CHAPEL HILL - New UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp spent his first day in office getting to know student leaders over breakfast, convening his Cabinet and meeting with top faculty and staff leaders.

"I can't imagine anything more validating than having a bunch of college students get up at 7:30 in the morning," Thorp told students at a breakfast at the Campus Y.

Student body Vice President Todd Dalrymple said Thorp, a former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has shown he can work with students.

"There isn't going to be that learning curve," he said. "That's why we're so excited to have him. He just seems to fit right in here."

Thorp, a UNC-CH alumnus and Fayetteville native, told the students he wanted the talk to quickly shift to action.

"You're probably sick of people telling you we're at this interesting point in history where we have globalization, the Internet and all that stuff," he said.

"OK, we know all that. Now what are we going to do about it?" he said. "What are we going to do to make sure that your education is the one that helps you differentiate yourself in this competitive world that we have and gives you the tools to be successful not only in June after you graduate in May, but 10, 20, 30 years after that?"

"If we're going to decide what the educational future is going to look like, we need to make sure students contribute to that vision."