years , Dr. Allen C. Meadors Chancellor 1999 – 2009 UNC President Molly Broad charged Dr. Meadors to grow the university. From an enrollment of a little more than 3,000, the university topped out at near 7,000. Another construction boom was fueled by an injection of $57 million from N.C. Higher Education Bonds. Four new residence halls, one with apartments, were constructed. Following the most successful fundraising campaign in university history, bringing in $3.5 million, football returned in 2007. Dr. Charles R. Jenkins Interim Chancellor 2009 – 2010 When Dr. Meadors suddenly resigned to take a similar post at the University of Central Arkansas, UNC President Erskine Bowles called on Dr. Jenkins. More than an interim, Dr. Jenkins had been a seasoned and loyal university administrator and faculty member for more than 38 years. For a year characterized by recession and painful budget cuts, he brought energy to the university and reinstituted Founders’ Day. Dr. Kyle R. Carter Chancellor 2010 – Present Dr. Carter has brought veteran leadership to the university. The former provost at Western Carolina University got to work quickly raising standards and reorganizing student support services to boost retention. He returned commencement to the Quad, the university’s most hallowed ground. In March, Dr. Carter declared a 14-month celebration of the university’s 125th anniversary. Shortly afterward, he honored the university’s history by launching the Southeastern American Indian Studies program, which will become a national leader in research, scholarship and outreach. , 22 UNCP Today Spring 2012