Pre-K Make no mistake, quality pre-kindergarten matters to higher education – it has implications for third-grade reading proficiency, eighth-grade math1 and placing students on a trajectory that leads to a degree and a well-paying job. After launching its NC Pre-K program in 2001, North Carolina grew enrollment to 22% of its 4-year-olds over the next… READ MORE
Community Colleges: ‘Partners of the business community’
RALEIGH – There’s no question community colleges are integral to economic development – both new and expanding businesses – in North Carolina. “Our work in economic development spans the spectrum,” NC Community College System President Peter Hans says in the accompanying video. “From the BioNetwork supporting life-science companies; to the Apprenticeship program, which is growing;… READ MORE
Community colleges’ multi-faceted mission
“Community colleges do so many things – it’s a multi-faceted mission,” NC Community College System President Peter Hans says in the accompanying video. “When people learn the entire list, they’re often astounded.” Hans recounts the many functions community colleges perform, including: • The two-year associate degree that prepares a student to transfer to a four-year… READ MORE
More credentials for a more diverse population
DURHAM (Aug. 16, 2018) – North Carolina used to have people without jobs. Now it has jobs without people, and leaders from business and academia laid out the challenges of filling those jobs yesterday at the NC Chamber’s annual Conference on Education. “Employers are ready to grow,” David Fountain, NC President of Duke Energy, told… READ MORE
Former BOG members on good governance
Good governance can take many shapes and forms, depending on the organization and circumstance, and is not always easy to see or detect. Bad governance is different – like many things, you know it when you see it. And what we saw at a recent meeting of the UNC Board of Governors was clearly bad… READ MORE
Addressing rural disparities at ECU
GREENVILLE – It’s no secret that rural North Carolina lags the state’s urban areas in education, health and economic development. But East Carolina University Chancellor Cecil Staton aims to do something about it. In what he calls the signature initiative of his chancellorship so far, Staton has created an interdisciplinary Rural Prosperity Initiative to combine… READ MORE
C.D. Spangler Jr. – ‘A giant of our state’
CHAPEL HILL – Dick Spangler understood the role our public universities play in North Carolina – and why it’s essential that all North Carolinians have access to them. Clemmie Dixon Spangler Jr., a billionaire businessman from Charlotte who served as president of the University of North Carolina System from 1986 to 1997, died Sunday at… READ MORE
Hans: Starting at community college “a very smart decision”
RALEIGH – As tuition has risen at four-year institutions in recent years, starting at a community college has become an increasingly popular – and affordable – way to launch an academic career.1 “To start your pursuit of a four-year degree at a community college is a very smart decision for a lot of people,” Peter… READ MORE
Harry Smith: No shortage of UNC strategic priorities
CHAPEL HILL – The new Chair of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors sees no shortage of priorities to improve the UNC System. “The biggest focus will be moving the UNC System forward where we’re behind in multiple different areas,” Harry Smith, who became chair of the board July 1, says in the… READ MORE
Harry Smith: The No. 1 online platform
CHAPEL HILL – The new Chair of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors pictures big things from the UNC System online, not unlike the massive offerings of Arizona State and Liberty Universities. “I’m very pro-developing a robust System online platform. Right now we compete (with each other), and we’ve never harnessed the power… READ MORE