2016 has been eventful for North Carolina’s public universities and community colleges – and for the Higher Education Works family of organizations. Here are some of the highlights… New leaders Margaret Spellings took office in March as the new President of the University of North Carolina System and Dr. James “Jimmie” C. Williamson became the… 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
Congratulations… Now let’s get to work.
RALEIGH (November 10, 2016) – The Higher Education Works Foundation extends its congratulations to the winners in Tuesday’s election. Now it’s time to get to work. As they prepare to take office, we hope our newly elected officials will keep in mind the goals we share with the new leaders of our University and Community… READ MORE
“Every child must… reach beyond high school”
RALEIGH (October 13, 2016) – The Pope Center for Higher Education Policy distributed a column last week that simply can’t go unanswered. In it, the writer challenges the economic benefits of greater enrollment in North Carolina’s public universities. He questions the goals of the universities’ 2013 strategic plan, “Our Time, Our Future,” to raise the… READ MORE
REVIEW: Disruption in the classroom
Starving the Beast — Playing at the Rialto Theatre in Raleigh through Thursday, Oct. 6. By Eric Johnson Contributing Editor Many of the scenes in Starving the Beast will be familiar to North Carolinians. There’s footage of former University of North Carolina President Tom Ross, seated awkwardly next to the Board of Governors chairman who just… READ MORE
Dueling visions of academic freedom
By Eric Johnson Contributing Editor CHAPEL HILL (Sept. 26, 2016) – Dueling visions of academic freedom took stage at UNC Chapel Hill last week as Jay Schalin of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy faced off against John Wilson of the American Association of University Professors. Schalin, a longtime critic of liberal bias in… READ MORE
Not just getting in, but getting out – with a degree
North Carolinians have long insisted that access and affordability are essential to higher education in our state. That’s true, but increasingly, completion is just as important – not just getting into a university, but getting out with a degree. In their new book Lesson Plan, former college presidents William Bowen (Princeton) and Michael McPherson (Macalester)… READ MORE
REVIEW: Real reform will take real investment
Matching Students to Opportunity: Expanding College Choice, Access, & Quality Edited by Andrew P. Kelly, Jessica S. Howell, and Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj Harvard Education Press, 2016. By Eric Johnson Contributing Editor Our country leaves a lot of talent on the table. That’s the overwhelming message of Matching Students to Opportunity, a wonky tome of higher education… READ MORE
Farewell to a great friend
RICHMOND – Higher education lost a great friend July 11 with the death of William Johnston “Billy” Armfield IV, after a brief illness. Armfield, 81, was a 1956 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1962. In 1970, he co-founded… READ MORE
Government by auto-pilot
North Carolina’s Senate is considering a drastic step to restrict state revenue: A proposed constitutional amendment would cap the state income-tax rate at 5.5%, sharply limiting the state’s ability to support services in a downturn or natural disaster. Higher education would likely bear the brunt of that policy. Much of state spending is mandated by… READ MORE