorp.
Now at Ashoka abroad, I manage the search for social entrepreneurs across Europe. Thorp’s course, and his influence, have forever altered the path of my life.
I have seen him apply similar passion to the role as chancellor. I was delighted to see him given the role and to see the innovation he’s brought to this difficult task.
He’s had a rough time over the last couple of years — but in reading up on the issues it seems more an inherited rot within the institution than a failure of leadership on his part or lack of tenacity in addressing problems. It is our loss as an institution to let this man go.
Erin Fornoff ’04
Anthropology Communications
Dublin, Ireland
