Dr. Ron Core Named UNCW Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs
1/9/2004 12:00:00 AM
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Wilmington, NC -- UNC Wilmington Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo announced that the UNC Board of Governors today approved the appointment of Dr. Ronald J. Core to become UNCW vice chancellor for business affairs effective March 15. The UNCW Board of Trustees recommended his appointment at an executive committee meeting Dec. 29.
Dr. Core has served as vice president for business and finance at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA., since 1997 where he is principal advisor to the president for all financial and operational matters. He is responsible for the operations of units in the Business and Finance Division which employ over 565 full-time employees and have a combined operating budget of $55 million. Prior to this appointment he was executive vice president at Mississippi University for Women from July 1995 to July 1997, and vice president for finance and administration there from September 1991 to June 1995. Dr. Core also brings UNC system experience based on his service at Western Carolina University as university budget director and assistant to the vice chancellor for business affairs and other appointments from August 1978 to September 1991.
Chancellor DePaolo singled out Dr. Core’s extensive leadership experience in running the business aspects of higher education as well as his involvement in large campus construction efforts. “I was especially impressed with Dr. Core’s track record of seeking broad involvement from the campus community during the budgeting process and in administering daily business operations at his institutions,” she said. “I applaud the work of the nine-member search committee chaired by Graduate School Dean Robert Roer who recommended this capable candidate along with two others for me to interview.”
Coincidentally, while Chancellor DePaolo’s career included time at Western Carolina University and Georgia universities where Dr. Core has also worked, their paths never crossed until he was invited to UNCW for an interview. “Dr. Core’s 13 years of experience in higher education within the UNC system will be a tremendous asset for UNCW as he applies his knowledge of the state’s business practices and procedures to supporting our core academic mission as efficiently and economically as possible,” Dr. DePaolo said.
At UNCW, the vice chancellor for business affairs is responsible for supporting the university’s teaching, research, and public service mission by providing quality business and administrative services to the university community and managing UNCW’s $160 million operating budget. Reporting directly to the chancellor, the VCBA serves as a member of the administrative cabinet and quality and planning council. Direct reports to him include three associate vice chancellors in finance, facilities, and business services.
Despite recent reductions in state funding due to state and national economic conditions, UNCW remains a fiscally sound, well-managed institution -- having received its 17th consecutive clean financial audit and having been ranked eighth in the nation for accountability in its Federal Work-Study program.
Revenue sources include state funds (41 percent), tuition and fees (18 percent), federal contracts & grants (9.2 percent), auxiliary enterprises (25 percent) and other sources (6.8 percent). Following passage of the $3.1 billion N.C. Higher Education Facilities Bond issue in November 2000, UNCW is in the midst of the largest construction effort in its history over the next six years. With $109 million in bond funding, UNCW is building three new academic buildings and renovating eight existing buildings. In addition, revenue-supported bonds will fund a 65,000-square-foot, $27 million expansion of the student union. The VCBA also serves as treasurer of the UNCW Foundation and oversees investment of the university’s $22 million endowment.
"I am excited about coming to UNC Wilmington and joining Dr. DePaolo's administrative team,” said Dr. Core. “UNCW is a premier regional university that is poised to move to an even higher level of excellence. The world class marine science program is just one example of the quality to be found throughout the institution. My primary objective will be to lead the Business Affairs Division in support of the many activities and initiatives required to move UNCW to the next level.”
Dr. Core noted that he is particularly interested in the $153 million capital projects underway or in planning. “During my time at Georgia Southern, we completed over $190 million in construction and have another $75 million in the planning stages. I am looking forward to working with UNCW's facilities staff, as well as the architects and contractors, to bring their projects in on-time and in-budget,” he said.
“Not only are my wife, Nancy, and I attracted to UNCW, but also to the city of Wilmington and the surrounding area. It is rare to find such an excellent university situated in such a beautiful location. We are looking forward to moving there and getting started."
His educational background includes a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration, June 1990 from the University of Georgia; Master of Arts in Education - Higher Education Administration, May 1982, from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC; and graduate business courses specializing in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Arts in English, August 1974, from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Oh.
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Chancellor DePaolo can be reached at 910/962-3030.
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Ron Core
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