The UNC Asheville campus community and our partners across the city of Asheville have had a momentous spring semester, complete with the announcement of four Fulbright award recipients—a student, alumni and faculty member—an alumna who won a Pulitzer Prize, the thrill of the Class of 2019 commencement (our largest-ever senior class!), truly distinguished student undergraduate research across all academic disciplines, and an inspiring week of Installation activities culminating in my formal installation as your eighth Chancellor.
This issue of UNC Asheville Magazine highlights many of these activities to give you a sense of the genuine enthusiasm and energy on campus given the strength and distinctive mission of this university and the vitality of its future.
The Installation activities included an appreciation concert for our colleague leaders across Asheville and Buncombe County, including educational, corporate, governmental, and nonprofit leaders. Grammy-award winning country music singer-songwriter Kathy Mattea was the star of the event that was hosted by the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees, the senior staff, and university faculty at Lionsgate at Biltmore Estate. Over 100 leaders gathered to celebrate our shared work for the region and the importance of our town and gown partnerships.
We hosted notable national and regional thought leaders in conversation with many UNC Asheville faculty on key issues in higher education: the essential value of a liberal arts and sciences education; the critical importance of equity and diversity efforts; the environmental impact of the thawing of the arctic permafrost; the value of cultivating interfaith understanding; and current trends and practices in health and wellness. These conversations highlighted the excellent, relevant work of our faculty and the visionary thought leaders who joined us in these discussions to Celebrate UNC Asheville! Explore the ideas and possibilities presented in each of these roundtables online at unca.edu/installation.
The Installation Ceremony was the honor of my lifetime, made even more meaningful by the many members of the Board of Governors, Board of Trustees, faculty, students, and staff who joined in this historic moment for UNC Asheville. I am deeply grateful for the privilege to serve as your Chancellor. Together we will build upon our historic academic quality, relevance, innovation, and distinction. We can—and we must—travel together on this journey as the “keeper of the light” in our role as THE liberal arts and sciences university of the UNC system. What a privilege we hold together!
With abiding gratitude,
Nancy J. Cable, Ph.D.
Chancellor