UNCW’s Chancellor Search Committee meets for first time

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The search for a new chancellor is officially underway at UNCW, after the committee choosing candidates met for the first time this morning.

The 16-member search committee is made up of university staff, city leaders, alumni and a search firm, among others, in hopes to get feedback from all corners of the community in picking the right person for the job. The search started soon after Gary Miller announced he had accepted another job in Wisconsin back in July.

Among many qualifications and traits mentioned at the meeting, members agree that candidates up for the spot should value diversity and community-university engagement. Committee co-chair Michael Shivar says today’s meeting was held mainly for the national recruiting firm to better narrow down a list of traits to look for in candidates.

“We’re just getting to the point now where we’ll get the information out there, start to attract candidates,” Co-chair Shivar said. “To my knowledge, we have none right now. Probably in 60 days, we may have 100. We think it’s a very attractive position. We think it will attract very, very qualified individuals.”

The committee had hoped to get opinions from the community during a public input meeting held last month, but members say no one showed up.