UNC system spent $140K to find Ross as new leader

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — North Carolina taxpayers won’t have to pay the larger-than-expected bill to find a new president of the state’s public university system.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Monday that the University of North Carolina system outspent its target in the search that settled on Davidson College President Tom Ross. The bill will be paid using interest earned from unrestricted gifts given to the university, rather than going to the taxpayers to foot the bill.

The search to replace retiring UNC system President Erskine Bowles cost more than $140,000. University system leaders said earlier this year they didn’t want to spend more than $100,000.

About 90 percent of the cost went to Dallas-based consultants who whittled down a nationwide pool of around 60 applicants.
—
Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)