For the second time in ten years, a Chancellor at the University of North Carolina ordered a green tie online and wore it to a news conference. That’s what I did at Washington University in St. Louis, what Kevin Guskiewicz did at Michigan State. Former Chancellor Carol Folt wore maroon to the University of Southern California in the centre. We all left for greater pay and employment security. Our departure was caused by a failure of good governance in all three circumstances.
Since 2010, the governing boards of the University of North Carolina System have shown that they’ve been watching too much “House of Cards.” If the leaking, undermining and bad governance don’t stop, they could easily make it 4-for-4 in a few years.
The only board member who speaks to the media on any functional board is the board chair, and this is done with management’s full knowledge and agreement. I served on the boards of the St. Louis Symphony, Saint Louis University, and PBS, and I worked on the board at Washington University in St. Louis, which included many important conservative members. On none of these boards, a board member other than the chair would be permitted to speak to the media, either on or off the record.
However, in North Carolina, board members are now expected to conduct their own public relations operations outside of the administration. While this did occur prior to 2010, it has now become widespread. The irony is that many of these board members believe the institution should be governed more like a company, yet they act in ways that no business would condone. In recent months, the UNC Board of Trustees has conducted their own public relations campaign to earn credit for the establishment of the School of Civic Life and Leadership, a potentially admirable effort that might have been accomplished without the use of manufactured chaos.
Instead, members of the Board of Trustees introduced a surprise resolution and then went on Fox News and bragged about it. They had their own public relations firm separate from the UNC communications staff that helped with all of that.
Recently, once it was revealed that Kevin was a finalist at Michigan State, the board leaked and then stated on the record that they had been discussing Kevin’s departure with him. “You can’t break up with me, I’m breaking up with you!” said a middle schooler. All they had to do was sit silently and let him leave, but I’m guessing they wanted political kudos from their conservative pals. Add to this a long-standing issue: the complexity of having distinct, politically appointed boards for the UNC System (Board of Governors) and the campus (Board of Trustees). In terms of statutes, the BOG has significantly more authority, and
In my case, the BOT asked me repeatedly to stay right up to the end (for which I am eternally grateful), but the BOG never did. In North Carolina, where chancellors do not have contracts, it made no sense to stay unless both boards wanted me to. In Kevin’s case, it was the other way around; his BOT mistreated him at every turn, but the BOG, although unfortunately silent, was not his problem. The complex political skills required to keep both boards aligned all the time with all this competition are rare. Yes, NCSU Chancellor Randy Woodson has done it, but he is one of very few.
Don’t be concerned about Kevin, Carol, or Holden. We all went to better employment with more job security, money, and power. In North Carolina, we’re all viewed as failed chancellors who were fired. In the other 49 states, we’re survivors who tried our best in the midst of chaos. If the boards’ “look at me” behaviour with the next chancellor continues, he or she is invited to join our club.
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