‘GENUINE AND APPROACHABLE’
Students meet with Chancellor-elect Staton over breakfast
Recalling his own days as a college freshman hearing new perspectives for the first time, East Carolina University Chancellor-elect Cecil Staton this morning told a group of students a university should be a place that values people and ideas.
“Diversity is not a negative word,” Staton said. “It is the world, it is reality.”
A question regarding the N.C. Guaranteed Admission Program, or NCGAP, which routes certain students who’ve been admitted to University of North Carolina-system schools to community colleges before transferring to one of the system’s four-year universities, spurred his comments.
Staton didn’t comment specifically on the law, but did say ECU’s history of providing access to students of various academic, social and other backgrounds was one of the qualities that attracted him to Greenville and should remain.
“We take students where they are and help them get to where they want to be and want to go,” he said.
From there, talked about the diversity at his current institution -Valdosta State University in Georgia, where students hail from 60 different countries – and his own past as a conservative, Baptist first-generation college student walking onto the campus of Furman University in South Carolina just after the Vietnam War and hearing people say things about America and other topics he disagreed with.
“It made me think about what I believe,” he said. “It made me think about my opinions. It made me a stronger person.” He also cited the East Carolina Creed as something that reflects his values.
The gathering with students at the Croatan the morning of his first day as chancellor-elect was something Staton wanted to do. His wife, Catherine, also attended and talked with students.
“Any day I get to spend time with students, that’s the better part of my day or week,” he said. “In our country and nation, higher education is key. It is a path. That journey brings me today to be with you at this university you love and we are coming to love.”
Holly Abrams, who graduates in May, told Staton she’s headed to China to teach English before returning to work on her doctorate, and he told her of his own experiences in Shanghai.
“His first day and he’s already meeting here with students – I have a good feeling he cares about students,” she said.
Charlotte Pearsall, a junior Honors College student majoring in recreation and parks management told Staton she hopes to one day be a college athletic director.
“I like that he’s as excited about ECU as the students are,” she said.
Senior Amy Bright, a sociology major who asked Staton about NCGAP, said she’s encouraged by his selection as chancellor.
“I’m very impressed by his resume,” she said. “As of right now, I think he’s going to hopefully do really good things for the university. I hope.”
Terrence Campbell, who’s beginning his final year of dental school, said the fact Staton spent several years at Mercer University in Georgia, which has a medical school and other health sciences programs, makes him optimistic the new chancellor will be familiar with “the issues that we will have and more able to understand our needs on the health sciences campus.”
Mona Amin and Roderick Hall, rising seniors, said Staton follows a strong leader in Chancellor Steve Ballard.
“Chancellor Ballard left a great legacy at ECU,” said Amin, a biology major. “Change is inevitable. I’m looking forward to seeing what this chancellor can bring to ECU. From what I’ve heard, he seems very genuine and approachable, and that’s great to see in a chancellor.”
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy got the students together for the breakfast meeting.
“It’s something he wanted to do,” she said of Staton. “So they’re impressed that he’s reaching out to them already. The fact he put this in first right now gives us a strong message of who he is and what he’s about.”
Chancellor-elect Cecil Staton talks with student Charlotte Pearsall at The Croatan on Thursday morning.