Rosemary DePaolo, Ph.D.

Chancellor, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2003 to present

Dr. Rosemary DePaolo became chancellor and chief executive officer of the University of North Carolina Wilmington in July 2003.  During her tenure, the university has attained national prominence as a model for teaching, research, and service.

Chancellor DePaolo has led the university to greatness by developing strategies and processes to recruit and retain the highest quality of diverse faculty and staff, attract the highest quality of students, reduce faculty-to-student ratios,  improve retention and graduation rates, provide the buildings necessary to support a world class campus environment,  and encourage more private philanthropic support than ever.  

She has overseen the construction and renovation of $250 million in public and private supported projects resulting in 15 new or renovated buildings.  A $30.1 million state-of-the art nursing building is under construction and the third phase of new campus housing, as well as a parking deck ,will open in August 2009.  The additional housing will bring UNCW to its goal of forty percent of its undergraduate students living on campus.

Private support has increased dramatically under her leadership.  Generous supporters have allowed UNCW to set fundraising records for four years in a row.  During this period, donors gave the university more than $30 million to support scholarships, professorships, academics, faculty research, athletics, student life experiences, and more, resulting in an increase in the university’s endowment by more than fifty percent.

Under her guidance, UNCW achieved Millennial Campus designation of several sites to be used for public/private research ventures capitalizing on the university’s strengths in marine biotechnology, among others.  She has encouraged the university community to work closely with government, health, education, non-profit and business leaders in the region through a number of formal and informal collaborations, including a recently established partnership with the Wilmington Housing Authority to provide educational services at one of their community centers.

Leading by example, Chancellor DePaolo is actively involved in a wide range of civic activities, including service on a number of boards.  These include serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the North Carolina Chamber, the state’s largest and most influential business group, Ex-officio member of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Southeastern Advisory Committee for Biotechnology of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and Executive Board of the North Carolina Campus Compact.

A nationally recognized champion for higher education, Chancellor DePaolo served on a Higher Education Cabinet established by the New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education.  She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and is also a current member of the Colonial Athletic Association’s Council of Presidents.

UNCW has been praised by various publications for quality, affordability, and innovation.  U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the university as one of the top 10 public master’s universities in the South, and Forbes placed UNCW second among best public universities in North Carolina.  Kiplinger’s Personal Finance listed UNCW as one of the top 25 “Best Values” among public universities in the nation and one of the top three in North Carolina.

Before arriving in Wilmington, Chancellor DePaolo was president of Georgia College & State University, the state’s designated public liberal arts university.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Queens College of the City University of New York and a master of arts and a doctorate in 18th century English literature from Rutgers University.

A native of Long Island, New York,  she is married to Fred Wharton, a retired professor of English.