By Jonathan Drew and
Emery P. Dalesio
The Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Former U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings was selected as the next president of North Carolina’s public university system on Friday, with its governing board opting for the nonacademic with Republican political credentials.
Spellings, a protege of former President George W. Bush, was selected by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, which oversees 17 campuses enrolling more than 220,000 students.