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 UNC Needs “Truth in Hiring” Policy
by Tom Campbell
October 11, 2007
As the search committee formed by the Trustees of UNC Chapel Hill begins the process of searching for a replacement for Chancellor James Moeser, we would like to offer a suggestion to help them and the candidates they interview. UNC should institute a “truth in hiring” policy.
Specifically, while they are touting the many wonderful advantages of the Chapel Hill campus they should also be candid in telling the prospective chancellors for whom they will be working. Most candidates would assume they would be responsible to the group who interviewed them. The truly naďve might believe they owe allegiance to their faculty or even the parents or students. Candidates who have done some investigation might suspect that since UNC President Erskine Bowles will make the final recommendation to the UNC Board of Governors, either or both have the ultimate power.
The new chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill needs to understand that there is a group making every effort to run our flagship university. We’re referring to the “Fat Rams,” also known as Citizens for Higher Education, a political action committee made up mostly of wealthy UNC Chapel Hill alums. The group started in 2002 when Molly Corbett Broad was UNC President. Broad was not a favorite of the Chapel Hill elite, and even more unpopular with legislators. The Citizens PAC used her unpopularity to their advantage, circumventing the UNC Board of Governors and UNC Administration in appealing directly to elected officials.
The Citizens PAC raised and contributed more than 0,000 to legislators in the last two-year election cycle, understanding their donations provided access to and, subsequently, influence in decisions made by lawmakers. Once elected, the group expected and has received special attention from legislators.
The first effort was to secure greater autonomy for UNC Chapel Hill, an effort that threatened the very fabric of the 16-campus University of North Carolina System. The PAC wanted Chapel Hill to have more autonomy over setting tuitions and policies, flexibility not given the other public universities. That effort was thwarted, but they did convince Senators Marc Basnight and Tony Rand, arguably two of the most powerful men in state government, to slip a special provision into the state budget that would allow in-state tuition rates for all athletic scholarship students. Yes, Morehead Scholars also got the same benefit, but research demonstrates that athletes are the overwhelming recipients of the largess, allowing the Rams Club to spend less in providing scholarships for athletes. This is the same UNC Chapel Hill that raised more private donation funds for athletics last year than any in the country. The same that wants to build a super-sized bowl for football. Follow the money trail and you will uncover who has the power.
The Citizens for Higher Education is an example of the very real threat to higher education across our country. Athletics and booster groups have used their considerable money and influence to usurp educators and administrators, overshadowing the primary mission of educating our young people. It is past time for meaningful reform. At the least, the new chancellor deserves to know the truth about who is trying, and may be succeeding, in running UNC Chapel Hill. |
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