DURHAM – A century ago, part of downtown Durham was known as “the Black Wall Street” because of the economic energy generated by companies like North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co. and Mechanics and Farmers Bank. In 1890, black-owned property in Durham County was valued at $8,696. By 1920, that figure had exploded to $4.3… READ MORE
SPELLINGS: “Affordability, accessibility, accountability and quality”
GREENSBORO – At a retreat last week of the Board of Governors that oversees the University of North Carolina system, President-Elect Margaret Spellings laid out her vision for the university when she takes office March 1. “We can work together to achieve an ambitious goal: to make North Carolina the nation’s leader in affordability, accessibility,… READ MORE
BCG: “Biggest asset… has lost some direction and luster”
At the request of University of North Carolina President-Elect Margaret Spellings, the university system hired The Boston Consulting Group to conduct an organizational assessment. After interviews with 140 stakeholders across the system, the consultants released a draft report at the UNC Board of Governors’ retreat last week in which they highlighted themes that emerged from… READ MORE
Fayetteville State Science Building: “We have a choice.”
FAYETTEVILLE – The Lyons Science Complex at Fayetteville State University was built in 1981, the same year IBM introduced its first personal computer. That PC weighed 28 lbs — without the monitor and keyboard — and featured a cassette player as an optional attachment. 1 A lot has changed since 1981, but Fayetteville State’s main… READ MORE
A Call to Lead: Public Service is a Noble Cause
Margaret Spellings, who will assume office March 1 as President of the University of North Carolina System, wrote the following essay for The Catalyst: A Journal of Ideas from the Bush Institute. It is republished here with permission from the George W. Bush Institute. President Bush often reminds us that to whom much is given… READ MORE
NCSU labs to be “transformational” for students, farms, economy
RALEIGH – With global population swelling and farm acreage shrinking, agriculture faces enormous challenges to feed and clothe the human race in coming decades. Increasingly, the answers to those challenges will be found in laboratories. And NC State University aims to revolutionize modern agriculture for both North Carolina and the world with its Plant Sciences… READ MORE
WSSU poised to increase pipeline of minority scientists
WINSTON-SALEM – African-Americans account for 12% of the U.S. population, yet only 5% of the people who work in science and engineering.1 Winston-Salem State University intends to do something about that with one of the projects in the Connect NC bond referendum that North Carolina voters will decide on March 15. WSSU intends to produce… READ MORE
VIDEO: More people need more doctors
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina is now the nation’s 9th-most populous state – and more people need more doctors. One-third of the state’s physicians are expected to retire in the next four years, and the state is projected to need 1,885 more physicians by 2030. The Connect NC bond package that voters will decide on… READ MORE
BONDS: North Carolina’s good at this!
Fifteen years have passed since North Carolinians overwhelmingly approved $3.1 billion in higher-education bonds in 2000. With support from 70 percent of voters and a majority in all 100 North Carolina counties, the 2000 vote reaffirmed North Carolina’s historical commitment to public higher education. The success of that effort – at the time, the largest… READ MORE
Faculty Assembly panel: Higher Ed remains vital in NC
CHAPEL HILL (January 15, 2016) – At a statewide gathering of university faculty, Higher Education Works Executive Director David Rice said the public too often misses the link between reductions in state funds and rising tuition at North Carolina’s public universities. North Carolina’s shift away from public support has had a direct impact on tuition… READ MORE