^ PHOTO ABOVE: Elizabeth City State University Chancellor Thomas Conway with UNC President Margaret Spellings as she visits ECSU’s aviation program.

ELIZABETH CITY – Thomas Conway took over as Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in January, following a tumultuous few years of leadership changes and enrollment challenges at the campus.

Widely respected by his peers in the University system, Conway previously served as vice chancellor and chief of staff at Fayetteville State University, where he helped oversee a successful strategic planning process and steady enrollment growth.  Prior to that, Conway spent 32 years in administrative roles at NC State University, leaving as dean of undergraduate academic programs in 2008.

ECSU is of enormous economic importance to Northeastern North Carolina.  A study last year found the university has an annual economic impact of $231 million.

While hosting a visit from new UNC System President Margaret Spellings last week, Conway took a few moments to reflect on the challenges and priorities in his new role.

HEWF: What motivated you to take on the Chancellor role at Elizabeth City, especially given the challenges the campus has faced in recent years with enrollment?

Conway:  Well, I’ve been studying Elizabeth City for quite a while…. And one of the things that I absolutely knew, in the midst of all of the troubling news that was coming out about the institution, was that there were also some very good-news stories that weren’t being told.

I looked at the all of the data, all of the activity and energy of Elizabeth City.  And it was my sense that leadership could really make a difference, and I wanted that chance.

HEWF: What have you learned about ECSU in these first few months on the job?

Conway:  What I’ve been most pleased with is that the quality of the faculty and staff here is great….

The reality is that people are responding well, they are stepping up to the challenge, they are setting new goals, and they’re challenging one another to do even greater work.  It’s a great community with a lot of potential.

HEWF: What do you see as some of the near-term priorities for you and ECSU?

Conway:  We’ve got some great programs at Elizabeth City State, preparing students as teachers, social workers, pilots and air traffic controllers — all sorts of careers that we know this region and this country will continue to need.

But we need to think about training students to create jobs, not just fill them.  This is a region that can benefit tremendously from the energy and entrepreneurship of young people, so I’m excited about adding some programs and opportunities that will help our students develop their ideas into new businesses.

Our new entrepreneurship center will benefit not just our students, but the whole region.  It’s going to serve as a research center for our faculty, and it’s going to be a resource for local businesses…. If we can work together to grow the economic future of this region, then we are fulfilling the University’s mission to be an effective partner for all North Carolinians.

HEWF: You mentioned that applications are up this spring, but are you concerned about the impact of proposed changes to UNC System admissions standards, through NC GAP or other legislative proposals?

Conway:  These policies certainly make a difference in how we’re able to recruit.  But I think it’s important to remember that this has always been a balancing act, and UNC admissions policies are always, in a sense, under construction.

Since I’ve been a part of the UNC System, the minimum admissions standards have changed at least four times….  Down the road, I’m sure we’ll revisit this again.