On Thursday morning, as she sat in her office in Parkhurst and looked out onto the Green, Folt discussed her future and reflected on her time at Dartmouth.
"It's with real wonder and optimism that I look around this campus," she said. "It is an enduring institution."
Folt, a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara and University of California, Davis, said she was "very taken" when the UNC Board of Governors approached her with the job offer.
"It had always been a dream of mine to return to the public university," she said. "I felt that my life had been changed by the opportunities I had enjoyed from my own public school education."
Folt said the College and UNC are similar in that both have dedicated alumni bases, deep historical roots and strong communities. Despite UNC's student population of over 29,000, she said her appointment will require responsibilities similar to those she holds at Dartmouth.
"So much of the future of the nation depends on the strengths and advantages of both private and public universities," she said.
UNC has been recently marred by a string of scandals and faces three federal complaints by students who say the university mishandled campus sexual assault cases.
Folt cited changes at the university in response to a 2011 "Dear Colleague" letter, which advocated changes to sexual assault procedures and was circulated to colleges nationwide, and the administration's collaboration with the university's Honor Court as positive steps toward combatting sexual assault at UNC.
"At the base level, we all agree that any sexual assault is too many sexual assaults," she said. "I hope to work with various people at UNC to eliminate something that we do not believe in."
Folt is "honored and excited" to lead UNC, the oldest public university in the country. She hopes to maintain its academic excellence and effectively manage its sizable athletics program.
As Folt looks ahead to her future, she said she will always retain a special connection with Dartmouth.
Folt joined Dartmouth's biology department in 1983 and has served in senior administrative roles since 2001, when she assumed the role of dean of graduate studies. She became dean of faculty of arts and sciences in 2004 and was appointed provost in 2009.
"I came to Dartmouth like so many faculty members really excited about teaching students and doing research," she said.
During her tenure as dean of faculty, the number of female and minority faculty members and endowed professors increased, she said.
Her chief accomplishment as provost was collaborating with administrators to close the College's budget gap during the economic crisis.
She is particularly proud of the Year of the Arts and the College's 40th anniversary of coeducation, and said both were "wonderful historic moments that should be viewed together with a strategic look at the future."
Folt said her most memorable experiences are the relationships she has formed, and the "honor" of serving as the College's first female president.
Folt will remain interim president until June 9, and she will begin her UNC chancellorship on July 1.
She has worked with President-elect Philip Hanlon to ensure a seamless changeover.
"We feel quite positive about the transition," she said.
Although Folt would not comment directly on the College's search for its next provost, she speculated that Dartmouth's strength and reputation will attract talented candidates to the position.
Media relations director Justin Anderson said in an email that the search will be launched in the near future.
