July 01, 2008

Contact:   Stacey Schmeidel

Davidson President Thomas W. Ross

Davidson College President Thomas W. Ross will be interviewed on WUNC-TV's "North Carolina Now" program at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, July 2-3. The interview will focus on Ross' first year as Davidson's president.

During that time, Ross has begun an ambitious strategic assessment process, initiated campus-wide discussions of diversity and inclusivity, and announced the name of The Davidson Trust, the college's historic financial aid program that replaced loans with grants in all financial aid packages.

 "North Carolina Now" airs every weeknight on WUNC-TV. The newsmagazine examines pressing topical issues, interviews North Carolina leaders, profiles interesting locations, and celebrates North Carolina's artistic and cultural diversity.

 Thomas W. Ross became Davidson's 17th president on August 1, 2007, after three decades of leadership and public service in North Carolina.

 Born in Greensboro, Ross graduated from Davidson in 1972. In the first decade after college, he graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law, taught at the University's School of Government, joined a Greensboro law firm, and served for one year in Washington, D.C., as chief of staff of a congressional office.

 In 1984, Governor Jim Hunt appointed Ross as Superior Court Judge -- at the time, the youngest in the state. He held the position for 17 years. In his work adjudicating felony cases, Ross became familiar with a state justice system that suffered shortcomings from uneven sentencing and a burgeoning prison population.

 In 1990, the N.C. Chief Justice appointed him to chair a new Sentencing and Policy Advisory Committee, comprising a 23-member panel of judges, lawyers, legislators, citizens and law enforcement officers. For two years the panel worked to create a structured sentencing system that was eventually accepted by the legislature and became a model for similar programs nationwide. Over time, the system saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars by prioritizing the use of prison resources without increasing risk to public safety. For his efforts, Ross received the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence from the National Center for State Courts. Chief Justice Rehnquist, now deceased, presented the award personally to Ross in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court.

 In 1999, North Carolina Chief Justice Burley Mitchell appointed Ross as director of the state's Administrative Office of the Courts. Soon after, the trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation invited him to become its executive director. His seven years at the foundation involved him in statewide issues and politics, advocating for legislative reform and creating coalitions of non-profit agencies to increase their influence in public affairs.
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Posted By: Bill Giduz