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What is Carolina Counts?

Carolina Counts is a program initiated by the Chancellor to carry out the key recommendations prepared in July 2009 by Bain & Company, funded by the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation, that took a hard look at the campus operating structure and how to make this complex organization more efficient. The report reflected input from hundreds of people from the campus community and was posted to the University’s Budget Information Web site.

A few other universities are following Carolina’s lead. The University of California at Berkeley and Cornell University have launched similar projects in 2009.

Mission

To make the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill the most collaborative, well-managed university in the country.

Objectives

• to streamline campus operations and provide more funding for academics and University’s core missions
• to implement simpler, more responsive systems and processes that enable informed decision-making while complying with policies and laws
• to reduce bureaucracy and create a more satisfying work environment for faculty and staff

Work Underway

Carolina Counts is well into the hard work of assessing the potential options identified in the Bain report. Leading those efforts are Joe Templeton, immediate past faculty chair, former chair of the Department of Chemistry and now part-time special assistant to the chancellor for planning and initiatives. He has been joined by Mike Patil, former associate dean at the University’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy, as program director on a full-time basis.

Templeton and Patil spent the last part of 2009 engaging campus colleagues from schools, units and departments who could best delve into the main options identified in the Bain report and what they could mean for future University operations. Their focus is on guiding the University’s analysis of those options, developing solutions that address them, and planning implementation.

In November 2009, Carolina Counts formally launched with the designation of champions who will lead the 10 areas identified for major improvements. In January 2010, all of the champions were brought together for an orientation session on understanding the process and their roles, and to formulate projects that would accomplish the objectives of Carolina Counts initiative. The details of the projects identified by each area are under Improvement Projects.

Carolina Counts is currently working with the Champions to assess the projects, help prioritize them, and ensure a broader participation from across the campus where appropriate. A few of the projects are already completed and a few others are being pursued actively.