Thomas Ross, president of Davidson College, will lead North Carolina’s public university system starting next year.
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Ross as its new chief executive and announced he will take the reins of the 17-campus system Jan. 1.
As president, Ross will be tasked with confronting a variety of challenges intensified by a slumping economy.
Ross is to take over an institution reeling from $575 million in cuts over the last three years and the loss of nearly 900 administrative positions, The Daily Tar Heel reported.
Thomas Ross, president of Davidson College, will lead North Carolina’s public university system starting next year.
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Ross as its new chief executive and announced he will take the reins of the 17-campus system Jan. 1.
As president, Ross will be tasked with confronting a variety of challenges intensified by a slumping economy.
Ross is to take over an institution reeling from $575 million in cuts over the last three years and the loss of nearly 900 administrative positions, The Daily Tar Heel reported. He is likely to play a major role in shaping tuition policy, which is expected to involve hikes.
Ross will succeed Erskine Bowles, who was tapped by President Barack Obama in February to co-chair the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
“To be asked to follow in their footsteps is daunting and, frankly, a little scary,” the president-elect said of his predecessors at a press conference, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Although he has not yet outlined a specific agenda, Ross stressed that he is committed to excellence in higher education and that “excellence will be a part of the mission of this university.”
Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the board and head of the search committee, said the committee first considered between 55 to 65 candidates and then narrowed the list to nine individuals, according to The Daily Tar Heel.
“Our nationwide search attracted talent from many different professional backgrounds and from every part of the country, but in the end, that long road led us back to North Carolina, to one of our own,” Gage said in a statement.
Ross has been at the helm of Davidson College, his Alma mater, since 2007. Prior to that post, he served as a North Carolina superior court judge for 17 years and as executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a grant-giving institution devoted to promoting social, economic and environmental justice.
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