University of North Carolina (System). President.

In 1950 Gordon Gray (1909-1982) succeeded Frank Porter Graham (1886-1972) as president of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, which included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro.

From the description of Records of the Office of President : Gordon Gray files, 1950-1955. WorldCat record id: 26385158

After nearly thirty years of service to the University of North Carolina, President William C. Friday informed the Board of Governors in September 1984 that he intended to retire by 30 June 1986. The formal search for his successor began the following January, when the Board named a search committee. The search committee, in turn, formed an advisory committee that drew representatives from the faculties, students, boards of trustees, and alumni of the constituent campuses. The two groups held six public hearings across the state to gather input on the kind of leadership the University needed. Members of the Board also traveled to campuses around the country to look at various administrative structures. On 31 January 1986, after a year of deliberation, the Board of Governors announced that C. D. Spangler, Jr., Charlotte businessman and chair of the State Board of Education, would be the fourteenth president of the University of North Carolina. Spangler took office on 1 March, while William Friday continued as President Emeritus until 30 June.

Clemmie Dixon (Dick) Spangler, Jr., was born 5 April 1932 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1954 with a B.S. in business administration and went on to finish an M.B.A. at Harvard in 1956. In 1958 he completed a stint in the army and returned to Charlotte to work for his father's firm, C.D. Spangler Construction Company. In 1973 he assumed the chairmanship of the troubled Bank of North Carolina. Under his direction it grew and, in 1982, merged with NCNB Corporation. At the time of his election to the presidency of UNC, Spangler was president of two family-owned companies, C. D. Spangler Construction Company (which he had led since 1960) and Golden Eagle Industries, Inc. He resigned from these positions but maintained his membership on the boards of directors of several other companies.

In its decision to appoint Spangler, the Board of Governors departed from traditional higher education practice, which emphasized academic background and institutional experience. But, although Spangler lacked these qualifications, he had long been a strong advocate for public education. In the 1970s, he helped to lead a statewide effort to establish public kindergartens. From 1972 to 1976, he served as vice-chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and provided strong leadership during the school system's struggle to comply with court-ordered desegregation. He was co-chair of Governor Hunt's Task Force on Education and Economic Growth, which laid the groundwork for the Basic Education Program. From 1982 until 1986, he was chairman of the State Board of Education, where one of the causes he championed was higher salaries for teachers, a theme he would again press at the University. He was also a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors and the Board of Directors of Union Theological Seminary.

Spangler's election to the presidency was greeted with mixed reactions. Some praised his managerial skills while detractors called him arrogant. Others worried that his wealth and business interests put him out of touch with the needs of the University. He was criticized for his continuing corporate involvement and for his attempt in 1988 to take over RJR Nabisco, which opponents regarded as a prime example of the way his business dealings distracted him from the University. However, Spangler used his connection to the business world and his service on various boards to strengthen the relationship between businesses and the University. The strong ties that resulted are among his lasting legacies.

During his eleven-year tenure, Spangler weathered a number of storms. 1988 and 1989 were particularly fraught with controversy. In 1988, the North Carolina School of the Arts' Chancellor Jane Milley, long the focus of campus discontent, received a vote of no confidence from students and faculty, who demanded her resignation. Spangler had to navigate through an emotionally charged investigation that resulted in Milley's resignation in 1989. Also in 1989 the North Carolina State University basketball program, led by Coach Jim Valvano, came under scrutiny for alleged NCAA violations and academic problems. The lengthy investigation was marked by ill-feelings on all sides, with Spangler at times pitted against the Board of Governors. In the end both Coach Valvano and Chancellor Bruce Poulton resigned. New athletic policies, recommended by Spangler and approved by the Board, were applied across the University system.

In addition to problems affecting the individual campuses, the University system suffered from the state's sluggish financial condition. Between 1989 and 1992 the state experienced a series of budget shortfalls that resulted in significant spending cuts throughout the system. The most severe situation occurred in the 1990-1991 fiscal year, when the University's budget reduction was accompanied for the first time by itemized cuts. President Spangler described the situation as excruciating.

In 1992, the University requested that the General Assembly authorize construction bonds to finance much needed capital projects. But the General Assembly, still concerned about the state's financial condition, deferred action until July 1993, when it finally approved a $310 million University Improvement Bond package subject to a voter referendum in the coming November election. Spangler played a key role in promoting the bond, encouraging the chancellors at the sixteen campuses also to take an active part in lobbying for its passage. The passage of the bond and the many new facilities that came of it are another part of Spangler's legacy to the University.

Misperceptions of what he did followed Spangler throughout his tenure, in part because of his style of public relations. He was less open and consultative in his decision-making than President Friday had been. Over time he did develop a more effective style of communication that improved his relationships with the press and the Board of Governors. With students, faculty, and staff he tried to be visible and available. Many of his lunches were taken at Lenoir Dining Hall on the Chapel Hill campus, where there was an open invitation to join him for discussion.

Throughout his presidency Spangler was committed to improving the overall quality of the University system and its student body. Higher academic standards, low tuition, higher faculty salaries, and recruitment of women and minorities in administration were all issues he championed. He actively pursued funding, creating over a hundred endowed professorships throughout the University system. He was also a major donor, through his family's philanthropic foundation and his own wealth; and each year he donated his salary as president, splitting it among the campuses.

The University's growth during the Spangler administration was impressive. Enrollment in the system increased by more than 27,000. Average SAT scores of entering freshmen rose by almost sixty points, while the national average remained essentially unchanged. The operating budget of the University system nearly doubled, and the campuses received over $1 billion for buildings and renovations. Outside contracts and grants awarded to system faculty increased from $175.5 million to $473 million.

In August 1996, Spangler announced his intention to retire in 1997, when he would turn 65. The Board of Governors immediately began the search for his successor and on 10 April 1997, elected Molly Corbett Broad, the first woman president of the University of North Carolina. Spangler continued in office until 18 July. In his farewell speech to the Board, he again stressed the importance of keeping tuition low. After retirement, he and his wife, Meredith, maintained a home in Chapel Hill, and he continued to be a vocal advocate for the University.

From the guide to the Office of President of the University of North Carolina (System): C. D. Spangler, Jr., Records, 1986-1997, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)

On 29 March 1949, Frank Porter Graham resigned the presidency of the Consolidated University of North Carolina to fill the remainder of J. Melville Broughton's United States Senate term. Controller William D. Carmichael, who had performed the duties of president on a part-time basis several times previously during Graham's absences on national and international service, was appointed acting president. A Board of Trustees committee, headed by Victor S. Bryant, began the search for Graham's successor. The committee's selection, Gordon Gray, was secretary of the army. While the choice was approved by the full Board of Trustees on 6 February 1950, it was not until November that Gray could leave Washington. During the interim, Controller Carmichael continued his role as acting president.

Among the problems facing the new administration were the pressing need to clarify the Consolidated University's administrative structure, adjustments required to meet postwar needs, solution of the financial crisis limiting physical expansion and faculty support, the admission of Negroes to the undergraduate and graduate programs, and implementation of the state legislature's medical care program. Gray's expertise, gained as publisher of the Winston-Salem Journal and Twin-City Sentinel, as operator of radio station WSJS, as state senator and as secretary of the army, equipped him well to handle these difficult issues. He moved quickly to improve the administration of the Consolidated University office by the appointment of a provost and an assistant to the president. In addition, the management firm of Cresap, McCormick, and Paget was employed to survey the administrative structures of the Consolidated University office and of the campuses. Approval of the firm's recommendations resulted in a reorganization that clarified lines of authority and improved organizational effectiveness. The annual State of the University Conference, held from 1953 through 1956, gauged the continuing effect of these changes on the educational mission of university system.

President Gray took the helm of an institution that, due to the Great Depression and World War II, was financially undernourished. State appropriations for programs, faculty salaries, physical plant upkeep and expansion, and student aid had been severely curtailed. Realizing that state appropriations would require supplement if the university's needs were to be met, Gray stimulated the establishment of endowment programs at the three Consolidated University campuses. Supervised by campus development councils, this effort led to the evolution of a number of foundations, which subsequently attracted private funding. The results can be measured by the number of endowed professorships, the growth of scholarship and loan funds, the development of library collections, and the additions to campus physical plants dating from the early 1950s.

During President Gray's tenure, the Chapel Hill campus's Division of Health Affairs, an outgrowth of the recommendations of the North Carolina Medical Care Commission, was established. This division supervised the expansion of the School of Medicine to a four-year program, the construction of North Carolina Memorial Hospital, the establishment of the School of Dentistry and School of Nursing, and the expansion of the School of Pharmacy and School of Public Health. This development, within such a short time, of programs characterized by broadness of scope and superiority of instruction was unprecedented in the history of the university and the state.

The early 1950s also witnessed the desegregation of the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on the Consolidated University campuses. The underlying cause in implementation of and the resultant controversy over desegregation was the conflict between state and federal law. With very few exceptions, the university's trustees, administrators, faculty and students felt desegregation was long overdue and accepted the eventual court-ordered change with good graces.

Other accomplishments of President Gray's five-year term were the establishment of an educational television system, university support for the development of the Research Triangle Park, integration of the University of North Carolina Press into the Chapel Hill campus administration, improvement in faculty benefits, and clarification of the role of athletics in the university's educational mission. Gray's administrative abilities are reflected in all of the above.

As had been the case under President Graham, Gordon Gray's term was interrupted by a number of temporary appointments by President Truman and President Eisenhower. On 10 June 1955, Gray submitted his resignation as Consolidated University president in order to accept President Eisenhower's appointment as assistant secretary of defense for security affairs. The Board of Trustees did not consider Gray's resignation, but voted him a leave of absence. Only after a second resignation request did the trustees, on 14 November 1955, accept Gray's wishes and appoint Consolidated University Vice President for Academic Affairs J. Harris Purks, Jr., as acting president. Purks served in this capacity until 15 March 1956, when he was succeeded by William C. Friday. On 26 October 1956, the Board of Trustees approved Friday's selection as president and he was formally inaugurated on 8 May 1957.

From the guide to the Office of President of the University of North Carolina (System): Gordon Gray Records, 1950-1955, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)

Background

On 10 June 1955, Gordon Gray resigned the presidency of the Consolidated University of North Carolina to accept the position of Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs in the U.S. State Department. Instead of accepting his resignation, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees gave him a leave of absense, naming Dr. J. Harris Purks, Provost of the Consolidated University, Acting President. On 10 November, President Gray again resigned, insisting it would be best for the University. At this time the Executive Committee complied; Dr. Purks was continued as Acting President.

In January 1956, Dr. Purks was appointed director of the newly created Board of Higher Education. The Board of Trustees was asked by Governor Luther Hodges to recommend possible candidates for Acting President. Among the possibilities was William C. Friday, Secretary of the University. Mr. Friday was named Acting President with his duties to begin 1 March 1956.

William Clyde Friday was 35 years old. He was born in Raphine, Viriginia, and grew up in Dallas, North Carolina. In 1937, he entered Wake Forest College, transferring the next year to North Carolina State College, from which he graduated in textile engineering in 1941. He served as Assistant to the Dean of Students at State College until he joined the Navy. After World War II he enrolled in the University of North Carolina Law School and received his LL.D. in 1948. From 1948 to 1951, he was Assistant Dean of Students and later Acting Dean of Students on the Chapel Hill campus. In 1951, he became assistant to President Gray. He had been Secretary of the University for less than a year when he was appointed Acting President.

While the Board of Trustees continued its search for a Consolidated University President, William Friday went to work on problems that had grown into crises due to President Gray's frequent absences on federal business. At this time the Consolidated University consisted of three campuses: North Carolina State College (Raleigh), the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill), and Woman's College (Greensboro). The problems facing Friday included the staffing of the Consolidated offices; the administration at the Woman's College in Greensboro; confusion in the Division of Health Affairs at Chapel Hill; the relationship of the Consolidated University and the Board of Higher Education; and the noncompetitive salary levels for both faculty and administrative positions throughout the system.

As Friday dealt with these issues, the presidential search committee had to deal with the hard facts of educational life, not the least of which was the salary available for the new president: $15,000 compared to $25,000 offered by comparable state universities.

On 18 October 1956, Victor Bryant, chairman of the search committee, announced the committee's recommendation for president: William C. Friday. The search committee unanimously voted to present his nomination to the full board. Some of the board voiced concern over Friday's training in business and law rather than in education, his lack of a doctoral degree, that he had not taught, and his youth. At the 26 October session of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Bryant concluded his report:

Above all else your Committee has been impressed by Mr. Friday's integrity and fairness as he has gone about his duties of Acting President. In the final analysis the demonstration of such qualities, and the awareness that such qualities exist in the office of the President ... may well be the most important attribute of a successful President. In a trying time Mr. Friday has stood steadfast on all matters. William Friday was approved as the new President of the Consolidated University.

At his first news conference, President Friday stated some of his immediate goals. First, to move the administrative offices from South Building on the Chapel Hill campus to the old Institute of Government building on Franklin Street. Second, to fill vacancies in his staff and to begin a search for a chancellor at Woman's College and a replacement for Chancellor House at Chapel Hill. Third, to begin working on the biennial budget and to obtain from the General Assembly funds for higher faculty salaries, better library facilities, and the research funds necessary to maintain the University's high academic reputation. He thought the presidency of the University was a full-time job, and he intended to devote his full energies to the task.

Formally inaugurated on 8 May 1957, William Friday remained President of the Consolidated University until June 1972. During this period, in addition to the above stated tasks, Mr. Friday had to deal with a variety of crises. Some of the major ones were:

1. The Dixie Classic Basketball scandal (1961);

2. Speaker Ban (1963);

3. North Carolina State College name change (1963);

4. Admission of Charlotte College, Asheville College, and Wilmington College to the Consolidated System, (1960s); and

5. Anti-war demonstrations and cafeteria workers' strike (late 1960s-early 1970s).

In 1971, the General Assembly passed legislation providing for the restructuring of higher education in North Carolina. The Consolidated University became the University of North Carolina System; and on 1 July 1972, William Friday became president of the new system.

During the 1970s, ten campuses were added to the existing six institutions comprising the University of North Carolina System. Eventually the system was made up of sixteen constituent universities: North Carolina State University at Raleigh, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Appalachian State University (Boone), East Carolina University (Greenville), Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro), North Carolina Central University (Durham), North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem), Pembroke State University (Pembroke), Western Carolina University (Cullowhee), and Winston-Salem State University. Each constituent campus had its own indivdual Board of Trustees and Chancellor and developed its programs under the oversight of the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina System.

Much of Mr. Friday's energies during the last fourteen years of his administration revolved around the growth of the System. The problems of bringing undergraduate colleges into the university setting were many. The entire process was complicated by issues related to the desegregation of the System in response to a suit filed against it by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

William Friday retired as President of the University of North Carolina System in March 1986, but he continued to be involved with issues concerning education, especially illiteracy and the problems of the student athlete. In 1986, he was named president of the William R. Kenan, Jr., Fund. C. Dixon Spangler, Jr., Charlotte businessman and former member of the Board of Governors, was elected President of the University of North Carolina System in 1986.

From the guide to the Office of President of the University of North Carolina (System): William C. Friday Records, 1957-1986, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)

On 27 March 1931, the North Carolina General Assembly ratified an act authorizing the consolidation of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering in Raleigh, and the North Carolina College for Women (subsequently Woman's College) in Greensboro into The University of North Carolina . Although the act itself was largely the result of efforts by Governor O. Max Gardner, the need for such an administrative change had been apparent to a number of university and state officials for over a decade. Since 1900, increased state appropriations for education had led to rapid expansion of programs at each of the state's three major public institutions of higher education. By the 1920s, it had become obvious that these expansions had resulted in large-scale duplications and had created competitive encroachments on the historical missions of the individual campuses. The costs of these overlapping efforts placed an increasing burden on the state's taxpayers. With the advent of the Great Depression, cutting costs and eliminating waste in higher education became a major focus of the state's economic program.

Administrative consolidation, then, was the means by which the state's institutions of higher education would coordinate their actions to provide a full range of instructional and research programs with a minimum of duplication. The Act of Consolidation, however, made no attempt to deal with the details of the process or how to specify the adjustments that would be necessary in administrative procedures. It merely established the principle of a coordinated state university system and called for the creation of a commission to work out the plans for the consolidation of the component parts of the University . The commission's report, presented to the Consolidated Board of Trustees in May 1932, recommended a general administrative structure for the University, but left the specifics of implementation to the new Consolidated University President, Frank Porter Graham.

Graham was born in Fayetteville and grew up in Charlotte. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1909 and after periods of graduate study at Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the University of London, he returned to Chapel Hill, joining the University's Dept. of History in 1925. On 9 June 1930, he was elected by the University's Board of Trustees to succeed Harry W. Chase as President. After serving in this capacity for just over two years, he was selected to head the newly formed Consolidated University of North Carolina.

As Consolidated President, Graham's primary concern was the implementation of the legislative mandate to establish an administrative structure for the University as a whole and to coordinate the academic programs of the campuses to curtail duplication. The continuing effects of the Depression and budgetary retrenchment by the legislature translated into reductions of appropriations to the University. Thus, President Graham was forced to spend long hours in Raleigh fighting for adequate funding for all three campuses.

Graham was determined to serve in practice, as well as in name, as the administrative head of the three campuses. He made a concerted effort to familiarize himself with the history, needs and personnel of North Carolina State College and Woman's College. He strove to represent the needs of each campus equally and attempted to spend one day each week on the Raleigh and Greensboro campuses. However, due to his previous close involvement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the physical location of his office on that campus, and the fact that the Consolidated Board of Trustees did not fill his former position as chief administrator of that campus until 1934, he remained more intimately involved with the students, faculty and administration of the Chapel Hill campus. These records reflect this disproportionate division of labor with over seventy-five percent relating to the University's Chapel Hill campus.

In January 1942, Graham was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the National War Labor Board. Between 1942 and 1946, Graham spent more time in Washington, D.C., than he did in North Carolina. In his absence, Robert B. House, who was appointed Dean of Administration (later Chancellor) for the Chapel Hill campus in 1934, assumed many of the President's duties. Even after 1946, Frank Porter Graham was not free to devote his full attention to the University as he was often absent to serve on numerous federal and state committees, commissions, and boards. In March 1949, he was forced to resign the University presidency when he was appointed by Governor W. Kerr Scott to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of J. Melville Broughton.

From the guide to the Office of President of the University of North Carolina (System): Frank Porter Graham Records, 1932-1949, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)