CHAPEL HILL - By the
time he determined that Charlie Nelms was the perfect fit for N.C.
Central University, Cressie Thigpen also realized Nelms might need some
convincing.
Though the Indiana
University administrator had applied for NCCU's chancellorship, he
wouldn't automatically accept it if offered. He had made that clear in
the past when he turned down an offer to head Tennessee State University
and when he withdrew from at least two other searches after being named
a finalist.
So Thigpen, chairman of
NCCU's board of trustees, "went courtin'." He called. He coaxed. He sent
an informational care package from local chambers of commerce in a
gesture he likened to sending flowers. Then he e-mailed a news account
of an NCCU fundraising success -- an act he compared to sending
chocolates.
It took some doing, but
Thigpen got his man.
Nelms was introduced
Friday as NCCU's new chancellor, a post he'll assume officially Aug. 1.
He'll be paid $258,000 annually, which actually amounts to a pay cut.
His salary is $265,500 at Indiana University, where he is vice president
for institutional development and student affairs.
"I knew it may take
some extra work to get him here," Thigpen said Friday. "I think he was
looking for the right fit."
Nelms' down-home roots
and his respect for the vital role of historically black colleges and
universities such as NCCU were key factors in his candidacy and the
decision to hire him.
He mentioned both
several times Friday, first during his election by the UNC system's
Board of Governors in Chapel Hill and later at a reception at NCCU.
Nelms told members of NCCU's search committee last month it was his
life's dream to lead a historically black institution.
Nelms grew up in
Arkansas, one of 11 children. His home had no electricity, so Nelms
passed the time reading and memorizing poetry. Nelms attended the
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff -- like NCCU, a historically black
institution -- in the 1960s.
Though his academic
career sent him to a number of places, rural Arkansas and his alma
mater, called Arkansas AM&N when he went there, never really left him.
Nelms presents himself as proof that the historically black college --
and education in general -- can be the engine by which disadvantaged
students can excel.
Nelms' appreciation for
the role of schools such as NCCU clearly scored some points Friday among
the more than 200 people who packed the student union to hear him speak
for the first time on campus. But his wide range of experiences was also
viewed an asset.
"He went to a
[historically black university], and he worked at an HBU, and that's
important, but he's also worked in a lot of places and has broad
experience," said William Smith, a former chairman of NCCU's board of
trustees and current member of the UNC system board. "You want someone
who has seen things done differently elsewhere."
Nelms succeeds James
Ammons, who spent six years on the Durham campus and left this month to
lead Florida A&M University. In his tenure in Durham, Ammons boosted
enrollment significantly, making NCCU the fastest-growing campus in the
UNC system.
That growth, and the
positive message that comes with it, caught Nelms' eye, the new
chancellor said Friday.
At Indiana, Nelms has
spent a good deal of time working on core academic issues such as
boosting enrollment and retaining students, experience that should serve
him well at a university growing quickly but struggling to make those
students successful.
Several months ago, UNC
system President Erskine Bowles ordered the NCCU search committee to
find candidates who are proven, community-minded leaders who can improve
upon existing strengths and raise money. Bingo. Nelms has led two
midwestern institutions -- the University of Michigan at Flint and
Indiana University's Richmond campus. He has undertaken a number of
large administrative initiatives for the eight-campus Indiana University
system, and he has had fundraising success as well. While chancellor of
Michigan-Flint, he secured $75 million in private gifts.
Even with short hair
and light, salt-and-pepper beard, Nelms seems a young 60. A former
marathon runner who still exercises every morning, Nelms speaks in a
rapid, excited staccato and exudes energy. Already adorned with an NCCU
necktie and lapel pin Friday morning, Nelms worked the student union
crowd like a seasoned politician.
And he did his
homework. When Provost Beverly Washington Jones -- a popular
administrator who was the favorite of many on campus for the
chancellorship -- demonstrated the wrist-over-wrist flapping motion NCCU
folks use to simulate an eagle taking flight, Nelms deftly demonstrated
his mastery of the gesture.
Bowles, who selected
Nelms from the pool of three finalists, was practically bursting with
glee Friday over the hiring.
"Just listen to him!"
Bowles said after Nelms was named to the post. "Every time this guy
speaks, you can tell he gets it. He understands the important role a
university plays in a community and a state."
Kent Williams Jr., a
rising junior from Raleigh, attended Friday's campus reception and came
away impressed. Williams, who is involved in student government, said he
hopes Nelms will not only listen to student concerns but take them
seriously.
"So far, I'm excited,"
Williams said following Nelms' short campus address. "He has an
impressive resume."
