ELIZABETH CITY – Randy Ramsey is just settling in as Chair of the UNC Board of Governors. But he deserves credit for wanting to rein in at least one rogue board member for launching personal investigations outside the board’s processes. Ramsey is also co-chair of the committee overseeing the search for yet another UNC System… READ MORE
Plenty of tricks, not many treats
RALEIGH – Perhaps it’s appropriate the 2019 General Assembly adjourned on Halloween, because the inability of the legislature and the governor to come to terms on a budget for the next two years leaves North Carolina with a sense of foreboding. Here’s where we stand: The legislature passed a budget that included average raises of… READ MORE
NC student debt on the rise
Student debt is on the rise, both in North Carolina and across the nation. More than 45 million Americans now owe a collective $1.6 trillion.1 Once upon a time, North Carolina prided itself on low tuition and low student debt among its graduates. But as the chart above illustrates, as tuition has risen, debt among… READ MORE
The stakes are too high
By Emma Singletary BattlePresident/CEO, Higher Ed Works In a recent column titled “North Carolina ranks high in college funding,” John Hood reminds us that the N.C. Constitution requires that the benefits of our public colleges and universities “as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the state free of expense.” Hood acknowledges that between 2008 and 2018,… READ MORE
Mourning with Charlotte
CHARLOTTE – It’s not just another day in America. We join the UNC Charlotte community in mourning the loss of life Tuesday of two students. We hope for the recovery of the four students who were injured and healing of the entire UNC Charlotte community. We join schools across the nation in feeling the loss of… READ MORE
Reward all our teachers
RALEIGH (May 2, 2019) – The 2019-21 state budget the N.C. House is moving to approve this week continues to award healthy raises to K-12 teachers and makes some strategic investments in higher education, especially in the area of capital. But it doesn’t do nearly enough for our public colleges’ and universities’ human capital. House… READ MORE
Statement from former members of UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees
UNC-Chapel Hill is our nation’s oldest public university and among its finest. The UNC System is the state’s most important asset. Strong, accomplished leaders have helped UNC be a catalyst for growth that has made a positive impact in every corner of our state. Today, however, the University faces challenges created by the very people… READ MORE
2018: Questions of leadership and governance
Our top higher-education stories of 2018 fell into several broad categories: LEADERSHIP/GOVERNANCE The year saw large questions of leadership and governance raised but not always answered. In May, the NC Board of Community Colleges named Peter Hans – a former board member with extensive experience in both community colleges and universities – as the new… READ MORE
BOG buys time for a Silent Sam solution
CHAPEL HILL – Given the many factors involved – safety, cost, emotions and the law – the UNC Board of Governors made a reasonable call last week to put off a decision about the Silent Sam Confederate monument at UNC Chapel Hill and work toward the right solution.1 “The goal here is nothing less than… READ MORE
A university with its hands tied
CHAPEL HILL – Hardly anyone seems satisfied with a plan UNC-Chapel Hill officials unveiled Monday to move the Silent Sam Confederate memorial to a new history center the University has contemplated since 2015.1 But Chancellor Carol Folt and the University’s Board of Trustees have largely had their hands tied by a state law that places… READ MORE