Some people are saying that the new UNC-CH chancellor, former Dartmouth
interim president Carol Folt, is well equipped to handle the problems in the athletic department at Carolina.
As someone who is familiar with both schools, I disagree. I don't think that Folt has the background and experience to deal with Carolina's problems in athletics. She may try to, but she will be stepping in a minefield. I think she will leave things up to AD Cunningham and if he doesn't make things better or more scandals erupt, she will blame him and fire him. But the sports scandals inevitably damaged former chancellor Thorp and they could damage Folt just as easily.
Two months in, Chancellor Carol Folt begins to pave her way at UNC
By Amanda Albright | The Daily Tar Heel
Updated: 08/21/13 1:20am
...Former Chancellor Holden Thorp has admitted he wasn’t equipped to handle big-time athletics when he started. For Folt, Dartmouth is a Division I school, but non-scholarship, so questions have been raised about her preparation, too.
But Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, who is a member of Folt’s cabinet, said her learning curve shouldn’t be too large because she still led a school with a big athletics presence.
“There’s a lot of dialogue about the governing structure, but she’s familiar with that and that discussion,” he said. “She has a year of experience at the NCAA level at the Ivy League.”
There are still some pending investigations related to athletics at UNC, including one by the State Bureau of Investigation into the department now known as African and African American and Diaspora Studies.
Wayne Lee, chairman of the department of peace, war and defense, said Folt must decide whether to and how to change the relationship between athletics and the University.
“The impression exists, rightly or wrongly, that the dog is being wagged by the tail,” Lee said. “We should take a leadership role in saying that cannot be the case.”
Jean DeSaix, a biology professor who serves on the faculty executive committee, said the new administration must be transparent.
“There’s a suspicion that has bubbled forth about things that go on,” DeSaix said.
“Even when people are doing their very best to fix things, that word doesn’t get out and there’s still suspicion.”