Dr. Philip L. Dubois was a 64-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.
Dr. Philip L. Dubois, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, talks about efforts made during the tenure of Chancellor James H. Woodward to strengthen the faculty community by bolstering faculty recognition, recruiting and retaining high quality minority faculty, and giving faculty more control over their own affairs. Dr. Dubois describes the creation of the Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching, which was designed to recognize departments that excel at the collective mission of teaching and advising students. Additionally, he details improvements made to the Bank of America Award for Excellence in Teaching (Now called the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence,) which included a more prestigious venue for the award ceremony, a new format that recognizes five finalists, and rewards of greater value. To recognize superior career achievement in teaching, the University created the Bonnie E. Cone Distinguished Professorship for Teaching, with a limit of five recipients holding the award at one time. Dr. Dubois also describes changes made to Convocation to make it more meaningful for faculty, including longevity of service, and the incorporation of recognition for faculty tenure, and promotion to the rank of associate or full professor.
