Students for Students

Welcome back from spring break, Brunonians.  After a week at home reading the North Carolina papers, I came up with an NC issue to write about this week.  Also, I wanted to use whatever audience BPR has to bring some attention outside NC to a controversy at home.

Folks around the country now know Erskine Bowles as a title member of the Bowles-Simpson budget commission.  However, before that (but after being a member of the Clinton Administration and a less-than-successful  Senate candidate) he was President of the University of North Carolina system. When he was UNC system President he made this unfortunate statement as a warning to the legislature “If you have 20 percent budget cuts, you’ll have to think about closing down campuses,” he said. “If we keep having cuts, cuts, cuts, we’ll have to look at eliminating schools — campuses. If it went on for several years, that would be the smart decision. The unfortunate, smart decision.” This was meant as a warning, not a policy proposal.

Now, however, the Tea Party members of the NC Legislature are trying to piggyback off this quote and Mr. Bowles’ national limelight and actually close a campus.  They have floated the idea of “consolidating programs” and claim “there should be no sacred cows.”  Currently, since there are Republicans in the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s Mansion, if such a deal were reached, it could become law.

Governor McCrory released his budget last week, which did not include cutting a campus.  So it probably will not happen this year.  However, the idea that serious people and elected officials have the confidence to discuss closing any of the 17 UNC system campuses inspires serious worry.

The UNC system has long been the pride of the Tarheel State.  Ever since Hinton James arrived in Chapel Hill on foot after walking from Wilmington to be the first student of a public university in America, North Carolina has led the way in public universities.  Currently, the growing areas of North Carolina grow because of the UNC system.  NC State University and UNC Chapel Hill make two corners of the Research Triangle (Duke University, a private institution, is the third corner).  The Research Triangle constantly spins off startups and jobs that make North Carolina vibrant, pulling the Old North State into the innovation economy.  Many of you will recognize one of the most successful RTP companies: SAS Statistical Analysis.

Colleges also anchor many town’s sense of place:  Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Asheville, Boone, and Elizabeth City are college towns.  The economies of the cities revolve around colleges.  Professors and educators make up much of the middle class.  University students make up much of the population and much of the spending that keeps the economy going.  Imagine the economy of Providence if Brown or RISD were to close their doors (Lord forbid it!).  The universities create much of the culture in the state, and across the country.  Look at the list of Alumni of NC School of the Arts if you need more proof.

NC School of the Arts represents something important about the UNC system: a diversity of campuses.  The UNC system’s 17 campuses serve different student populations and different styles of learning.  If a school were to be axed, it would probably be a small liberal arts college, like UNC-Asheville or Elizabeth City State.  Small liberal arts schools serve an important educational purpose just as big state schools like UNC or NC State.  The 17 campuses compliment each other and give NC residents the benefit of choice in higher education.

To kill a UNC system school would be foolish.  UNC System President Tim Ross says it would not even save very much money, because students would just shift from one campus to another.

Closing a UNC system school would have three quick effects.  First, it would kill a North Carolina town.  Second, it would scare businesses and investors away from North Carolina.  People come to North Carolina because NC values education. Businesses already said they have a harder time recruiting to NC since Amendment One (a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality) passed.   North Carolina must let people across the country know that we only elect serious people willing to conduct the people’s business.  This is not the kind of proposal serious people make.