UNC-Chapel Hill’s chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, has taken the top job at Michigan State. I think that’s a bad move by the Spartans, because he’s steeped in “progressive” notions. But it does give North Carolinians a chance at a good replacement.

In today’s Martin Center article, Graham Hillard offers his thoughts about this.

It’s quite revealing that Guskiewicz has declared that he won’t tolerate “interference” from the Michigan State Board of Trustees. Translation: I must be allowed to pursue my leftist educational visions no matter what the people with oversight responsibility might think. No doubt, the insiders at Chapel Hill want a replacement for Guskiewicz who will fight to keep UNC moving in the progressive direction, not someone who will moderate or even reverse course.

Hillard writes:

As for the departing chancellor’s replacement at Chapel Hill, it is tempting to re-run the Martin Center’s previous commentary in Mad Lib form: [Name of Governing Entity] will always be political, as [it/he/they] are selected via [Type of Democratic Process]. To be sure, not every university appointment is partisan. Republican-vs.-Democrat squabbling doesn’t map perfectly onto higher ed. At their root, however, the most important campus-personnel choices proceed necessarily and intentionally from the people, a state of affairs one begins to suspect is the critics’ real concern. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Alcuin’s motto ran — unless the populi want to comply with a Supreme Court decision or support academic programs disliked by some faculty.

In short, the UNC Board should choose candidates who will run the university as the representatives of the people want. Yes, that’s political, but it’s not “interference.”

I wonder if Mitch Daniels would consider coming down to NC.