RALEIGH – Since the mid-2000s, North Carolina has seen a general decline in expenditures per student in our K-12 public schools, community colleges and public universities. Likewise – despite a modest bump the past few years – the state’s rank in average K-12 teacher salaries has declined since 2000. Figures on average teacher salaries released… READ MORE
Spellings: ‘The commitment is absolutely palpable’
CHAPEL HILL – A year into her job as President of the University of North Carolina System, what strikes Margaret Spellings the most is the fundamental devotion of university faculty and staff to 225,000 students. “The reason I took the job … was it’s truly one of the finest university systems in the country,” Spellings… READ MORE
Return of the Teaching Fellows?
RALEIGH (March 9, 2017) – Legislative and education leaders proposed a partial restoration today of the N.C. Teaching Fellows Program that would offer forgivable loans to college students who agree to become public school teachers in high-demand STEM and special-education fields. The Teaching Fellows program began in 1986 and offered four-year scholarships to promising students… READ MORE
Duke President: “We need … a great public university system”
DURHAM – Duke likes UNC? Yes, Duke University President Richard Brodhead says in the accompanying video. It might not be evident from sports rivalries, but Duke supports and enjoys a collegial relationship with its neighbors from the University of North Carolina System. “We, like everybody else in the state, need and absolutely require a great… READ MORE
Great athletics: “An image of excellence”
DURHAM – Duke University President Richard Brodhead doesn’t want UNC to be bad at basketball. “When people play sports against each other, the idea isn’t that you want to be good and have them be bad,” Brodhead says in the accompanying video. “You want them to be good because only when they’re good can they… READ MORE
UNC plan: Higher education a goal for all students
Anyone who thinks UNC System President Margaret Spellings isn’t serious about higher education access and affordability needs to take a look at the University’s new strategic plan. The plan aims to make our public universities look more like the rest of North Carolina, with a special emphasis on increasing enrollment among students from rural and… READ MORE
A red state that values higher ed
North Carolina might not have a whole lot in common with Wyoming, but it does share one thing: A requirement in its state constitution to keep university tuition as low as possible. 1 And thoroughly Republican Wyoming 2 is struggling to keep that commitment. Wyoming consistently ranks among the top three states in state appropriations… READ MORE
UNC 2050: An educated populace critical to succeed
WILMINGTON – By 2050, rapidly growing Southeastern North Carolina could have 600,000 people – and the state as a whole could have 15 million, Chancellor Jose “Zito” Sartarelli says. As demands for a college degree increase, how will we educate those people? “We are now educating 16,000 students here – I think the expectation is… READ MORE
NCGAP – Still a flawed idea
RALEIGH – Once again, the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy is pushing a flawed idea – a deferred admission plan at state universities that legislators agreed to postpone this year. Seeking to save money, improve graduation rates and reduce student debt, state legislators adopted the NC Guaranteed Admission Plan (NCGAP) in 2015…. READ MORE
Spellings: Expect the extraordinary
North Carolina State University Commencement | December 16, 2016 Margaret Spellings People are capable of extraordinary things when we expect it of them. That has been a guiding belief of my life and my career, and it remains my strong conviction today. When we ask for the best in others, and offer our best in… READ MORE