6
UNCP Today
Summer 2010
United Way and Habitat for Humanity, as
well as youth sports, Boy Scouts, Rotary
and school booster clubs.
He is also an experienced fundraiser.
Working with Northern Colorado's first
capital campaign, he helped raise $11.5
million. At Central Missouri, Dr. Carter
worked closely with a $21 million
Campaign for Students. At WCU, he was a
member of the executive leadership team
for the successful $51.8 million capital
campaign that ended in October 2009.
IN PEMBROKE
In front of about 400 faculty, staff,
student and community guests at a late
afternoon reception at UNCP, it got more
personal for Chancellor Carter.
"I will spend the next several months
learning more about UNCP," Dr. Carter
said. "I will rely on Chancellor Jenkins to
assist me in this transition.
"You don't know me yet, but we will
get to know each other better over time,"
he promised.
Q: Our biggest challenge improving
retention and graduation rates is the
same one that plagues almost all regional
universities. How will we improve outcomes?
A: That is a very big and complex question!
If the answer were simple, someone would
have already addressed the problem. However,
former Chancellor Jenkins started a process
to address these issues last spring when he
presented a 25-point plan to the Board of
Trustees. His plan is an excellent start. What
I learned from my experience at WCU--we
worked on the same issue for the last three
years--is that improving retention and
graduation rates isn't related to one or two
issues but depends upon improving multiple
routine practices and services. You have to
continue to do a lot of little things well over
a period of time before you see results. So,
universities must make sure that all of their
student services (e.g. advising, financial aid,
early alert systems for students in academic
trouble, tutoring, etc.) are working well. We
must make sure that faculty are focused on
student success, i.e. challenging students but
also providing the means for them to meet
expected outcomes. Finally, we must make
sure we recruit the right students, those who
are capable of success at UNCP, and they must
understand the type of experience that awaits
them when they arrive on campus.
Q: In a conversation, you mentioned
"branding" of a university in terms a little
different than the conventional marketing
concept we are familiar with. Can you explain
more?
A: Sure. Branding is the set of messages that an
organization uses to communicate its purpose,
values, and defining characteristics. All
members of the organization must understand
the brand and communicate consistent
messages to its target audiences. Branding is
extremely important to any organization and
relates to the last point I made in the previous
question: "We must make sure we recruit
the right students." Let me illustrate my point
this way. A couple wishes to celebrate their
anniversary in a nice, quiet restaurant with
an intimate atmosphere. They also have a
few other criteria: white tablecloths, candle
light, healthy international cuisine, and a
good wine list. They find an ad for "European
Bistro" that advertises the following: Enjoy
unique international dishes in an intimate
setting suited to celebrating your special event.
Our complete wine list will complement
any meal. They decide to try it. Much to
their disappointment, the restaurant is noisy,
crowded and bright. The menu is limited with
mostly American dishes. And the wine list has
a limited selection of wines. The couple is very
disappointed and decides they will never come
back! Why? Because the advertising didn't
truly represent the experience. Universities run
the same risk. If the actual experience doesn't
match the brand promise (i.e. how universities
describe themselves when they recruit),
students will be disappointed and leave. So,
it is important to accurately portray UNCP
to potential students. When you do so, those
students who enroll have experiences that fit
what they expect to encounter. So, they are a
good fit for the institution and will persist until
graduation.
Q: At the town hall meeting in April, you said
that finding the right provost is of paramount
importance. What special qualities will you
look for in our next academic chief?
A: We're in the process of developing a
complete job description for UNCP's provost
position and have created a Web page to
keep people informed about the process of
the search. You might want to review the page
(www.uncp.edu/provostsearch/) to get a more
complete understanding of the importance
of the position as well as the attributes that
person must possess. However, I will give you
a couple of qualities that I consider absolutely
essential:
In a PowerPoint presentation, Dr.
Carter introduced his wife, who he met
at freshman orientation in college, his
children and family pet. He listed the five
reasons why he and his family wanted to
be a part of the Pembroke community.
On the list was: a beautiful campus;
people who care about their University;
diversity, which he said is "an asset of
limitless value;" the University's mission to
uplift people's lives in the region; and the
opportunity to share in UNCP's future.
"What are we going to become?" he
asked. "We will chart that course together.
"The thing I will never change is the
history and culture of this University," Dr.
Carter said.
Chancellor Carter met with
representatives of The Pine Needle and
WNCP-TV following the reception. He
revealed even more about himself and
how he will lead.
To a question about athletics and
UNCP's new football team, Chancellor
Carter revealed that he is a sports fan.
Questions
Answers
and
(continued)
Chancellor Carter speaks to the Board
of Governors following his election.