It’s a good start.

Gov. Pat McCrory unveiled a proposal last week for $3 billion in bonds – $1.5 billion for highways and $1.5 billion for infrastructure, including $500 million for University buildings and $200 million for Community Colleges.  Under the proposal, voters would be asked to decide on the bonds next fall.[1]

The University projects include:

• $70 million for a new Nursing and Health Sciences Building at Appalachian State University;
• $60 million for a science building at UNC Charlotte;
• $115 million a science/STEM facility at Western Carolina University;
• $99 million for a new engineering building at NC A&T State University; and
• $77 million for an engineering building at NC State University.[2]

“Now let’s make it happen,” McCrory told an audience at Appalachian State University Friday after he announced $70 million for the health sciences building in Boone.

“Investment in transportation, infrastructure and education – particularly higher education – must continue in this state,” the governor said.

That’s all good.

The question is whether it’s enough.  That question will be answered in part by legislators in the N.C. General Assembly, who will continue to shape the bond package the governor submitted last week.

In December, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors that was appointed by the legislature approved a capital request that is considerably more ambitious than the governor’s plan:  $993 million in projects at 11 University campuses in STEM fields such as engineering, health sciences, biotechnology and medical education; and $515 million in needed repairs and renovations to buildings across the 17-campus University system.

It’s always exciting to build, name and dedicate shiny new buildings.  It’s considerably less glamorous to replace aged HVAC systems, leaky roofs and outdated dormitories.

But the need for those maintenance and renovation projects – many of them postponed during the Great Recession – is real.  The expenses will only increase if they continue to be postponed.

Of the $515 million in renovation projects, the Board of Governors identified $251 million in targeted projects – including $30 million to replace a decrepit boiler at Western Carolina – that have awaited state funds since the difficult times of the recession.[3]

The governor’s bond proposal includes no money for those repairs and renovations to University buildings.

North Carolina’s last major bond referendum occurred in 2000, when more than 70% of the state’s voters demonstrated their deep support for public higher education by approving $2.5 billion in bonds for University projects and $600 million in bonds for Community College projects to educate a growing state.

That bond issue was the largest for higher education in U.S. history, and it won approval in all 100 of the state’s counties.  Universities and community colleges raised more than $900 million in matching funds to generate $4.1 billion in construction and more than 118,000 jobs over the build-out of the projects.

“The program became the modern ‘Works Progress Administration’ (WPA) program for our times,” concluded an overview of the bond projects.[4]

It’s clear North Carolina voters love their universities and community colleges.  But if we’re going to mount a major capital campaign only every 15 years, we need to be bold, as we were in 2000.

With 10 million people now, North Carolina hasn’t stopped growing – as the governor likes to point out, we’re now the 9^th most-populous state in the country.  Demand for higher education is not waning in North Carolina.

The board that legislators appointed to oversee our state’s public universities has laid out the needs – the question now is whether legislators will listen to their appointees and be as bold as their predecessors.