Philip L. Dubois [2], 2013 January 2

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Identifier: OH-UA-DU0034

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Philip L. Dubois oral history interview 2, 2013 January 2

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Scope and Contents

Dr. Philip Dubois, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, talks about his tenure as the Provost/Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at UNC Charlotte from 1991 to 1997. Dr. Dubois focuses on some of the successes of Chancellor James H. Woodward, who was chancellor during Dubois' first tenure at the university. These successes included campus planning, academic planning, creating a presence for UNC Charlotte in the city of Charlotte, and getting approval for the first doctoral programs at the institution. Dr. Dubois notes that Chancellor Woodward approached planning collaboratively by seeking input from students, faculty, and the community. He also speaks about efforts to create an overarching campus academic plan, the issues surrounding it (including some initial resistance by some of the faculty over the way faculty positions would be managed), and the benefits of a plan that takes the whole university into account rather than a single department or college. Dr. Dubois then talks about how UNC Charlotte secured its first doctoral programs, noting how these interdisciplinary programs served an economic need for the Charlotte region (especially in engineering, technology, education, and healthcare). He also recalls how UNCC Uptown became a reality, discussing the early types of courses offered at the off campus site and why they were offered, the move from the original location at CityFair to the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, and the acquisition of land for the current Center City Campus. Dr. Dubois concludes the interview by describing how Chancellor Woodward helped assuage faculty concerns as UNC Charlotte transitioned from a teaching university to a research university.

Dates

Creation: 2013 January 2

Conditions Governing Access

Original audiovisual materials are closed to patron use. Please contact Special Collections to request the creation of use copies for particular items; requests will be accommodated when possible. The remaining materials are open for research.

Biographical Note

Dr. Philip L. Dubois was a 62-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in his office at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was born in Oakland, California in 1950. He was educated at the University of California Davis, where he earned a BA in political science in 1972, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned an MA and PhD in political science in 1974 and 1978 respectively. He began his academic career at the University of California, Davis, where he rose in the ranks, and was subsequently employed as the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UNC Charlotte from 1991-1997. He served as the president of the University of Wyoming between 1997 and 2005, and he returned to UNC Charlotte in 2005 to become the institution’s fourth chancellor.