College Commanders: Room at the Top

These days, help-seeking signs are posted at the upper echelons of several North Carolina campuses, with Sheri Everts of Appalachian State University and J. Bradley Creed of Campbell among the latest to create work for research committees.

Other campuses seeking permanent chancellors include:

NC Central, where Johnson Akinleye retires at the end of June after leading the Durham school since 2014.

UNC Chapel Hill, where interim chancellor Lee Roberts took over from Kevin Guskiewicz in January.

Winston-Salem State University, where Elwood Robinson retired last June after seven years. Provost Anthony Graham serves as interim chancellor.

NC A&T State University, where Harold Martin will retire in September after leading the Greensboro campus since 2009.

In addition, Randy Woodson, chancellor of NC State University, is widely expected.
to retire after his current contract expires in June 2025. He led the state’s largest campus for 15 years.

The average term of office for college presidents is five years, reflecting pressures to attract students as the traditional college-age population plateaus, raise money and face controversy constant events such as the recent protests against the war in Gaza.

Appalachian State joined that list in April, when Everts said she would withdraw within a week of notifying UNC System President Peter Hans, citing “significant health concerns.” Heather Norris, provost since 2020, was quickly named interim chancellor.

Everts’ decision came a month after board Chairman Mark Ricks criticized the chancellor and her staff for what he called “a process failure” in their handling of the CU project. university aiming to ensure internal emergency dispatch for campus police. The move drew widespread criticism from elected leaders in Boone and Watauga County, who created a consolidated 911 center less than two years ago.

Ricks said the administration had “moved forward with this initiative without engaging our opinion,” even though it was “blinding city residents.” Under UNC rules, management and oversight are largely the responsibility of the system’s office in Raleigh, with administrators serving a primarily advisory role.

Appalachian State showed strong enrollment growth during Everts’ ten-year tenure, and she helped negotiate the addition of a second campus in Hickory. Like many university leaders, she has had her share of feuds, including a “censorship” resolution passed by the Appalachian State Faculty Senate in 2020.

“The trajectory of the university is going in the right direction,” says former trustee Bob Hatley, former CEO of Raleigh’s Paragon Bank. “Appalachian State’s reputation has continued to grow, enrollment has increased, its national reputation has increased. » Hans praised Everts’ tenure as “a time of growth and momentum for Appalachian State.”

The five UNC System searches come after approval of a revised policy that allows members of the Board of Governors to participate in searches. Under the new rules, the system president appoints a search committee of up to 13 voting members, which includes the president, the BOG chair or designee, and the BOG member who is the designated liaison with the university looking for a new leader. A serving or retired chancellor from another UNC campus is also required, as well as representatives of faculty, staff, students and alumni.

At least three finalists are submitted to the system president, who then chooses a candidate for a BOG vote. (If the president doesn’t like the choices, he can send the list back to the board.)

On the private college side, Creed announced plans to retire next year, ending 10 years at the helm of the university based in Buies Creek, an hour east of Raleigh. Creed is only the fifth president in Campbell’s 137-year history. A national search for his successor is planned.

Creed oversaw Campbell’s most successful fundraising campaign, raising $105 million. This was a key factor in the development of the Oscar N. Harris Student Union, which opened in 2020.

“After more than 30 years of leadership in higher education, I look forward to pursuing other endeavors and spending more time with my wife, children and grandchildren,” Creed said in a communicated. Creed was dean of George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Texas when Campbell tapped him for his top job in 2015. He had also served as dean at Samford University in Alabama.

Campbell’s Wiggins Law School is based in downtown Raleigh and has additional satellite campuses at Fort Liberty/Pope Air Force Base and Camp Lejeune.

During the fall 2023 semester, the university enrolled approximately 5,100 students, including approximately 2,800 undergraduates. It also operates the only osteopathic medical school in North Carolina.

Campbell was led by founder James Campbell from 1887 until his death in 1934. His son, Leslie, served as president until 1967, followed by Norman Wiggins, Jerry Wallace and Creed.. ■