Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET Our State's Treasure by MARGARET DICKSON I am a product of North Carolina's outstanding university system and About a decade ago, though, the University of Virginia decided to take thankful to be so. another path, as have several other state universities across the nation. It struck Chances are excellent that you are as well, and if you are not, your spouse, a deal with the Commonwealth of Virginia that gives it more autonomy from children, siblings and friends may well be. That is because with its 17 campuses, state regulations and controls, but in exchange, it receives less state funding. our University of North Carolina system offers undergraduate degrees in liberal The result of that has been higher tuition and more out-of-state students who arts, engineering and design, all sorts of sciences and fields that are emerging are able and willing to pay the higher freight. every day. Our UNC system offers advanced degrees in medicine, law, Observers note that the University of Virginia and others that have loosened architecture, many areas of academia and, very likely, fields so far beyond my ties with their states are beginning to look more like independent institutions. own experience, I have never even heard of them. These are often characterized by higher tuitions coupled with higher financial Such education is not free, of course, but North Carolina's Constitution aid, which translate into higher student debt. mandates that the cost be as low as "practicable." That is not to say, of course, Critics use the word "privatization" for this shift in state higher educational that thousands of students and former students are not dealing with significant institutions and fret that longtime societal goals of broad educational access education debt, and financial but in most cases, affordability that debt is far are being lost lower than it to the growing might have been support for less in other states governmental and certainly regulation and lower than from the reality of most private shrinking public institutions. resources. North Carolina The University has historically of North offered its Carolina system educational is facing the benefits to her same financial own people first, and political and state law pressures puts a cap of 18 other public percent for outinstitutions are of-state students Budgetary restraints are forcing discussions concerning the consolidation of some of the UNC University System's 17 institutions. encountering. at most UNC State funding schools, meaning is decreasing that 82 percent of and tuitions are the desks are reserved for North Carolina's children, yours and mine. rising. The 32-member board of governors that oversees the system continues In other words, North Carolina has always understood the value and to grapple with a large system with more than 200,000 students every year on importance of educating her people. We are, after all, the state which chartered campuses from Elizabeth City to Cullowhee. Our 17 campuses, from the size the first public university in our new nation. That happened right here in of villages to the size of cities, have different missions, different programs and Fayetteville in 1789. That institution, still among the best public universities different student populations, but — for the moment — each remains part of in our country, is the one we now know as the University of North Carolina at the UNC system. Chapel Hill. North Carolinians — taxpayers, students, parents, economic developers But a lot has changed since Hinton James hoofed it from Wilmington to and people who got here as quickly as they could — should recognize that, Chapel Hill to enroll as the university's first student in February 1795. More university-speaking, economics dictate that everything will be on the table from change is inevitable, of course, but we in North Carolina should consider "privatization" to consolidation among our 17 institutions. the experiences of other states that have pulled away from their stateEconomically speaking, Fayetteville State University and the University supported, public roots. Sometimes what looks like a great idea carries with of North Carolina at Pembroke would seem a logical institutional marriage. it a darker side. Historically and culturally, not so much. Other conversations are underway Take our neighbor, Virginia, for example. about other constituent institutions, generally the smaller ones. The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson but still not quite as My hope is that as the financial pressures mount and the discussions old as ours, is a nationally recognized and prestigious institution. For most of continue, we remember that our state grew strong and great on its support of its history, it has been to Virginia pretty much what the UNC system has been public education at all levels, including our UNC system. to North Carolina — a source of great pride and one of the state's greatest I am one of thousands — maybe millions — of thankful assets. It has produced some of Virginia's leading citizens and educated poster children. MARGARET DICKSON, Conthousands of productive and enterprising Virginians. tributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 484-0261 Book Your Banquet & Holiday Parties Early! Family & Business Groups Welcome! Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests 8 OCTOBER 16-22, 2013 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM