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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 94.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 75600 items) |
| Abstract | James Moeser became the chief administrative officer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on 15 August 2000. In September 2007, he announced that he was stepping down as chancellor on 30 June 2008 with plans to return to the university in 2009, after a year's research leave, as a professor in the Department of Music. Records include correspondence and other files relating to the administration of, and academic programs at, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of particular interest are files relating to the 2000 state bond referendum on improvements for higher education facilities; the university's fund raising activities and public relations; research, including initiatives in the genome sciences; the administration, with Duke University, of the Robertson Scholars Program; the establishment of the Carolina Covenant scholarship program; the controversies surrounding the Carolina Summer Reading Program's choice of Michael Sells's Approaching the Qur'an and Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed; and the controversy over the naming of the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award. The Addition of November 2010 includes materials related to increases in out-of-state tuition; the university's growing emphasis on the performing arts; and the university's public service mission in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Addition of December 2011 includes materials concerning tuition increases; the controversy surrounding the university's decision to terminate the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award; and issues related to efforts by the Atlantic Coast Conference to expand by adding three Big East universities. |
| Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chancellor. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Historical Information
A native of Texas, James Moeser studied music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned the bachelor of music degree in 1961 and the master of music in 1964. He continued his education at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1967 with a doctorate in musical arts.
Moeser's career in higher education began in 1966, when he accepted the position of assistant professor in the Department of Music and Dance at the University of Kansas. He became dean of the School of Fine Arts there in 1975 and served in that position for eleven years. He left Kansas in 1986 for Pennsylvania State University, where he became dean of the College of Arts and Architecture and executive director of the University Arts Services. In 1992, he moved to the University of South Carolina as vice president for academic affairs and provost. In 1996, he accepted the position of chancellor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. On 15 August 2000, James Moeser became the ninth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As chancellor, his aim was to continue Michael Hooker's efforts to make Chapel Hill the leading public university in the nation.
In November 2000, less than a month after Chancellor Moeser's installation, North Carolina voters approved the Higher Education Bond Referendum. Out of $2.5 billion that the referendum made available to the University of North Carolina System, the Chapel Hill campus received $515 million to build, repair, and renovate facilities on campus. This work was badly needed due to years of deferred maintenance. Moeser pledged to triple this investment from the state with private funds raised through the Carolina First Campaign. In the end, the campaign's original $1.8 billion goal was exceeded, and $2.38 billion was raised. In addition to increasing the university's endowment, the money supported building projects, research initiatives, new endowed professorships, and scholarships. The combination of private giving and bond money allowed the university to implement several major elements of its master plan, including the Physical Science Complex, the Arts Common, and the renovation of Memorial Hall.
Moeser and his administration undertook several initiatives to help serve the needs of students and the community. One of these was the Carolina Covenant scholarship program, created in 2004 to give qualified low-income students a chance to earn their college degrees debt-free. Since its inception, the program has been a model for roughly 80 other programs in the United States. Also in 2004, the university launched Carolina Connects to help build relationships between the university and the state. Moeser traveled throughout the state to meet and discuss with communities such issues as health, education, and the economy. A third initiative, and one very near the chancellor's heart, was to strengthen programs in the arts, particularly the perfroming arts. The university hired Emil Kang as its first director of the arts, and following the renovation of Memorial Hall, Kang launched an ambitious performing arts series that drew major artists from around the world.
During Chancellor Moeser's tenure, the university was involved in several controversies; in each instance the chancellor responded by upholding free speech and academic freedom. The first occurred in the aftermath of 11 September 2001 and concerned a teach-in led by members of the faculty and entitled "Understanding the Attack on America: An Alternative View." There was a good deal of negative public reaction to reports of the teach-in, including some accusations that faculty were trying to justify the attack. Less than a year later, the selection of Michael Sells's Approaching the Qur'an for the 2002 summer reading program was the occasion for more public outcry against the university. Objections were also raised to the selection for the 2003 summer reading program; some political conservatives called Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America a "Marxist rant."
Another controversy, more internally focused, concerned the naming of the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award. The Bell Award was established in 1994 to recognize the contributions of women to the university and was named for Cornelia Phillips Spencer, who on 20 March 1875 rushed to the belfry of South Building and rang the bell to proclaim the news that the General Assembly had approved the reopening of the university. Spencer was a writer, a proponent of education for women, and the daughter and sister of long-time university professors. However, her legacy was increasingly called into question by 21st-century students, who pointed to the segregationist views expressed in some of her writings and to the fact that her family had owned slaves. Debate over Spencer's legacy led to a weekend-long symposium, "Remembering Reconstruction," in October 2004 and to a general re-examination of the university's history. Chancellor Moeser supported this re-examination, saying on numerous occasions that he wanted the university's history told fully, "warts and all."
In September 2007, in his annual State of the University address, Moeser announced that he was stepping down as chancellor on 30 June 2008 but had plans to return to the university as a faculty member in the Department on Music in 2009.
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Scope and Content
The Office of Chancellor records of James Moeser include correspondence and other files relating to the administration of, and academic programs at, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of particular interest are files relating to the 2000 state bond referendum on improvements for higher education facilities; the University's fund raising activities and public relations; research, including initiatives in the genome sciences; the establishment of the Carolina Covenant scholarship program; the controversies surrounding the Carolina Summer Reading Program's choice of Michael Sells's Approaching the Qur'an and Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed; and the controversy over the naming of the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award. The Addition of December 2011 includes materials concerning tuition increases; the controversy surrounding the university's decision to terminate the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award; and issues related to efforts by the Atlantic Coast Conference to expand by adding three Big East universities.
Note that materials in Box 63 are CLOSED to researchers for 75 years from the date of their creation for reasons related to the confidentiality of personnel, student, medical, and other legally protected records.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Office of the Chancellor, 2000-2007.
This series contains files pertaining to university-wide issues and topics, including university committees and task forces whose memberships are broad-based. Files pertaining to specific administrative divisions of the university, as well as to faculty government and to agencies and organizations outside the university, will be found in the subsequent series. The bulk of the files in this series date from 2000 to 2003. Of particular interest in this series are the files on the 2000 state bond referendum, the Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award, the "Remembering Reconstruction" conference (which originated out of controversy over the naming of the Bell Award), and planning.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 2. Division of Academic Affairs, 2000-2004.
Included here are files on the departments and schools that made up the Division of Academic Affairs during Chancellor Moeser's tenure. Also found here are files on several of the offices that supported the university's academic mission, including the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. The bulk of the files date from 2000 to 2003. Of particular interest are files on the Robertson Scholars Program; the proposal to establish a campus of the Kenan-Flagler Business school in Qatar; and research on carbon dioxide, which can found in the Chemistry department file. Note that the file titled Correspondence Concerning Individual Applicants, which is listed under Office of Undergraduate Admissions, is CLOSED to researchers until 2077.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 3. Division of Information Technology, 2000-2001.
This series consists of the chancellor's files related to the work of the Division of Information Technology and to various campus information technology initiatives.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 4. Department of Athletics, 2000-2002.
The files in this series relate to the university's intercollegiate athletics program.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 5. Division of Finance and Administration, 2000-2004.
Files in this series relate to the offices that comprised the Division of Finance and Administration during Chancellor Moeser's tenure and to their functions, which included the handling of the university's budget, business operations, facilities planning and maintenance, personnel management, security, and related matters. With the passage of the Higher Education Bonds, the leadership of the division was reorganized, to handle the greater responsibilities in the expansion of university facilities. In 2001 the position of associate vice chancellor for facilities services was renamed the associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and construction and became concerned exclusively with carrying out the development plan. Facilities Services was then reassigned to the associate vice chancellor for campus services, who was previously associate vice chancellor for auxiliary services. The bulk of the files in this series date from 2000 to 2002.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 6. Division of University Advancement, 2000-2004.
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Subseries 6.1. General Files, 2000-2004.
The majority of the files in this subseries date from 2000 to 2002 and pertain to the university's fundraising activities, including the Carolina First Campaign. Also located here are files relating to the university's public relations program.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Subseries 6.2. Briefing Files, 2000-2004.
Arrangement: Chronological
Files in this subseries were created by the Division of University Advancement to prepare the chancellor for meetings, special events, outreach visits, interviews, and speeches. The files include schedules, news clippings, texts of speeches, programs, and other related items. Of particular interest are the outreach visits that were part of Carolina Connects, which began in 2004, and the files concerning the Qur'an controversy.
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Series 7. Faculty Governance, 2000-2004.
Included in this series are files relating to faculty government, including files on committees that report to the Faculty Council. Files on university-wide committees will be found in Series 1.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 8. Division of Research and Economic Development, 2000-2004.
This series includes files related to the university's research activities. In 2003, the title for the vice chancellor for research and graduate studies was changed to vice chancellor for research and economic development to reflect the position's increasing responsibility to promote economic development. At that time, additional university centers and institutes came under the vice chancellor's jurisdiction, including some that were previously in the Division of Academic Affairs and the Division of Health Affairs. Also included in this series are files on administrative offices that supported research activities, such as the Office of Technology Development.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 9. Division of Health Affairs, 2000-2002.
This series contains files on the academic units and research centers that comprised the Division of Health Affairs during Chancellor Moeser's tenure. Files on the UNC Health Care System, including the University of North Carolina Hospitals, will also be found here. Of particular interest is the file on Genomics.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 10. Division of Student Affairs, 2000-2003.
Files in this series pertain to offices in the Division of Student Affairs during Chancellor Moeser's tenure and to their functions, which involved the provision of extracurricular services and programs to the students of the university. Also included here are files on various student organizations, including Student Government. The bulk of the files date from 2000 to 2002. Of particular interest is the file on the Carolina Summer Reading Program, which includes information on the Qur'an controversy.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Series 11. Board of Trustees, 2001.
This series includes the chancellor's correspondence with and related to the university's Board of Trustees. Minutes and reports of the board will be found in the Records of the Board of Trustees, a separate records group in the University Archives.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
| Box 17 |
Board of Trustees, General, 2001 #40228, Series: "11. Board of Trustees, 2001." Box 17 |
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Series 12. Outside Organizations, 2000-2003.
Files in this series pertain to agencies and organizations outside the university with which the university has, or has had, relationships. Many are organizations of which the university is, or was, a member. Many are foundations and corporations from which the university has sought support. Also included here are files on agencies of North Carolina state government and of the federal government. Note, however, that this series does not contain all of the chancellor's records related to outside organizations. Correspondence with an outside organization that pertains to a particular department or program of the university will generally be found with the other files on that department or program.
See also the Additions of December 2008, November 2010, and December 2011. Beginning with the Addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions.
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Addition of December 2008, 2000-2005.
The files in Series 1-12, above, represent the initial accession of Chancellor Moeser's records. With the addition of December 2008, processing staff discontinued the practice of dividing the chancellor's files into twelve series based on their relationship to university functions and/or administrative divisions. The files listed below are arranged as they were received from the chancellor's office, and for the most part, the original file names have been retained. The bulk of these files date from 2002 to 2003. Many of them are continuations of files in Series 1-12.
The arrangement of the files is roughly alphabetical with a "General" file at the beginning of each alphabetical section. The General files contain miscellaneous invitations, thank-you notes, best wishes, and letters from the general public offering compliments or criticism on a variety of subjects.
Items of particular interest in this addition include correspondence and a press packet on the establishment of the Carolina Covenant, a scholarship program that allowed students to obtain a debt-free education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; files relating to the university's fund raising activities and initiatives; and the controversies surrounding the Carolina Summer Reading Program's choice of Michael Sells's Approacing the Qur'an and Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.