Chancellor Nancy J. Cable to step down at the end of the year; Interim Provost Kimberly van Noort named interim chancellor
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans announced an interim chancellor and an upcoming search for the next leader of the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Kimberly van Noort, interim provost at UNC Asheville, will become interim chancellor, effective Jan. 1, 2023, succeeding Chancellor Nancy J. Cable, who announced Thursday that she would step down at the end of the year to head the Chapel Hill-based William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.
Van Noort has held high-level academic positions at the UNC System for the past six years, most recently as senior vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer since 2018. In that role, she leads the development and implementation of the academic mission of the System, overseeing academic programs, faculty, research, student affairs, digital learning and data and analytics. During her time with the System, she guided efforts to improve student success and mental health supports; launched initiatives to ease the path for transfer students and military-affiliated students; and oversaw a team that developed online courses and a digital institute for faculty development during the pandemic.
She previously served 20 years as a faculty member and academic leader at the University of Texas at Arlington, a public Research 1 university that enrolled 37,000 students at the time. During her time at UT Arlington, she was an associate vice provost for undergraduate studies, director of University College, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and a professor of French.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in French Language and Literature from Boston University.
“Dr. van Noort will bring her considerable skills and academic experience to lead UNC Asheville,” Hans said. “A strong champion of the liberal arts, she has a deep understanding of UNC Asheville’s unique role and its critical importance to the state.”
Cable will leave UNC Asheville at the end of the year but will continue to assist the university in an advisory role through next summer.
“I am grateful to Chancellor Cable for her dedicated service and stalwart commitment to UNC Asheville, especially during the pandemic,” Hans said, referring to the more than 21,000 COVID-19 vaccinations the university provided to faculty, staff, students and area residents. “We wish her the best in her vital new role leading one of our most important philanthropic organizations as it works to advance education, health care, community development and arts and culture.”
A national search for the next chancellor will be launched in the coming months, Hans said.