Dive Brief:
- The North Carolina Board of Governors unanimously voted to appoint Margaret Spellings as the next president of the UNC system, ending a search that was shrouded in secrecy but not the controversy that came with it.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports faculty are expressing guarded hope about Spellings’ leadership but continue to condemn the way she was chosen, absent any faculty governance input and amid infighting among board of governors members.
- Spellings’ focus on accountability and efficiency during her time as the secretary of education in the George W. Bush administration worries supporters of UNC’s historically black colleges as well as adjuncts, who are hit hardest by budget cuts.
Dive Insight:
Margaret Spellings’ political experience, while it may be viewed as a detriment to faculty, obviously resonated with board members, who are looking for a strong advocate in the legislature. At an announcement of her appointment, Spellings called higher education a political setting and referenced her public policy making experience as an asset more important to her position than the skills faculty bring as academics, teachers, and researchers.
Her appointment, however, comes amid concerns of higher ed in North Carolina — and elsewhere, for that matter — becoming overly politicized. Previous president Thomas Ross, whose progressive leanings may have ruffled the largely conservative board's feathers, was notably forced out after pushing back against the state's Republican-controlled legislature
In the search for his replacement, Spellings was the only candidate presented to the full board of governors. She was appointed Friday, though the legislature tried to force the board to consider more candidates by passing a law requiring three finalists. That law, however, doesn’t take effect until Oct. 30.