The chancellor, the chancellor’s office, and the central administration have as their primary objective the provision of general administrative leadership for all areas and all activities of the university.

It is the function of the chancellor to see that the objective is met of providing higher education to the Appalachian region of North Carolina, where major attention is concentrated, and to other areas of the state and the region.  The central administration of the university also provides the general direction for the university, seeking and obtaining financial resources and allocating the resources to the various activities throughout the university.  It also provides the reporting and review system that enables an evaluation of the effectiveness of institutional activities and of the personnel who have responsibility for the various programs.

Assisting the chancellor in the administration of the university is the Executive Council whose membership includes the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, Vice Chancellor for Advancement and External Affairs, Chief of Staff, University Attorney and the Director of Athletics.  Each member has their specified area of responsibility and the Chief of Staff provides general assistance to the Chancellor on all administrative matters. 

The chancellor holds weekly meetings with the Executive Council to report on and discuss the activities of the university and to direct the efforts of the staff toward accomplishing future goals. Other means of communication include the various publications prepared by the office of public relations and written policies released by the chancellor.

The intercollegiate athletic program of the university is administered by the director of athletics.  The Office of Legal Counsel is the chancellor’s legal advisor and works very closely with the vice chancellors, deans, department heads, and other administrative officials on all legal matters pertaining to the university.

Other units of the university which are administratively responsible to the Chancellor’s Office are the Office(s) of Law, Equity, and Auditing. The organizational chart of the chancellor’s staff indicates the lines of communication and relationships of the administrative officials.

Chancellor's organization chart