Constants Amid Change
Posted on Sept. 14, 1995The Chapel Hill that Michael Hooker left in 1969 was different from the campus to which he has just returned.
Physically our University is much larger and we have a much greater presence from our five health affairs schools (dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health). We have grown to a student body of more than 24,000, including a freshman class of nearly 3,300 who bring an average SAT score of 1140. We have much more diversity in the student body and among the faculty, with many more women and minorities studying and teaching at Carolina.
Despite these obvious differences, in many important ways our University remains unchanged from the Carolina that Dr. Hooker attended. Certainly, our values and traditions continue. We take particular pride in and are strengthened by our relationship with our state.
Chapel Hill has earned its reputation as the “Southern Part of Heaven.” The beauty of our campus has been carefully retained. The walk from Franklin Street past Silent Sam up to the Old Well and across to South Building on to Polk Place all the way to Wilson Library is no different than a similar walk in the late ’60s. And happily Carolina basketball is as much of a phenomena now as it was in the late ’60s. Our student body is still overwhelmingly made up of youngsters who come from each of North Carolina’s 100 counties eager to learn and prepare themselves for a useful, productive life. The faculty remain remarkably committed to their students, their disciplines and their community.
Already as UNC’s new chancellor, Michael Hooker ’69 has impressed many as a bright, decisive, visionary leader. Dr. Hooker returns to Chapel Hill at a critical time for our University. When asked by the press upon his appointment about what his priorities would be, he wisely was quick to note: “The University prospered for over 200 years without Michael Hooker; certainly I can be permitted time to listen and to learn before advancing a vision for Carolina’s future.”
While we may only have to wait until University Day, Oct. 12, to receive a fairly good sense of what Chancellor Hooker’s priorities will be, there were several important issues awaiting Carolina’s eighth chancellor.
Communicating effectively with the University’s many diverse constituencies is critical. The public expects greater accountability now than ever before. If we are to retain and, hopefully, expand state appropriations, we must help the public understand and appreciate our unparalleled contributions to the welfare of all North Carolinians. We can do so without diminishing the important contributions made by other UNC System schools. Indeed, in many areas — from health care to marine sciences, from assistance to the public schools to economic development — we have a long record of collaborating with other UNC System campuses to advance the quality of life of all our citizens.
Building upon the efforts of UNC faculty, students, alumni, staff, trustees and administrators, we must continue our struggle to return Carolina to the top ranks of colleges and universities in offering competitive salaries and benefits. This is important if we are to reclaim our hard-earned, national and international academic ranking. The value of our diplomas is measured not by Carolina’s standing when we graduated but by UNC’s present reputation. Thus, each of us has a self-interest in preserving and enhancing Carolina’s standing.
Happily, Chancellor Hooker will be greatly aided by the recently completed reaccreditation self study, which gives special focus and attention to teaching. Carolina has long distinguished itself as a research university that gives extraordinary attention and priority to the importance of undergraduate education. This was true when Dr. Hooker was studying as an honors student at Carolina in the late ’60s and remains true today.
As we welcome back Michael Hooker, let us recognize that each of us has the opportunity to contribute to assisting in his transition home to Chapel Hill. We can each be advocates for Carolina and represent our University to legislators, friends, neighbors and others. We can remain informed about Carolina and involved in the ongoing efforts to continue to build upon our long, proud tradition of distinguished academic excellence and unparalleled public service. Each of us also can help create the culture that encourages leadership. We must avoid the continued balkanization of our campus and recognize that our strength comes from pulling together. We must work endlessly to ensure that the whole of the University is greater than the sum of its parts .
Yours at Carolina,
Douglas S. Dibbert ’70
