Summer 2010
UNCP Today
5
Pembroke for meetings with key leaders,
a community-wide reception, a press
conference and dinner with executive
staff.
After thanking the Board of Governors,
Dr. Carter said it was "a great day in
my life and the life of my family. I am
absolutely thrilled by this appointment.
"I pledge to you that your decision
will be rewarded," he continued. "I was
drawn to Pembroke initially by the search
committee, which made Pembroke's story
a compelling one.
"UNC Pembroke is an institution with
a rich history," Dr. Carter said. "For more
than 123 years, the University has served a
very diverse citizenry.
"I will invite the entire Pembroke
community to help chart the future course
of the University," he said.
In the press conference that followed,
Dr. Carter started the conversation.
"I have had a great deal of experience
in dealing with change," he said. "Base
realignment on Ft. Bragg and pending
federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe will
bring growth to the entire region.
"I am a good listener," Dr. Carter
continued. "I am adaptable. If the course
I've set is not the right one, I am willing to
change."
Dr. Carter introduced his family in
Durham and later in Pembroke. He and his
wife, Sarah, who is a former elementary
school teacher, have two children. Travis is
at the University of Chicago doing post-
doctoral work after earning a Ph.D. in
social psychology from Cornell University.
Heather, who was in attendance, works for
the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta
and is working on a doctorate in nutrition
at the University of Georgia.
Chancellor Carter has experience
working with American Indians. On the
list of people he met Friday was Lumbee
Tribal Chair Purnell Swett.
At WCU, Dr. Carter supervised
the Cherokee Task Force to promote
collaboration between the university
and tribe. One of those collaborations
included Wake Forest University in a
Cultural Health Care Initiative for rural
healthcare providers.
The chancellor has also been active
in the communities where he worked.
He volunteered with a variety of service
organizations including Upward Bound,
Q: You have worked as faculty and administration with several
regional universities. And, you have served as provost at two
institutions. How did those experiences prepare you for UNCP?
A: After working at four "AASCU institutions" (AASCU stands for the
American Association of State Colleges and Universities) for more
than 35 years as a faculty member and administrator, I have come to
realize that all state institutions are confronted with very similar issues.
However, each state institution deals with a different set of issues at
any particular time because of local circumstances and their own
development as an institution. So, my experiences elsewhere should
transfer smoothly to UNCP. However, I know and respect UNCP's
wonderfully unique heritage and service to its region, and I don't
assume that the solution I applied elsewhere is the right one for UNCP.
Q: What is the role of a regional university? And, can UNCP serve its
region more effectively in the future?
A: AASCU institutions were created by and for a region to educate the
local citizenry so they could improve their own condition. When taken
collectively, educated citizens create a more prosperous region. The
mission of regional institutions today remains the same as their historic
purpose, yet the role and scope has expanded. UNCP was founded
as a normal school to train American Indian teachers. Over the years,
the normal school transitioned to become UNCP, a regional university
that offers a large array of programs important to the region, and it now
serves all North Carolinians regardless of race within the region and
beyond. However, its link to its historic past remains a core value, and
its basic mission remains the same: educate the citizenry to improve
individual lives and the economic condition of the region it serves.
As UNCP looks toward the future, it will continue its original purpose,
providing academic programs important to the region, and it will
continue to offer itself as both a resource to the region and as a
convener of key constituencies to address regional needs. Although
universities aren't specifically designed to resolve social and economic
issues of a region, they can provide intellectual capital and settings
where key stakeholders and decision makers can gather to address
problems. I anticipate UNCP's outreach will increase in the region
by continuing to develop partnerships with local county and city
governments to address regional issues like capitalizing on economic
development with the BRAC corridor, achieving federal recognition for
the Lumbee Tribe and reducing the dropout rate in the public schools,
to mention just a few.
Q: Western Carolina University lists 120 programs among its
offerings, many more than UNCP. Do you foresee adding programs
and do you have any in mind?
A: As our involvement in the region grows, UNCP will add additional
programs to serve regional needs. That is inevitable. I don't have
specific programs in mind, but we will regularly evaluate the region's
needs to drive the University's program creation.
Questions
Answers
and
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