Fresh start: UNC news not surprising

OK, let's pretend for a moment that no other university in the country is battling trouble with athletics and academics, and that there is nowhere else that boosters can become liabilities.

But even under that assumption, it is likely a good idea that UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp has decided to step aside.

His announcement allows the university to reset, to clean out the dirt and to get back to being one of the nation's top public universities.

In an age when college athletics are beginning to look a lot more like big business than education, it is time for some new priorities and tough demands for more honest dealings.

Perhaps Thorp was too lax. And perhaps he did have some people he should have kept a closer eye on. But in the end, it is likely a culture that existed before he got there -- and likely exists in many universities across the country.

So, it is time to move forward, to pick a new leader and to set about re-establishing this school's high standards.

Perhaps UNC can motivate others to follow suit.

Published in Editorials on September 18, 2012 12:34 PM