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
Gallup Poll finds North Carolinians value education
RALEIGH (Nov. 28, 2018) – North Carolinians think increased educational opportunity will help them and their state advance – yet they have substantial concerns about cost and access. Those are among the findings of a Gallup survey for the myFutureNC Commission, a group of leaders from education, business, nonprofits and the faith and policy communities…. READ MORE
Teachers come first
RALEIGH – Gov. Roy Cooper’s recommended budget for 2018-19 heads in the right direction by prioritizing education over tax cuts and offering an average raise of 8% to North Carolina teachers, whose pay ranked 37th in the country in a recent survey.1 The two-year budget state legislators adopted last year included average raises for K-12… READ MORE
Strong support for raising NC teacher pay
HIGH POINT – A poll released last week revealed overwhelming support among Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated North Carolinians for raising public school teacher pay to the national average. So if it’s a political slam dunk, why don’t legislators do it? The High Point University Poll found that 85 percent of North Carolinians agree that public… READ MORE
Another jolt to the system
RALEIGH (Aug. 2, 2017) – The sudden departure of NC Community College System President Jimmie Williamson1 is yet another jolt to North Carolina higher education systems that have seen their share of leadership changes in recent years. As we said in a recent post,2 community colleges are the Swiss Army knives of higher ed: They… READ MORE
Just how unusual is the UNC Civil Rights Center?
CHAPEL HILL (July 26, 2017) – With a UNC Board of Governors committee poised to act next week on a proposal to forbid the UNC Center for Civil Rights to file lawsuits,1 just how unusual is it for a law school to have a civil rights center that engages in litigation? Critics of the center… READ MORE
NC budget: Positive short-term, threatening long-term
RALEIGH (June 22, 2017) – At first glance, the budget compromise unveiled this week by legislative leaders seems encouraging. It would grant K-12 public school teachers an average raise of 3.3% this year and 9.6% over two years. It would give significant raises to K-12 principals, a priority of the group BEST NC. It would… READ MORE