'Quiet philanthropist': Community mourns former ITS director Bruce Egan

Before his retirement in 2013, Bruce Egan hung a sign at the ITS Service Desk in the Robert B. House Undergraduate Library that read, “It’s not about the technology, it’s about the customer."

Student Affairs IT Director Chris Williams said the sign attested to Egan’s biggest skill: relationship-building.

Egan was the director of UNC’s Information Technology Services Response Center for 25 years, a bass player and songwriter in the bands Amber Alley and HWY 54, a columnist for The Chapel Hill Herald and a mentor to those in his circles.

Egan died on Jan. 28, 2024, at the age of 71. He is predeceased by his wife, Christine, and survived by his brother Wes and children Emily and John.

“He was somebody who was very interested in art, in music, and just an eclectic, well-rounded person who was really interesting to talk to and could put people at ease with his presence,” longtime ITS employee Brett Vasu said.

In 2004, Egan established the Carolina Family Scholarship Fund to provide need-based tuition relief to the children of full-time UNC employees attending any of the 16 UNC campuses or community colleges in North Carolina.

The fund has supported 80 children since 2015, according to the UNC Employee Forum website. 

Vasu said the scholarship exemplified Egan’s commitment to helping others.

“[The fund] is just a great example of his service to the community and other people, both in a Carolina context and in a human context,” he said.

Both Vasu and Williams started as student employees at the service desk and joined the desk full time under Egan’s management. The three became good friends.

By 2004, Vasu and Egan were playing in a band together, where Egan played the bass and wrote songs. They played together in the two bands Amber Alley and HWY 54 for about eight years. Williams said Egan was a "quiet philanthropist,” who was constantly giving back.

Vasu, Williams and ITS Service Desk Manager Christina Artis described Egan as a mentor.

“He helped to push me out of my comfort zone,” Artis said in an email statement. “He put me in situations in which I would grow.”

Williams, who completed his master’s degree in business administration at UNC Wilmington in December, said his MBA classes felt like a review of lessons he had learned under Egan’s leadership. He said he was unsure if he would still be at the university if not for Egan.

Egan had faith in him, he said, and gave him a leadership position that helped cement his career in UNC ITS.

“If I had not had that opportunity, I truly don't know what I'd be doing right now,” Williams said. “I could be in any other industry, I could have left Carolina, I just have no idea. And it was because of that one decision that he made.”

Artis said Egan helped her build her self-confidence as he encouraged her and other colleagues to make mistakes and learn from them.

She shared some parting words Egan sent out via the Carolina Technology Consultants listserv email upon his retirement.

“Well, it’s been an exciting ride, at times a long, strange trip,” Egan said in the email. “I have many co-workers to thank for any successes in my career. My advice to all: Every day, do something you enjoy.”

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