Friday, January 14, 2000

WILMINGTON, NC -- The UNC Board of Governors at its meeting in Wilmington today named Timothy A. Jordan vice chancellor for business affairs at UNC Wilmington, effective July 1, 2000. Mr. Jordan, currently associate vice chancellor for business affairs, will replace R. O. Walton Jr. who is retiring June 30, 2000.

"Tim has had significant responsibility for the fact that UNC Wilmington hasn't had an audit exception in 13 years, quite an enviable and unprecedented record," said Chancellor James R. Leutze. "I have great confidence in Tim based on his knowledge of university personnel and internal workings and his great devotion to UNCW.

"Even though we will miss Bob Walton when he retires, Tim's hiring will minimize disruption and provide a smooth transition. I'm also pleased that in this case we were able to recommend an internal promotion to the Board of Governors," he said.

Chancellor Leutze went on to note the "magnificent job Bob has done" in developing the campus, managing the growth and construction of buildings, and the growth in the budget. "Anyone who looks at our buildings and grounds is impressed," he said, "and add to that our exceptional audit trail. Bob has done a tremendous job. He will be sorely missed."

A member of the last graduating class of Wilmington College in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Mr. Jordan was hired at UNCW by the late James A. Price Jr. as the first professional accountant ever employed at the university. Subsequently, he went to East Carolina University where he earned the master of business administration, then taught two years at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville. He was rehired at UNCW in August 1973 as director of accounting and has been here ever since.

The university's budget in 1973 was $3 million; today it is $130 million. His first accounting staff numbered seven people. Today he supervises a staff of 55 including accounting, budget office, and financial systems. He considers his greatest achievement to be establishing the accounting structure for UNCW that eventually influenced accounting structures at other universities in the state.

"I am also really proud of the creative approach we've taken to budgeting," Mr. Jordan said. "We have always tried to give individual budget managers as much flexibility as possible while remaining within state guidelines."

A native of Kelly, N.C., he is married to Beth Russ Jordan and they have two daughters, Susan Elizabeth and Laura Ellen. The Jordans live in Burgaw.