Trinity Draughn
   Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Aug. 12 Chancellor-Elect Dr. Franklin D. Gilliam addressed the university for the first time.

Prior to the formal introduction of Gilliam, a list of his preceding achievements were mentioned, including his time spent as Dean of Luskin School of Public affairs at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Gilliam showed enthusiasm about his new position and has many plans for the future of UNC-Greensboro. Gilliam described his current standpoint as a “30,000 foot view of a new car”, and he is eager to drive it.

Gilliam recognized and appreciated the student-oriented environment at UNCG, and the amount of efforts committed to new research. Research is a part of the growth that Gilliam has planned for the university’s future, and his motto of life-long-learning.

He touched on student debt and shared his stance and approach on the matter. He empathized with students, sharing that he has two children in college himself, saying he isn’t blind to current student-debt issues.

He pointed out that UNCG is relatively affordable considering the quality of education and recited an article from Forbes stating tech companies are questioning technical education and are gaining a preference for candidates with liberal arts backgrounds.

Gilliam outlined his seven focus-areas for the university during his tenure. The first being “shared fate.” He clarified that the the various stakeholders in the university are affected by each other’s actions, and that it is important to stress shared fate when making decisions.

His second focus-area is excellence, with Gilliam saying, “You’re getting paid to do your job, so be excellent”. He stressed that faculty/staff should be using the expertise they were hired for.

Third is accountability. He wants to ensure that everyone at the university is performing up to standard, and that it is obvious when someone is not.

Fourth, Gilliam wants to focus on innovation. He stated that the university should have an “entrepreneurial spirit, like we’re working at a startup.”

His fifth and sixth focus-areas were transparency and inclusion. This one received a noticeable positive reaction from the crowd, which was comprised mainly of faculty and staff. Gilliam stressed clarity for the UNCG community. He wants the various university stakeholders to know the reasoning behind administrative decisions.

His final focus-area is fun. “No one wants to get up every day and go somewhere they hate,” Gilliam said about this last item.

Acting Chancellor and Provost Dana Dunn introduced Gilliam. In her introduction, she outlined the achievements with which  the university had been recognized. She emphasized student enrollment, noting over the past few years UNCG has become an increasingly attractive source of education to prospective students, which has resulted in a higher amount of enrollments.

Dunn stressed the large number of enrollments signals the university’s reputation and is key to maintaining the budget for the necessities to sustain growth.

UNCG has been ranked among the top-50 universities in the country by Time Magazine; the university has also been recognized in many other areas like the Bryan School of Business and Economics earning the number one spot for part-time MBAs among UNC campuses and having three alumni nominated for a Grammy.

Dunn also mentioned the construction on Spartan Village Phase II, which is expected by fall 2017 and will house 330 students.