After nearly a year as interim, Kimberly van Noort has been officially appointed as UNC Asheville’s ninth permanent chancellor. The UNC System Board of Governors approved the nomination by system President Peter Hans on Wednesday, citing her successful achievements, including enrollment and retention increases.
Van Noort stepped in as interim chancellor in January, after Chancellor Nancy Cable resigned to head the William R. Kenan, Jr Charitable Trust in Chapel Hill. Her election followed a national search that began with more than 130 applicants and resulted in three finalists recommended by a 13-member search advisory committee and the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees.
In a statement issued by the university, van Noort said she was “thrilled, honored, humbled and excited” to be named chancellor. She said UNC Asheville was the first campus she visited when she came to North Carolina in 2016.
“I remember vividly how it struck me as a very special place with incredible potential,” she said. “Seven years later, after serving first as interim provost and now interim chancellor since the start of the new year, I can easily report that my first impression has been confirmed ten-fold.”
Before her interim leadership roles at UNC Asheville, van Noort held high-level academic positions at the UNC System for six years, serving as senior vice president for academic affairs and vice president for academic programs, faculty, and research.
A native of Nebraska, van Noort spent 20 years as a faculty member and leader at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she taught French and served as associate vice provost for undergraduate studies, director of University College and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts.
Van Noort will assume her role on January 1.
