The UNC Policy Manual
200.8
Adopted
05/25/23
Policy on
Chancellor Searches and Elections
The Board of Governors adopts the following policy regarding the chancellor search and election process.
I. Purpose. Under
state law, the chancellor is the administrative and executive head of the
constituent institution of the University of North Carolina (UNC) System whose
exercise of executive authority is subject to the direction of the president.[1] State law requires the Board of Governors to elect
a chancellor on the nomination of the president; and the president to choose the nominee from a list of candidates recommended
by the institution’s board of trustees. [2] The search for and
election of a new chancellor of a constituent institution therefore requires
the participation, involvement, and collaboration of the president, the board
of trustees of the constituent institution, and the Board of Governors, each of
which performs distinct roles and functions. Within the UNC System,
chancellors report to the president. The president therefore has the
primary responsibility for ensuring there is a thorough and reliable process that
reflects the needs of the institution, the System, and the state, results in a
pool of exceptionally qualified candidates, and culminates in the election of
the chancellor by the Board of Governors.
Consistent
with the statutory responsibilities of the board of trustees, president, and
Board of Governors, this policy establishes requirements for the chancellor
search and election process, describes the search philosophy, and identifies the
resources that shall be provided through the UNC System Office and the constituent
institutions during each search.
II. Search
Roles and Process
A. President. As
further described in this policy, the president or their designee shall serve as
an ex officio member of the search advisory committee. In addition, the
president shall: oversee UNC System Office staff with responsibility for
managing and supporting chancellor searches, determine search advisory committee
membership, charge the search advisory committee, develop chancellor leadership
competencies, interview chancellor finalists, participate in the reference
checking process, negotiate the terms of employment for a chancellor-elect
consistent with state law and Board policy, and offer a chancellor-elect for
final consideration by the Board of Governors.
B. Board
of Trustees. As further described in this policy, members of the
boards of trustees shall serve as members of the search advisory committee,
shall consider candidates proposed by the search advisory committee as
potential finalists, and shall refer a final slate of candidates to the
president for additional vetting and consideration.
C. Board
of Governors. The Chair of the Board of Governors or their designee and the
member of the Board of Governors designated by the Committee on University
Governance to serve as the liaison to the constituent institution shall serve
as ex officio members of the search advisory committee. In addition, as
further described in this policy, selected members of the Board of Governors
shall provide input and advice to the president on a slate of finalists and the
governors both in committee and then as the full body shall consider and vote
on a proposed chancellor-elect.
D. Search
Advisory Committee
1.
The president in consultation with
the chair of the board of trustees shall appoint a search advisory committee that
consists of no more than 13 voting members.
2.
The members of the search advisory committee
shall consist of individuals knowledgeable of the duties and responsibilities
of the chancellor position and broadly representative of the interest of
students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and the UNC System.
3.
The voting membership must include representatives
of the board of trustees, the faculty, the student body, the staff, and the
alumni.
4.
The voting membership must also
include a sitting or retired chancellor from another UNC System university with
24 months or more experience serving as a permanent chancellor.
5.
The search advisory committee shall
also include as ex officio, voting members the president (or
their designee), the Chair of the Board of Governors (or their designee), and
the member of the Board of Governors designated by the Committee on University
Governance to serve as the liaison to the constituent institution.
6.
The president in consultation with
the chair of the board of trustees shall identify a chair of the search advisory
committee; the chair of the board of trustees may serve as chair of the search advisory
committee.
7.
As further described in this policy,
the search advisory committee shall work on behalf of the president to receive
the input of stakeholders; to develop in consultation with the president a
leadership statement that describes the desired qualities for the new
chancellor, including any qualities identified as Systemwide leadership pillars
by the UNC Board of Governors; to conduct interviews and consider the
qualifications of candidates; and to propose a slate of finalists for
consideration of the board of trustees, who recommends a slate to the
president.
8.
It is essential that the members of the search
advisory committee see themselves and function not as representatives of particular special interest groups, but as members of a team
dedicated to a single objective: the identification and recommendation of the
strongest possible candidates for the chancellorship of the institution.
E. Budget
and Staff. Upon the establishment of the search advisory committee,
the chair of the board of trustees, in consultation with the president, shall
establish a budget and identify staff for the committee. The costs for a
chancellor search are the responsibility of the constituent institution. This
shall include the fees and expenses of any engaged outside professional search
and/or background investigation firms.
F. UNC
System Office. The UNC System Office shall provide the necessary
resources and support to effectively carry out a chancellor search, including
but not limited to qualified human resources staff with expertise in executive
search, logistical and administrative support to the chair of the search advisory
committee, and training materials which shall serve to orient trustees and
search advisory committee members with respect to their roles and
responsibilities in the search process. The System Office may also
obtain the support of the constituent institution in providing local logistical
support to the operations of the search advisory committee.
G. Search
Status. Members of the Board of Governors may elect to receive
public notices of search advisory committee meetings and chancellor search open
forums.
H. Engagement
of Key Stakeholders
1. The chair
of the search advisory committee shall ensure that the search process engages a
broad cross-section of stakeholders to obtain well-rounded input on the
leadership statement and candidates. At the discretion of the search advisory committee
chair, such engagement could involve students, faculty, staff, alumni,
community members, and other stakeholders familiar with the needs of the
institution, region, and state.
2. The
search advisory committee chair is encouraged to engage selected members of the
Board of Governors who may live within proximity to the institution or
otherwise have a particular interest in or knowledge of the institution and its
mission to attend constituent forums, candidate receptions, or other events at
which candidates are present.
3. All
individuals provided the opportunity to meet with
chancellor candidates on campus will be expected to sign confidentiality
agreements equivalent to that signed by members of the search advisory committee.
I. Confidential
Searches and Confidentiality
1. Consistent
with state law protecting the identity of applicants[3], searches for chancellors
of the UNC System shall be conducted as “confidential searches,” which shall
mean the identity of candidates, semi-finalists, or finalists shall not be
disclosed to the general public. Conducting
confidential searches is intended to maximize the quality of the candidate pool
by not discouraging the interest of individuals who would not otherwise apply
in the event of a publicly disclosed candidate pool.
2. Any
individual involved in the search process, including but not limited to members
of the Board of Governors, the search advisory committee, the board of
trustees, and staff, shall keep confidential all search-related records and
information that are required by law to be kept
confidential. Confidential information includes, but is not limited
to, personnel records and information of candidates, attorney-client
communications, and closed session deliberations and information.
III. Search Philosophy, Candidates for
Chancellor, and Other Items
A.
Each chancellor search
advisory committee and the boards of trustees for constituent institutions
shall, in consultation with the president, undertake reasonable efforts to
recruit and consider a diverse pool of exceptionally well-qualified individuals
for chancellor vacancies, including candidates with leadership experience and a
track record of success in the public, non-profit, or private for-profit sectors.
B.
The Board of Governors may, in
consultation with the president and with input from constituencies across the
university system, choose to identify a limited number of qualities, skills, or
attributes (“leadership pillars”) that are critical to chancellor success at
any System university and that must therefore be included in every leadership
profile developed by a search advisory committee. The Board shall revisit such leadership
pillars at its discretion to ensure alignment with current strategic priorities
and the role of the chancellor.
C.
In order to support proactive talent
identification and succession planning efforts and to benefit future applicant
pools for the position of chancellor, the president, in consultation with the
officers of the Board of Governors, shall undertake reasonable efforts to
develop potential chancellor candidates within the UNC System and shall ensure
that opportunities for chancellor vacancies are promoted in a manner that
encourages interest from well-qualified candidates who are current residents of
the State of North Carolina.
D.
In keeping with Board policy, in order to avoid actual or potential conflicts of
interests, no presently serving member of the Board of Governors or a board of
trustees shall be eligible to be appointed as an acting or interim chancellor
or to be considered for the position of chancellor unless they first resign
their position on said body.
IV. Board
of Trustees Recommendations to the President. The board of trustees,
following receipt of the report of the search advisory committee shall, subject
to the direction of the president, recommend an unranked slate of no fewer than
three (3) candidates for consideration by the president in designating a
nominee for the chancellorship.
V. Consideration
by the President. Once the slate of candidates is received from the board of
trustees, the president may choose to interview one (1) or more of the
candidates and may include members of his or her senior staff in the
interviews, as deemed appropriate. The president may also consider asking the
appointed officers of the Board of Governors and the chair and vice chair of
the Committee on University Personnel to participate in these interviews to
advise on the suitability of the candidates and to build support for a selected
finalist before advancing to the next stage of the search process.
VI. Review
of Candidate Qualifications and Background Investigation
A. Timing. The
president shall initiate a detailed background investigation on one or more of
the candidates received from the board of trustees for determining their
suitability for election as chancellor.
B. Scope. Any
candidate presented to the Board of Governors for election as chancellor must
have had a completed background investigation that includes but is not limited
to verification of prior work history and educational credentials, confirmation
of most recent total compensation, reference checks, criminal background check,
credit check, civil litigation check, and scans of relevant social media and
news media references applicable to the candidate. This investigation may
address any other issues deemed of relevance to the president to confirm the
candidate’s suitability to serve as a chancellor.
C. Review
of Results. The final results of this background
investigation shall be reviewed by the president, appropriate members of the
president’s senior staff, the officers of the Board of Governors, and the chair
and vice chair of the Committee on University Personnel. This information may
be shared with other members of the Board of Governors only with the direct
authorization of the chair and the president when deemed necessary for the
proper conduct of a search.
VII. Nomination
to the Board of Governors. Following interviews and successful completion
of an appropriate background investigation, the president may either identify
one candidate for nomination to the Board of Governors or return the slate to
the board of trustees with instructions for further action.
VIII. Negotiation
of Terms and Conditions of Appointment. The president shall consult
with the Board of Governors officers and the chair of the Committee on
University Personnel about the president’s proposed nomination and negotiation
of conditional terms and conditions of appointment. The negotiated terms and
conditions may include: compensation (including base
salary, consistent with the Board of Governors approved market salary ranges),
retirement plan participation; deferred compensation incentive and retention
plans; stipends, and allowances.
IX. Election
of the Chancellor
A. The
Board of Governors shall vote on the president’s nominee and the proposed terms
of appointment.
B. All
the members of the Board shall have no less than seven (7) calendar days to
review written materials for the proposed candidate for chancellor-elect prior
to being asked to vote on said nomination.
C. Prior
to being considered by the full Board of Governors, the Committee on University
Personnel shall convene to consider and make a recommendation concerning the
president’s nomination and the proposed terms and conditions of appointment,
including the elements of any employment contract. The Committee on
University Personnel meeting shall be scheduled so as to
reasonably accommodate participation by Board of Governors members in person or
by telephone.
D. Any
Board of Governors member who shall have a concern regarding the veracity or
accuracy of any element of a candidate’s background for chancellor shall
address such concern directly to the president. The president shall have the
responsibility to investigate and follow-up on such concerns with the Board of
Governors in a timely manner.
E. The
chancellor-elect shall not be physically present at any Board meeting at which
such vote shall be undertaken.
X. Other
Matters
A. Effective
Date. The requirements of this policy shall apply to all chancellor searches,
except that the amendments to the policy adopted by the Board of Governors on May 25, 2023, shall be effective only for those chancellor searches
that commence after May 25, 2023.
B. Relation
to State Laws. The foregoing policies as adopted by the Board of Governors are
meant to supplement, and do not purport to supplant or modify, those statutory
enactments which may govern or relate to chancellor searches.
C. Regulations
and Guidelines. These policies shall be implemented and applied in accordance
with such regulations and guidelines as may be adopted from time to time by the
president.