Friday, April 29, 2011

Today the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina Wilmington announced the naming of DePaolo Hall in honor of Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo, who will retire June 30 after eight years of service to the university.

The surprise announcement came at a gathering of faculty, staff, students and trustees Friday afternoon to thank DePaolo for her contributions to the university as the spring semester comes to a close. DePaolo Hall, formerly Westside Hall, houses many important student programs and services, including the Abrons Student Health Center and pharmacy; the CARE and Crossroads programs, which provide sexual assault and drug education and prevention; University Testing Services; Disability Services; the University Learning Center; and University College, which oversees undergraduate advising and freshman seminar courses.

Wendy Murphy, chair of the Board of Trustees, said it was fitting that DePaolo's name be placed on a building that is focused on providing student services because of her personal commitment to providing students with the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost.

"This naming recognizes Chancellor DePaolo's extraordinary service to UNCW and in honor of her unwavering commitment to putting our students first in every decision she made during her eight years as chancellor," Murphy said.

Built in 1970, DePaolo Hall was the original university cafeteria. It reverted to general purpose use after the construction of Wagoner Hall, which opened to students in 1989. It underwent a significant renovation and expansion in 2005, after which the current student services offices were moved into the facility.

In addition to the unexpected building naming, DePaolo also was surprised to see members of her family, who had traveled long distances to join the celebration. On behalf of the student body, the Student Ambassadors presented her with a special commemorative quilt, which will hang in the Fisher Student Center, and students, faculty and staff members wrote personal notes to her that will be placed into a scrapbook.

"I am completely overwhelmed," Chancellor DePaolo said of the event. "It is such a wonderful honor to have a building named for me on this beautiful campus.

"I am so proud of what the students, faculty and staff of this university have accomplished during the past eight years," she continued. "They have supported our ambitious strategic goals with complete dedication and commitment, allowing us to improve nearly every major measurement of educational quality, even in the current environment of economic instability and budget reductions. They are my heroes, and they have inspired UNCW to soar to greatness."

Murphy noted that DePaolo's accomplishments as chancellor have been many and lasting, and that the next chancellor of UNCW will inherit "a gem." Some highlights of DePaolo's tenure include:
• Inspiring the university to formulate and focus on its strategic goals
• Meeting and exceeding those goals in almost all areas, including student graduation rates, student-faculty ratio, campus diversity, international enrollment and study abroad participation, and research and development grant funding
• Redefining the university's mission to focus on providing students with the most powerful learning experience through exemplary teaching, applied research and community outreach, student engagement and outstanding student services
• Building new on-campus student housing through a public-private partnership, increasing the number of students who live on campus to almost 40 percent of the student body
• Presiding over the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university's history, with $59 million raised so far toward a $65 million goal
• More than doubling UNCW's endowment, which was $25 million when she became chancellor and is now more than $60 million
• Garnering numerous accolades for UNCW from prestigious national ranking organizations, including U.S.News & World Report, Forbes, Fiske Guide to Colleges, Kiplinger's, Princeton Review and G.I. Jobs.
• Increased outreach to, partnerships with and focused programs for active duty and retired military students and military family members, particularly in Onslow County
• Significant growth and increased visibility for UNCW's hallmark research and academic programs, including the Center for Marine Science, Film Studies, Creative Writing and Psychology
• Adding new degree programs to support the needs of southeastern North Carolina, including doctoral degrees in marine biology and educational leadership, and creating a new College of Health and Human Services

DePaolo will retire from UNCW as of June 30. A search committee has been working over the past several months to identify three finalists to become the university's new chancellor. That list was provided recently to Thomas Ross, president of the UNC system, who will make the final selection. An announcement is expected sometime in May.

Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.508.3127 or fischettid@uncw.edu