Despite the recent scandals UNC has faced, including those that contributed to his decision to resign, Chancellor Holden Thorp believes it’s still in good shape.
Thorp gave a state of the University address at Tuesday’s Student Congress meeting, detailing the factors that shape his positive view of the University, addressing challenges UNC has faced in recent years, and responding to students’ questions.
“Despite the turnover in South Building, the fundamental traits of the University are in great shape,” said Thorp, who will step down in June.
Speaker of Student Congress Paige Comparato said the Student Code states that every year the chancellor should be invited to give an address, though it hasn’t been done in recent years.
Thorp said the number of undergraduate applications — which he expects to be up by five percent this year — and the number of grants and gifts that the University receives are quantitative ways of showing how UNC is doing. He said gifts are holding steady and that in the last five years, UNC has moved up to ninth place in external and federal funds spent on research.