UNC appoints Henderson native as a vice dean

Apr. 26—CHAPEL HILL — In an April 18 press release, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced that Robert Hawkins, a Henderson native, was tapped as vice dean for its School of Social Work, effective July 1.

Hawkins currently serves as an associate dean for academic and faculty affairs at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at North Carolina State University — where he identifies opportunities for professional development for staff. He'll be doing something similar at UNC.

Prior to that, he held a similar position at New York University for 18-odd years, returning to his home state in 2022.

Reflecting on his upbringing in Henderson, he said it had its ups and downs.

As a Black man, he's experienced his fair share of prejudice in Henderson. His high school counselor ignored his interest in college, and he had to work doubly hard for the same opportunities offered to his peers, he said.

"I remember that there was this white guy who could not carry a tune if he had it in a backpack, but he was usually cast as a lead, and I was in the chorus," Hawkins recalled. "I knew what that was about. B but what stands out most is that once I was in a play directed by my high school teacher. I screwed up my blocking and the director got frustrated with me and said, "Can't you get this right? It's bad enough that you are Black."

But when his white peers made mistakes, their race didn't matter.

"That stayed with me because it served as the epitome of what I would have to overcome," said Hawkins. "He said the quiet part out loud, but it reminded me that I couldn't take my blackness for granted, because despite what they might say, no one else did."

He was Black and came from a poor background, which carried with them stereotypes that he had to overcome — through a combination of hard work, resiliency and building and using social capital, he said.

"I couldn't let people's implicit and explicit bias get into my head or it would have stopped me in my tracks," he said.

That's all to say, Hawkins turned those negative experiences into resiliency, which he has always strived to teach to others.

The city also had a strong sense of community back in the 70s, he recalled. He could be friends with people that held a wide variety of political beliefs. That is something that has since been lost across the state and country.

"[Henderson] is the kind of place that stays with you," he said. "I appreciate what it gave me ― the good and bad. When I think about what motivates me, when I think about the things I want to do, I think about Henderson... Because it's Henderson that taught me to look outside of myself and not close people off, not to turn away from people."

In a nutshell, that's what his career has been all about — connecting with college faculty, meeting them where they are and working together while not imposing upon them his own beliefs, he said.

What drew him to UNC were the centers and institutes on campus. They have a focus on offering resources and education to the community. The Center for Aging and Health might offer resources to nonprofits that work with elderly people, for example.

They make research real, Hawkins summarized.

Prior to his stint at N.C. State, Hawkins served the New York University Silver School of Social Work for 18 years as assistant dean and director of undergraduate education and later associate dean for academic and faculty affairs.

In 2022, he and his wife, Eri, decided it was time for a change, Hawkins recalled. He has family in the Triangle and his mother and sister still live in Henderson.