Sharon McDonald: Spellings needs to appreciate university complexity

One mission of a university is to educate our young people. Another mission is to conduct research that expands our knowledge, and a rigorous graduate program is part of that process.

The Oct. 27 letter “Process no hindrance” rightly emphasized the importance of process in the university community.

My first thought regarding the selection of Margaret Spellings as the new UNC system president is whether, without ever being in a graduate program to earn an advanced degree, she can have a true appreciation for that aspect of higher education.

Rob Christensen pointed out in his Oct. 28 column “Spellings joins a diverse club” that none of the former UNC presidents had a Ph.D. True, but they did have either law degrees or master’s degrees, giving them some insight into university process beyond an undergraduate degree.

Successfully educating undergraduate students and fostering meaningful research are not entirely unrelated goals of a university. Efforts in one area can have significant interactive influences in the other.

I encourage the new UNC president to reflect thoroughly on the complexity of the university community when formulating UNC-related goals and determining the processes best-suited for achieving those goals.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Sharon McDonald: Spellings needs to appreciate university complexity."