By Emily Bruzzo, Staff Writer

Published in print Aug. 27, 2014

After 15 years of working in the UNC system, Charles Maimone will continue to serve North Carolina’s public higher education system as he takes on his role as UNC Greensboro’s new Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs.

Since 2008, Maimone worked as UNC Wilmington’s Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer. 2008 marked the start of a great national financial crisis and Maimone says that his experience at UNC Wilmington, which was during a time of such economic volatility, has prepared him for the role he will be taking on at UNCG.

While it is obvious Maimone is no stranger to the complexities of a university’s financial system, he did not start out by crunching numbers and analyzing statistics.

His first job after he completed his M.A. in Education at Kent State University was working as a hall director at a residence hall. Maimone says such an experience was invaluable.

“I learned a lot about life on a university campus. Housing really helps you understand all the components of a public institution. You’re working with and for students, and most importantly you’re trying to help them get through their time on campus.”

From his position as a hall director, Maimone would continue to gain more experience in public higher education, eventually obtaining his M.B.A from The College of William and Mary and also taking on leadership roles there as Associate Vice President for Administration and Director of Auxiliary Services.

Maimone could have  chosen any career course in the business and finance sector, but he argues, “Part of my passion is to be in public higher education.”

“I am one of 10 children,” he says, “I’m a first generation college student, I went to a public institution. That was always something that was valuable to me in my life, and I’ve committed myself to staying in public education and attempting to do my small part to help.”

As to his experience in the UNC system, Maimone says, “I feel like I can contribute to UNCG given that I’ve been here for a while—I know the system. My goal is to do my part to help this system, to help maintain its value to its individual students, and to maintain its position in the nation as one of the best systems there is.”

The UNC system is greatly complex and not by any means perfect, but it has always been a system that has impressed Maimone.

“Historically, the support from the state and from the citizens of North Carolina of higher public education has been extremely robust. It has been, for many years, probably one of the most fully funded systems in the country. I think the mission to ensure access to higher public education to all citizens of North Carolina is ambitious, but I think it is laudable.”

Concerning what his main focus is now as he begins his time here at UNCG, Maimone cites enrollment challenges as one of the primary areas of priority.

“Recruitment is strategic and it can help to shape a class,” argues Maimone. “I guess if I could bring one message to UNCG, it is: enrollment— recruitment, retention, and graduation— is all of our jobs.”

After all these years, Maimone’s passion for higher public education does not appear to be diminishing.

“The reason I’m here at UNCG is because I know we can do this; I know we can do great things. There are some fascinating and remarkable people around me that are already doing remarkable work for this university,” Maimone states. “There are a lot of people on this campus really helping students do exactly what they want to get done here.”

“We need to invent our future,” Maimone continues, “We don’t need to wait for it to happen to us, we need to invent it. I believe in that strongly. It’s our responsibility to be successful under the conditions as we find them. And we will be successful.”

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