Letter from the Chair, Rob King

5/3/13

As you know, the Chancellor Search Committee has been working diligently toward our collective goal of having a new chancellor for UNCSA in place by July 1.  We set a very ambitious timeline for the search and have sought to advance our work expeditiously, but from the very outset, our overarching commitment has been to ensure that we find the best possible new leader for UNCSA.  This assignment is critically important to UNCSA’s future, and we are determined to get it right, however long the process takes.

While we have been absolutely thrilled at the caliber of candidates the search has attracted, the current marketplace is both highly competitive and somewhat unpredictable.  It now appears that the search will take longer than we had initially hoped.  For that reason, the Chancellor Search Committee has decided to extend our work into the fall, when we will refocus our efforts on identifying exceptional candidates to lead UNCSA.  On behalf of the entire committee, thank you for your advice and input to date, your continued support, and your patience.

I’ll soon be consulting with UNC President Tom Ross, who will take appropriate steps to ensure uninterrupted leadership for the campus until a permanent new chancellor can be in place, and I will share updates with you as they become available.

Rob King


4/5/13

I am pleased to report to you that our search committee has made tremendous progress in our efforts to find the next chancellor of the University North Carolina School of the Arts. Working closely with Martin Baker from the executive search firm of Baker & Associates, we have reviewed the credentials of an large number of highly qualified leaders from across the United States. We have held face-to-face interviews with those candidates who rose to the top of our list. Throughout the process, committee members have been ever mindful of the invaluable input provided by our various constituencies – our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Although I cannot tell you specifics about the candidates, I can tell you this: The quality of those who want to be the next chancellor of UNCSA is excellent, and their credentials are stellar.

I also am pleased to inform you that our search committee is on schedule to meet our goal of having a new chancellor ready to lead UNCSA by July 1. On Wednesday, March 27th, the search committee provided a slate of candidates to the UNCSA Board of Trustees, and on April 5, 2013, the Board forwarded the names of three finalists to Tom Ross, UNC president, who will make the final recommendation to the UNC Board of Governors for approval.

It has been a pleasure to serve as chair of this committee, and to work with such dedicated group of people in our search for the next chancellor of the University North Carolina School of the Arts

Rob King

Letter to the UNCSA Chancellor Search Committee

12/21/22

It’s been a busy time for the Chancellor Search committee.  During October, the Chancellor Search Committee for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts convened several forums with students, faculty, staff and alumni.  The committee also conducted community forums, including one with community arts leaders, and another with the surrounding neighbors of UNCSA.  These gatherings provided opportunities for engagement and dialogue that served to inform the committee’s work in defining the role, expectations and priorities for UNCSA's next chancellor.  We also conducted a survey in an attempt to reach out to those who could not attend the forums, and we were pleased with the response we received.

Among the qualities most frequently mentioned for our next Chancellor were: someone who is passionate about the arts; a leader with excellent fundraising skills; someone who has an appreciation for and a commitment to diversity; a leader with very strong interpersonal skills and open minded; an enthusiastic person who will enhance the reputation of UNCSA both within North Carolina and beyond; and a leader who is committed to the role of a public conservatory.

In light of all the input we received, the Leadership Statement (chancellor’s job description) has been finalized, and it is posted on this website. The document will be turned over to Baker and Associates, the university’s search firm, so that they may launch the recruiting process. However, as chair of the Chancellor Search Committee, I strongly encourage you to review the statement, consider your professional relationships, and urge good candidates you know to apply.

With our heartfelt thanks to all forum participants for your excellent, thoughtful comments, I wish you to know that your guidance will be invaluable as we move forward in selecting the next UNCSA Chancellor.

We will continue to keep you apprised as we progress in this very important work.

Rob King

Letter from the Chair, Rob King

As chair of the chancellor search committee for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, I want to take this opportunity to provide you with some general information regarding the search process.

We have assembled a 19-member committee, representative of the constituencies of the School of the Arts, to launch a national search to identify the most qualified person to lead the School of the Arts. The committee includes members of the University’s Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders.  University of North Carolina President Tom Ross gave the committee its charge on October 23rd. He stated that the next chancellor should be a leader with integrity and courage, who has a passion for the arts, and who embraces UNCSA’s mission as a public conservatory for the arts.  He wants someone who balances the demands of the academic, administrative and social aspects of a complex educational institution, while engendering an atmosphere within which artistic expression can flourish.

While the committee members will dedicate their time and resources to this process over the coming months, we know that this process will not be successful without your input. The committee will hold public forums on campus and seek input from the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the School of the Arts, and from the Winston-Salem community on the personal and professional qualities necessary for the School of the Arts’ next chancellor.  Information about the public forums will be posted on this website, and it is the committee’s hope that you will participate. Those of you who cannot attend the forums are encouraged to email the search committee at chancellorsearch@uncsa.edu.

A search firm, Baker & Associates, has been hired to help recruit and evaluate qualified candidates. Once the search committee selects final candidates, it will submit the names to the full UNCSA Board of Trustees. The board will recommend a slate of finalists to President Ross, who then will recommend one candidate to the UNC Board of Governors.

The committee hopes to accomplish this task in a timely manner and to have a new Chancellor in place by July 1, 2013.

Please check in on this site regularly as we will use it to update our constituents throughout the search process.