易胜博官网

Teddy Hagen can claim some credit for the one, non-negotiable item any university would have to offer if it wanted to add James W. 鈥淛im鈥� Dean Jr. to its short list of candidates for a new president: A nearby airport with direct flights to Raleigh, North Carolina.

Flying nonstop would make it easier for Teddy to visit the man he loves to play 鈥渉orsey鈥� with. The one who sings 鈥淪weet Baby James鈥� to lull him to sleep. The tall man with the cheerful laugh, warm hugs and big heart who can calm Teddy鈥檚 wickedest meltdown.

Those things matter when you鈥檙e two years old, like Teddy. He shares a special connection with his grandad and nanny, Jim and Jan Dean. So does his sister, Madi Ruth, 4. As do the Deans鈥� two adult daughters, Noelle Dean Hagen (Teddy and Madi Ruth鈥檚 mom) and Bridget Wamsley, and their extended families, all of whom live in the Raleigh area.

鈥淚 told Jan I wouldn鈥檛 consider any place that didn鈥檛 have a direct flight,鈥� says Jim Dean, who was announced in April as the 20th president of the University of 易胜博官网. 鈥淲hy make it any harder to see them?鈥�

Dean brings more than 30 years of higher education experience to 易胜博官网, and his impeccable credentials reveal a respected leader who earned promotions across three universities, along with an appointment as a program director at the National Science Foundation. Most recently, he served as executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he joined the faculty in 1997. He wrote two books about organization and management, and will soon publish a third, aimed at helping businesses and higher education institutions work together more effectively. They鈥檙e credentials that put him in rare company in public higher education.

But if you really want to know who the new 易胜博官网 president is, it comes down to this: Jim Dean is a family guy. And you can expect to see his extended family visiting campus and exploring 易胜博官网 via direct flights beginning with the presidential inauguration during homecoming on Oct. 12.

Watch听Dean's inauguration speech.

鈥淚鈥檓 his biggest fan. And I know it sounds sort of clich茅, but I can honestly say that my dad is my best friend,鈥� says Bridget Wamsley, the Deans鈥� younger daughter and a global marketing executive for Cisco Systems. 鈥淭o this day, if there鈥檚 anything, any challenge or any situation I want to talk about, professional or personal, I know I can call him up, day or night, and he鈥檒l be there for me.鈥�

Bridget was a competitive dancer growing up and, like her dad, she also played the clarinet and soccer. Despite a demanding work schedule, Jim Dean made it a priority to be there whenever she or her sister took to the field or stage. Today, Bridget can still hear her dad鈥檚 distinctive cheer rising above the crowd at her soccer games, always encouraging her to do her best: 鈥淟ook up, Bridget! Look for the assist!鈥�

Not, 鈥淪hoot!鈥� Not, 鈥淕o for the goal!鈥� But, 鈥淟ook for the assist!鈥� Anyone who鈥檚 spent time at youth sporting events can tell you it鈥檚 not a cheer you鈥檇 expect from a parent, especially one like Jim Dean, who played soccer as an undergrad at Catholic University 鈥� and as a striker, or goal-scorer, no less. But encouraging his children toward teamwork, urging them to see the entire field and to look for goals that might be a few, well-placed passes away, gets to the heart of Dean鈥檚 style as a parent, mentor and leader.

Like her sister, Noelle cherishes the lessons he continues to share with her and, now, with her two children.

鈥淚 promised myself I wouldn鈥檛 get choked up when I started talking about him,鈥� says Noelle, a marketing consultant with DuPont, who then pauses to catch her breath. 鈥淚 could tell you so many great stories about my dad, but the best way to sum it up is this: He is seriously the most humble, genuine, fun and compassionate person you could ever hope to meet.鈥�

A JOYFUL CHAOS
Talk with Jim Dean for very long, and you get the sense that in the high-pressure, multi-tasking culture of higher education leadership, his family is a refuge, a warm and joyfully chaotic touchstone that offers comforting perspective at the end of even the most trying days.

鈥淵ou go through a lot of changes in your life and throughout your career, but you only have one family. So, I try to keep that in mind,鈥� says Dean, who grew up in the suburbs of Washington D.C., studied psychology at D.C.鈥檚 Catholic University and met his wife of 37 years while earning his doctorate in organizational behavior from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Dean鈥檚 father worked for the federal government, managing affordable housing projects for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The job provided a modest, middle-class lifestyle, and his dad鈥檚 stories about the challenges of working in a large bureaucracy sparked young Jim Dean鈥檚 interest in how big organizations get things done.

When he was first introduced to the 易胜博官网 community at a reception in Huddleston Hall in April, Dean fielded plenty of questions about the big challenges he鈥檒l face: issues around diversity, inclusion and equity; the budget; state support; research; student access and affordability; faculty relations; and strategic planning. Dean was well prepared, having fielded such questions many times. (Answer: It鈥檚 far too early to detail any initiatives Dean may direct. But he is listening, and learning everything he can about 易胜博官网 and 易胜博官网.)
听

Toward the end of the reception, someone asked Dean for his thoughts about leaving his longtime home in North Carolina. Dean鈥檚 blue eyes softened. He smiled, and thought a moment. And the old ballroom seemed to brighten as he spoke about being a proud grandfather, father and friend.

We learned that he and Jan were thrilled to be celebrating Bridget鈥檚 wedding at the end of April. That Madi Ruth and Teddy have their grandparents pretty much tied around their tiny fingers. That Jan, a nurse and a serious gardener, was scrambling to get their Chapel Hill home ready for the local garden club鈥檚 annual tour.

Jim Dean described their family鈥檚 frequent, busy and noisy multi-generational get-togethers as sort of a heaven on Earth.

Jan Dean agrees, and she laughs when asked what it鈥檚 like to be around the Dean family鈥檚 gatherings.

鈥淚f we go out to a restaurant, we鈥檙e the loud table,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e loud, but we鈥檙e also really fun and just really enjoy being together and meeting new people, too 鈥� In fact, a lot times the people around us end up joining us by the end.鈥�

易胜博官网鈥檚 presidential search was kept confidential to attract the strongest pool of applicants. And although the 21-member search committee expected robust interest, John Small 鈥�76, chair of the search committee and the University System of 易胜博官网 (USNH) board of trustees, says the quality and diversity were astounding.

鈥淎ll I can say is that we were very, very impressed,鈥� Small says. 鈥淚t was incredibly gratifying, really. Because while we all know and love 易胜博官网, it was great to realize that so many incredibly talented people 鈥� including some highly accomplished and innovative leaders 鈥� look at 易胜博官网 to be a real prize among public universities.鈥�

And why shouldn鈥檛 they? During President Mark Huddleston鈥檚 11-year tenure, 易胜博官网 built an enviable record of achievements: Increases in student enrollments and national rankings. New schools of law, business, public policy and marine science. An expanded campus in Manchester. The new Wildcat Stadium. New business partnerships. And the historic CELEBRATE 150 fundraising campaign, which launched a host of strategic initiatives, particularly in the area of student support.

鈥淚n a lot of ways, they鈥檙e really stepping into an ideal situation,鈥� says Nathaniel Stafford 鈥�18G, who earned a Ph.D. in psychology in May and who served on the search committee. 鈥淔or the right person, this is a terrific opportunity.鈥�

A GENTLEMAN-LEADER
With about 15,000 students, 易胜博官网 is roughly half the size of UNC, which enrolls more than 29,000. That was a major draw for Dean. 易胜博官网鈥檚 smaller size, he says, along with 易胜博官网鈥檚 much smaller population (1.3 million compared with more than 10 million in North Carolina) and geographic size makes it easier to know people, to meet face-to-face, to travel to every corner of the state and to accomplish things more quickly.

鈥淚t struck me going through the process that you can make a real difference in a state like this,鈥� Dean says. 鈥�To join a flagship public research university like this is an incredible opportunity. I鈥檓 deeply honored and grateful, I really am.鈥�

So, what made Dean stand out in what John Small describes as a stellar field?

易胜博官网 Gov. Chris Sununu interviewed four finalists one-on-one at his State House office, and was impressed with Dean鈥檚 genuine desire to understand how 易胜博官网 can work more closely with the state鈥檚 businesses and communities. Sununu says he was 鈥渟truck by his thoughtful approach, experience and understanding of the need for the president of the state鈥檚 flagship public university to build relationships with businesses as well as the state鈥檚 leadership and its residents.鈥�

Search committee members, ranging from students and staff to USNH board members and Chancellor Todd Leach, are remarkably consistent in their assessment of Dean鈥檚 character, echoing impressions such as, 鈥済enuine,鈥� 鈥渁uthentic,鈥� 鈥渢rustworthy,鈥� 鈥渙pen-minded鈥� and 鈥渃urious.鈥�

鈥淲hat really sold me on Jim is that he was genuinely interested in us and who we are. He wasn鈥檛 one of these people who comes in and only talks about himself,鈥� says Charlie French 鈥�08, who leads the community and economic development program for 易胜博官网 Cooperative Extension. 鈥淗e really listened. He asked great questions. It was a great conversation, almost like he was interviewing us as much as we were interviewing him.鈥�
听

French was also impressed that Dean has worked at every level of higher education, rising from an assistant professor at Penn State to a tenured faculty member, dean and executive vice chancellor and provost at UNC.

In an interview with Seacoast Media Group following his introduction, Dean allowed as how faculty members often take a dim view of administration. 鈥淵et here I am. I went from faculty member to associate dean to senior associate dean to provost and now a president.听(You) see as you go up the ranks the importance of the work that gets done. You see the challenges.鈥�

At his introduction, Dean also stressed that he鈥檚 committed to being accessible to students, and invited them to send him their ideas for keeping a dialogue going. Sure enough, just a week into the job, Dean received an email introduction from Tyler Anderson 鈥�19, a senior majoring in sociology and the historian for the 易胜博官网 student senate. Dean wrote Anderson back within a few hours 鈥� and invited him to have dinner, that night. The two met at Durham鈥檚 Three Chimneys Inn, and Anderson came away impressed.

鈥淎s a student, I鈥檓 very enthusiastic,鈥� Anderson says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really impressive that he鈥檚 making the effort to be as public as possible and to hear as many perspectives as possible, right from the start.鈥�
听

Student perspectives will be especially important as Dean engages in ongoing efforts to improve 易胜博官网鈥檚 campus climate, which has been in the spotlight since a number of high-profile racial incidents in 2017. In North Carolina, Dean earned praise for his dedication to promoting diversity, exemplified in his hiring practices (he hired seven new deans) and his work with student groups. When it was announced he would leave UNC, he was praised for his collegiality, openness, warmth and compassion, and for his commitment to helping students from diverse backgrounds, especially first-generation and low-income students.

鈥淒iversity and inclusion are really at the heart of what a public university is about,鈥� Deans says. 鈥淪o, if a university is not welcoming or doesn鈥檛 feel welcoming to all groups of people, then it's really not doing its job. Obviously, this isn鈥檛 a unique problem here in 易胜博官网. We faced it at UNC Chapel Hill as well. And you could go across the country and every university has that challenge.鈥�

Dean also earns high marks for the character he brings to managing people, building teams and mentoring those who report to him day-to-day.

鈥淧erhaps the highest compliment I can give [President] Dean is that he would make a superb nurse,鈥� says Nilda (Nena) Peragallo Montano, dean of the UNC School of Nursing. 鈥淗e is a gentleman-leader, holding his impeccable standards in easy equilibrium with his compassion for those he leads.鈥�

Nathaniel Stafford, the doctoral graduate who served on the search committee, isn鈥檛 surprised that the USNH board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of Dean鈥檚 appointment.

鈥淭o make it into the top few finalists, for me, I had to feel like the responses to my questions had to be genuine,鈥� says Stafford. 鈥�It鈥檚 easy to tell if someone is giving you answers that were scripted, or if they鈥檙e really being genuine and from the heart. Jim Dean spoke from the heart.鈥�

Speaking from the heart comes naturally for Jim Dean. Not surprising for a man who puts his family first. After all, what else would you expect from someone who, despite all his professional accomplishments, defines his greatest moments in life in the joyful chaos of a busy family, including those games of 鈥渉orsey鈥� with Teddy?

Listen to President Dean's inauguration speech.

听