James H. Woodward oral history interview 2, 2012 December 13

Description

In this second of two interviews, Dr. James H. Woodward, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1989-2005, continues to discuss the growth of campus facilities and programs during his tenure. He discusses UNC Charlotte Uptown in detail, describing how the facility was funded and how it was first located in the CityFair Building in Uptown Charlotte. Dr. Woodward also comments about the facility's relocation to the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in 1999. In addition Dr. Woodward discusses athletics at UNC Charlotte during his tenure. He describes the hiring of Jeff Mullins as the Athletic Director and Men's Basketball Coach and discusses the controversy surrounding Jim Valvano--who held a similar position at North Carolina State University--which ultimately led to the splitting of the combined job title for Mullins. It was through this process that Dr. Woodward was able to hire Judy Rose as the University's first female Athletic Director. Dr. Woodward gives a detailed description of the construction of on--campus athletic facilities--the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center and the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center. He talks about why these new facilities were needed and how they were funded, noting the work of Athletic Director Judy Rose in securing major donations for the Athletic Department portion of the cost for both. Dr. Woodward reflects on the significance of athletics and conference affiliations for a university, noting--for better or worse--that athletics is usually the principal window through which the general public finds out about what universities and colleges do. Dr. Woodward talks about the National Collegiate Athletic Association governance structure during the early 1990s and how it led to the creation of "equity" conferences within the NCAA. He then recalls how UNC Charlotte became a charter member of the newly created Conference USA in 1995, and how that association helped elevate the university's stature on a national level. As conference realignments continued through the end of the 1990s through the early 2000s, a push to start a football program was attempted, but Dr. Woodward explains how the school was in a growing phase and had needs elsewhere at the time more urgent than football--a new student union in particular. As a consequence of not starting a football program, he explains why the decision was made to leave Conference USA for the Atlantic-10 Conference in 2005. The interview concludes with stories about the evolution of the School of Information Technology to the College of Computing and Informatics, the creation of College of Health and Human Services, and other stories.