2017 has been a year of higher expectations for higher education in North Carolina: With guidance from President Margaret Spellings, the UNC Board of Governors adopted a strategic plan, Higher Expectations, which places an emphasis on building more “on-ramps” for rural, low-income and first-generation students. Education leaders faced other challenges as well – and the Higher Education Works Foundation paid attention. Here are some highlights…

LEADERSHIP

New leaders in North Carolina higher education began to assert themselves – and in some cases they met with resistance.
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AT RISK

Some developments in 2017 were troubling for the future of public higher education in North Carolina. And in some instances, officials moved to correct earlier mistakes.
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EXCELLENT INSTITUTIONS

We continued our “What Makes a Great University” series, examining what makes North Carolina’s public universities great and what it will take to make them greater.
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ACCESS/AFFORDABILITY

Affordable higher education is a constitutional requirement in North Carolina. Some efforts deserved attention for their attempts to make college accessible for all North Carolinians.
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TEACHER PREPARATION

Quality teachers are essential to preparing our next generation of students and leaders; after a 30% decline in enrollment in North Carolina’s public colleges of education, we took a look at ways to attract more students to the profession.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Community colleges are the Swiss Army knives of higher ed – they perform multiple functions. But most of all, they equip students to meet the needs of local employers.
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We wish you the happiest of holiday seasons, and we look forward to continuing to build support for North Carolina’s public colleges and universities in 2018!