In a memo he sent introducing himself to the campus community, UNC-Chapel Hill interim Chancellor Lee Roberts expressed a desire to move toward applied disciplines. He wanted to steer more students into “high-demand fields” to satisfy “critical state needs.”

“That couldn’t happen if you moved every three years.”

As an old soldier, I have often coached younger leaders to understand the power of presence. That means learning to perceive the present we live in as a “future past” and, in so doing, embrace the fleeting minutes with gratitude, and to imbue them with purpose.