Thank you so much for this warm welcome home!
Members of the Board of Governors, President Bowles, members of the UNCG Board of Trustees who are here today, members of the Search Committee and members of the UNCG community who have traveled from Greensboro to be here for this occasion – it is impossible for me to describe my excitement and enthusiasm on this, the most important day of my professional life
I am so happy that my husband, Steve Heyer, is with me today. He has supported my work in higher education for nearly twenty-four years. I would not be here today without his support and encouragement. He is my life partner.
You have honored me with this invitation to serve The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. This is one of the very best jobs in higher education. I am so grateful for this opportunity and humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me. I shall not let you down.
I want to express my thanks to the Chancellor Search Committee and its outstanding Chair, Steve Hassenfelt, chair of UNCG’s Board of Trustees. From my very first conversation with Steve and meetings with members of the Search Committee, I knew UNCG to be a very special place. I look forward to working with Steve and the entire Board of Trustees to advance the interests of this great university.
As things would have it, I was in a meeting at the University of Oregon when President Bowles called to talk to me about my candidacy for this position. His voice mail resonated in my heart – he said, and I believe this is close to a direct quote, “Linda, this is Erskine Bowles. I’d like to offer you a chance to come home.” How could anyone refuse that kind of offer?
Steve and I do feel that we are coming home. We spent five wonderful years in North Carolina when I served as Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at N.C. State. I am pleased to see Chancellor Oblinger here today. Jim, you have been an important mentor to me and I look forward to working with you once again.
I am fortunate to be following in the footsteps of a tremendous leader at UNCG – Pat Sullivan – who leaves an outstanding legacy of service to the university and the state. Under her leadership the physical campus has undergone an incredible transformation through the higher education bond projects. UNCG has attained a new Carnegie Foundation classification that reflects its increasing emphasis on research and the productivity of its faculty and staff. The success of the Student First Campaign, which is rapidly closing in on a $100 million goal, sets the stage for the future.
UNCG is indeed a special place. I am drawn to its roots as a woman’s college – a college that has undergone a major transformation to a top-tier co-educational institution, serving a diverse student population, including first-generation students. I am drawn to an institution in which its faculty call themselves “teacher-scholars,” a place where teaching and research, learning and discovery are intertwined.
What better motto for a 21st century, student-centered research university than “Service.” What better moment to translate this motto into a vision grounded in the importance of making a difference in the lives of individuals, our communities and the world.
North Carolina is a progressive state, poised to accomplish great things – and UNCG and the UNC system play critical roles because of the historically strong support our universities receive from the North Carolina General Assembly.
As Chancellor of UNCG, I will be proud to serve the people of North Carolina. President Bowles and his UNC Tomorrow Commission have painted a compelling picture of the state’s future, which UNCG must help meet, in partnership with other campuses and North Carolina’s system of community colleges. The Gateway University Research Park, our new Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, and our broad partnership with North Carolina A&T State University will be critical in defining the future of the Triad region and the quality of life of its citizens. Chancellor Battle, I look forward to broadening and deepening this partnership.
The possibilities that lie before us are unlimited. I look forward to imagining together about our future. I begin this adventure full of enthusiasm and a desire to learn about UNCG, past and present. I will be asking lots of questions, and will seek your advice about UNCG’s future. There is much to do and I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.
I would not be standing before you today were it not for our society’s commitment to public education. My father emigrated from Scotland in 1928. He was the second youngest of eight children, and never had an opportunity to attend college. But my parents believed in the power of education to open doors and enable opportunities for their children.
I attended a state university in the 1960s, when tuition was $200 a semester. Fortunately I received a scholarship, and through federal loans and my work as a waitress in the college dining hall, I was able to cover the cost of my Douglass education. One of the proudest moments of their lives was the day I graduated from Douglass College. If my parents were alive today, they would be prouder still.
Education changed my life. It continues to change the lives of students at UNCG, and those enrolled in all of our public institutions. We must ensure these opportunities are available to future generations of North Carolinians. UNCG stands ready to do its part and to partner with other UNC institutions, community colleges, and K-12 to ensure access, affordability, and success.
I commit my energy, passion, imagination, and determination to the task. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the trust and confidence you have placed in me.
Go Spartans!
