Newly named chancellor talks successes, goals for UNCW ahead of fall semester

WWAY sat down with Chancellor Dr. Aswani Volety ahead of the fall semester.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As students prepare to return to UNCW for the fall semester, a new chancellor has already assumed his role ahead of the school year.

Dr. Aswani Volety officially assumed the role as chancellor on July 1. He says when the position came open, it felt like coming home.

He’s returning to the university after serving as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Elon University. Before that, Volety served at UNCW as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (July 2014 – August 2019) and executive director of the Center for Marine Science (May 2018 – August 2019).

As North Carolina’s coastal university, Volety says UNCW’s Center for Marine Science rivals similar programs across the country. In addition to the well-known marine biology program, he says they’ve added earth and ocean sciences, physical oceanography, coastal engineering, and a PhD Doctoral program in applied coastal ocean sciences.

“What we do very well at UNC Wilmington is keeping the focus on students and student success. Students have always come first, and that’s not going to change,” Volety said. “Regardless of what program you have, the core is the liberal arts and sciences curriculum that underpins essential skills like critical thinking, communication, collaborative skills overlaid with the technical skills that come from a major. The combination of these essential skills and these technical skills are what makes UNC Wilmington graduates unique.”

Academics aren’t the only thing on his mind. Volety says arts and athletics play a large role in drawing people to the university. He looks forward to supporting the arts programs and athletic teams. While Randall Library is getting a massive expansion, Volety says Kenan Auditorium is a place that frequently draws in members of the community and could use a face-lift as well.

With more than 18,000 students and growing, Volety says departments like health sciences, business, and computer sciences will likely expand to meet the needs of the community. After all, he says the university has existed to serve the community ever since it was formed as a teacher’s college in 1947.

The chancellor says COVID-19 brought to light the need for more nurses, physician’s assistants, physical therapists and more in the health sciences field. Additionally, as technology dominates most industries, Volety says business, computer science, and analytics is another growth opportunity for the university.

“There is a need in the community and an expertise on campus. The idea is to connect the expertise with the need,” Volety said. “And conversely know what works well in the community and work with the community and learn from them because that is who is providing our students with real world experience where they can apply the concepts learned in the classroom and apply it to real world solutions.”

When it comes to the success of the university, Volety says community collaboration is not only essential — it’s critical. That’s another area where the chancellor hopes to expand. He wants to get more professionals into the classrooms to give students more access to experience real life learning opportunities.

While the community is a critical piece of the puzzle, Volety says without students there would be no university. He says he’s working to make sure UNCW is a place where all students feel welcome and have opportunities for success.

“UNCW has made a lot of strides. Whether it is dedicating scholarships or creating a million dollar endowment towards student support, expanding identity centers where individuals can get together,” Volety said. “I understand what it means to feel included. As you know, I’m an immigrant. I’m a first generation college student that came up from modest means. Education changed my life. I always say, I want to make sure that every student that walks through UNCW’s gates, metaphorically speaking, has experiences similar to mine that made a difference in my life.”

As the Cape Fear continues to grow, Volety says he’s focused on quality not quantity when it comes to the  university.

“We have to recognize this region to growing and there will be more people looking for higher education opportunities to make a difference in their lives and we should be poised and ready to meet those demands. Keeping in mind our goal is to provide our students with meaningful experiences and let them have a great education,” Volety said.

Chancellor Volety says he is excited to be back at UNCW and he looks forward to revitalizing existing relationships and building new ones. He plans to walk around the campus, frequently visit classrooms, and have lunch with students to learn more about how he can better serve them.