CHAPEL HILL – When he named Kevin Guskiewicz as Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last week, UNC System Interim President Bill Roper named a nationally recognized concussion researcher, a listener and a conciliator.
“Kevin Guskiewicz possesses the leadership qualities needed to take Carolina forward: strength, poise, humility, vision, the strong proficiency to listen, and the ability to bring people together,” Roper said.
Guskiewicz has been a member of Carolina’s faculty since 1995. He is a nationally recognized expert on sport-related concussions and his work has influenced concussion guidelines in the NCAA and the NFL. In 2011, he received a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” and in 2013, Time magazine recognized him as one of 18 “Game Changers” in America.
He served as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences for three years before he was named Interim Chancellor in February.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the 12th chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,” Guskiewicz said.
“My vision for Carolina is that we will move forward into the future with boldness and confidence because our work is vital for the people of our state, the nation and the world. There is no institution in the world that is more capable of changing the future than our nation’s first public university. I am committed to championing our community, fighting for our values and demonstrating that we make a difference in the lives of all North Carolinians.”1
When he was named Interim Chancellor, Guskiewicz said his aim was to be “strategic, bold and student-focused” – an emphasis he reiterated in an interview with Higher Ed Works:
Underscoring his focus on students, Anita Brown-Graham, a member of the UNC search committee, said that when Guskiewicz was asked to name his favorite place on campus, he replied: “In a classroom with our students.”
Brown-Graham called it “a better than perfect answer.”2
Guskiewicz has already faced a trial by fire, declaring as Interim Chancellor that the toppled “Silent Sam” Confederate monument should not be returned to campus, then confronting a backlash among students and faculty over the UNC Board of Governors’ recent agreement to hand over the monument to the Sons of Confederate Veterans and set up a $2.5 million trust for its maintenance and upkeep.3
Guskiewicz listened to those concerns and – even as the System President and Board of Governors were weighing his appointment as Chancellor – relayed them in a letter last week to Roper and BOG Chair Randy Ramsey.
As he was named Chancellor, Guskiewicz also announced a $5 million investment to build community at Carolina. That will include the launch of a History, Race and A Way Forward Commission, an effort to strengthen teaching, study the university’s past and learn from it; as well as the Campus Safety Commission and diversity initiatives.4
Guskiewicz often speaks of the “culture of collaboration” at Carolina, a point he emphasizes in this interview with Higher Ed Works:
That collaboration doesn’t apply just to faculty research. Guskiewicz also emphasizes interdisciplinary learning as a key to preparing students to bridge disciplines and solve the complex problems of the 21st century, as he notes in this segment:
And when it comes to demonstrating that Carolina makes a difference in the lives of North Carolinians, Guskiewicz this fall revived the Tar Heel Bus Tour, which put 90 faculty and administrators on three buses to travel 1,600 miles, visit 28 towns, see the places students call home and discuss how the university touches those places:
After nearly 25 years in Chapel Hill, there should be very little learning curve for Guskiewicz. He is already familiar with the issues and politics of the university. And he has already demonstrated a refreshing openness and willingness to confront those issues.
1 https://www.northcarolina.edu/news/2019/12/Dr-Kevin-Guskiewicz-Named-12th-Chancellor-UNC-Chapel-Hill.
2 https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article238322383.html.
3 https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article238191439.html.
4https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article238322383.html.
Leave a Reply