Letter from the Senior Associate
Dean Of Natural Sciences
O
ne of my happy jobs as Senior Associate Dean is to brag
about our science programs to stakeholders, donors, and
administrators, and this is easy for me to do when I have a de-
partment like Chemistry in the division. The prizes, fellowships,
and awards Chemistry receives demonstrate the excellence in
teaching and research that the department brings to the sci-
ences at Carolina, and I am grateful for all those contributions.
In return, I feel that it is my job to advocate for the resources
that Chemistry needs to remain a top-ranked program in the
nation, and even to grow in standing.
T
he department faces many challenges, including aging
teaching facilities, retirement of prominent and productive
faculty, enrollment growth in a difficult budget environment,
and under-resourced research cores. I am happy to say that
because of hard work by chair Jeff Johnson, associate chair
Ralph House, and many others to keep me informed and armed
with strong strategic plans, and through the support and ef-
forts of Dean Kevin Guskiewicz and Senior Associate Dean Kate
Henz, we have been able to begin addressing some of these
challenges in the past year.
E
lsewhere in this newsletter you can read about funding and
plans for planned (but very limited) renovation in More-
head Labs. This project will be an experiment to bring a new
kind of teaching lab to Chemistry, in support of new modes of
instruction like CUREs. This will help bring attention to teach-
ing facilities, and give me new opportunities and tools to advo-
cate for more extensive renovations. To address retirements,
the college has been able to allocate a healthy number of new
Distinguished Professor Christopher Clemens
with research cores, and authorized matching funds for new
equipment proposals. These increases in funding for Chemis-
try represent a collective vote of confidence in the Chemistry
Department and its leadership, and they follow a principle of
protecting and growing our strongest programs.
F
or over two centuries the Chemistry Department has been a
leader in the sciences at Carolina and though there is much
more to do, I am gratified to see striking progress in support of
the program. I am hopeful that this confidence will be a signal to
the many friends of Chemistry who also support the program.
Like them, I am confident that investments in the Chemistry De-
partment will be repaid many times over by its academic and
research achievements.
faculty lines, including a senior position, and I have been im-
pressed by the candidates that have been brought to campus.
We have also been able to stabilize the instructional budget by
adding new permanent allocations and paying off some histor-
ical overspends. We have also authorized a new Teaching As-
sistant Professor position to help with growing course loads.
Finally, we have added some permanent subsidies to help
10 | CHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
J. Christopher Clemens
Senior Associate Dean for Natural Science
Jaroslav Folda Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy
| CHEM.UNC.EDU