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There's this guy at Carolina.

He's into chemistry but also plays in a band.

Digs the Heels -- football, basketball and other sports.

Enjoys road trips.

And writes a blog that's pretty much a must-read.

See, he's not a typical college dude.

Name's Holden, and he's the chancellor.

Holden Thorp took office as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill in July, succeeding James Moeser, and was formally installed in October.

You can read his take on the event on his blog.

"You know something important is happening when you see folks that you mainly only see at weddings and funerals," he wrote.

Thorp is only 44, and he's certainly brought a more youthful attitude to a very big job.

The blog's a good example of that. For those who aren't familiar with Web logs, they're interactive online journals or, as Thorp described his in a phone interview Monday, something "between an op-ed and an e-mail."

It's informational, observational and personal, usually in a breezier style than one would read in a formal statement issued by a university public affairs office -- thank goodness.

Best of all, Thorp can link to other Web sites of interest ...

... like a YouTube video of the chancellor ripping through "Johnny B. Goode" on electric guitar.

Pretty impressive considering he normally handles bass and keyboards for Equinox, a Chapel Hill jazz-blues band that's been playing local clubs for a decade or so.

Don't be fooled. Thorp's greater talent is as a brilliant scientist. Or, as he said when I asked him how cool he is, "I'm a chemist." Although, he added, "I'm definitely cool among chemists."

His credentials are first rate: doctorate from Cal Tech, post-doctoral work at Yale; award-winning professor at Carolina, his alma mater; researcher and author of scores of scholarly articles; biotech entrepreneur; fast-rising administrator, finally landing in his notion of the best gig anywhere.

He came up with the blog initiative right away as a means of communicating with the many constituencies that take a keen interest in the affairs of a large public university, but in a warm and intimate way.

Thorp writes the entries himself, without an editor, but relies on tech support to post them. His approach is conversational and his topics varied.

He launched the blog in late September during a tour of the state, describing visits to Wilmington, Morehead City, Elizabeth City, his hometown of Fayetteville, Charlotte and Asheville.

He wrote about following the football team to Maryland for a game, drawing lessons about hard work and sportsmanship from a Carolina defeat. Still to come is his experience with the men's basketball team in Maui last week.

He's not kidding about a dream job.

While it's fun for the Carolina community, near and far, to get to know the new chancellor through this forum, his entry of Nov. 19 showed its larger potential. Titled, "Carolina North: A Glass Half-Full Perspective," it was picked up by local media for its news value.

"When President Bowles and the trustees hired me, they told me that, more than anything, they valued my analytical skills," he began. "Well, I've spent a good part of my first months in this job studying and analyzing our plans for Carolina North."

What followed was an outline of Thorp's thinking on a hotly disputed question: how to replace the Horace Williams Airport, currently located on prime property planned for development as the university's new north campus.

Thorp's conclusion, that the university should support possible creation of a new airport in Orange County, was widely reported and prompted strong push-back by opponents of the idea.

In the past, Thorp noted Monday, critics have accused the university of being too secretive on the subject of the airport. His candid blog entry put his position out in the open. Not only that, but the blog invited the critics to post their own opinions -- to which Thorp responded.

In that way, anyone can engage in a spirited give-and-take on a major policy issue with the chancellor. Thorp promises more of that.

He also intends to settle into a rhythm of adding one or two entries a week.

It will be well worth reading. A guy who's running the state's top idea factory and writing a blog about it has got some cool chemistry going.