WHAT IS CITIZENS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION?
Citizens for Higher Education works to build political support for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the state’s other research universities. We aim to help the university:
- Address the challenge of competition for funds;
- Recruit and retain a world-class faculty;
- Attract the best and brightest students; and
- Enhance cutting-edge research that is critical to the state economy.
We are a political-action committee that backs state candidates who share our goals. We also take positions on issues to help the university. Our positions have always been consistent with those of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.
Members pay dues of $2,500 a year to help. We also welcome junior members at reduced rates: $1,000 a year for members age 30 to 39, and $500 a year for those under 30. To become a member, click here or call 919-510-9240. To sign up for e-mail updates, click here.
The News & Observer
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
By Eric Ferreri - Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL -- A public university education in North Carolina just got considerably more expensive. UNC system President Erskine Bowles has signed off on tuition increases for the coming academic year, an attempt to mitigate budget cuts recently imposed by the General Assembly. What it means: Students at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University will pay $750 more in tuition in 2010-11.... At UNC-CH, for example, this year's $4,066 tuition for in-state undergraduates will rise 18 percent.... The state budget approved two weeks ago includes a $70 million cut in the university system's budget, which will be spread among the 16 college campuses and the N.C. School of Science and Math, a residential high school. The budget also allowed campuses to increase tuition by as much as $750 to mitigate the effects of the cuts. UNC-CH and NCSU are the two largest campuses and received the biggest cuts - nearly $20 million each. Click here to read more.
All students will pay an additional $430
The (Wilmington) Star-News
By Andrew Dunn
July 1, 2010 Administrators at the University of North Carolina Wilmington have decided to raise all students' tuition by an additional $430 to cope with budget cuts handed down by the state.... A provision in the budget signed by Gov. Bev Perdue on Wednesday allows all UNC system campuses to increase their tuition by up to $750 more than campuses had approved in the winter. It's meant to blunt the impact of the $70 million cut to the UNC system included in the budget. Click here to read more. Submitted by Site Admin on Fri, 2010-07-02 13:51.
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(July 1, 2010) The $19 billion budget for 2010-11 that N.C. legislators adopted this week makes cuts that hurt, but that offer the UNC system a measure of flexibility. “There’s not enough money down here for anybody to be too proud of,” said Senate Majority Leader Martin Nesbitt. “When you’ve cut $800 million on top of $2 billion plus, which is what we did last time – we’re down to where we’re all having to do things we don’t want to do.” Submitted by Site Admin on Thu, 2010-07-01 15:42.
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The Charlotte Observer
June 30, 2010
By Eric Ferreri Public university students may be looking at a tuition hike this fall as each campus grapples with its share of a $70 million cut to the UNC system's budget. That cut, while far smaller than university officials feared, will still likely force the elimination of jobs. The legislature also gave campuses the option of raising tuition as much as $750 for the 2010-11 academic year, which could stave off some job losses.... A tuition hike is likely at UNC Chapel Hill, which is trying to keep enough class sections open for students, stave off faculty raids and continue to bring in top junior faculty, said Chancellor Holden Thorp. Submitted by Site Admin on Wed, 2010-06-30 14:32.
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The (Wilmington) Star-News
June 29, 2010
By Brian Mull Tuition waivers for out-of-state athletes are on the verge of being rescinded by North Carolina lawmakers this week in the state's annual budget, meaning the UNC-Wilmington athletic department must produce an additional $650,000 to cover the cost of those scholarships for the 2010-11 school year.... "We're all a group striving for athletic excellence," (UNCW athletic director Kelly) Mehrtens said. "This is the hand we've been dealt. We've made great strides in the last couple of years with men's soccer and women's soccer and men's tennis making the NCAA Championships for the first time. We have to make sure something like this doesn't make us take steps backward." Click here to read more.
The News & Observer
June 11, 2010
By Jay Price - Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL -- UNC System President Erskine Bowles told the Board of Governors on Thursday that legislative leaders had assured him that the university system will face budget cuts closer to the $54 million approved by the Senate than the "draconian" $175 million cut passed by the House. "I pray for our students and for the economic future of North Carolina that it's closer to the Senate side," Bowles said in a news conference after the board meeting. Submitted by Site Admin on Fri, 2010-06-11 10:59.
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The News & Observer
June 9, 2010
By Eric Ferreri - Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL -- With UNC-Chapel Hill hamstrung by budget constraints, more professors are leaving for higher pay elsewhere, often taking research projects or established programs with them. The school has lost 53 of 77 faculty members recruited by universities during the last academic year, a retention rate of about 30 percent. Most years, it wins 55 percent to 60 percent of its recruiting battles by boosting pay or adding resources such as a coveted piece of lab equipment. Submitted by Site Admin on Wed, 2010-06-09 19:40.
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May 20, 2010 – The $19 billion budget plan approved this week by the N.C. Senate doesn’t give the University everything it wants. But it definitely softens the cuts Gov. Beverly Perdue recommended in her proposed budget for 2010-11. “It's hard to say that you're happy with a budget that reduces education,” said Sen. Richard Stevens, R-Wake, co-chair of the Senate's education budget subcommittee. “But it's a better budget than it was.” Submitted by Site Admin on Thu, 2010-05-20 16:03.
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The News & Observer
May 13, 2010
By Holden Thorp A new round of significant cuts would have serious implications. At Chapel Hill we would lose full-time faculty in positions supported by state funding. We would have fewer fixed-term faculty and graduate teaching assistants. With fewer faculty and more students, classes would grow in size. And it would take our students longer to graduate.... We understand that resources are limited this year, and the needs of North Carolina are great. In this economy, tough choices have to be made. But now is not the time to retreat dramatically from the competitive advantage that higher education brings to North Carolina. Click here to read more.
The Charlotte Observer
Ruth Shaw, Chair of the UNC-Charlotte Board of Trustees
Op-Ed Page
Thursday, May 13, 2010 In this current academic year, and with proposed university system reductions for next year, the consequences of further reductions are severe. UNC Charlotte has managed by essentially absorbing 2,700 students with no additional faculty or staff; we have not filled more than 150 positions intended to support our growth. All of the funding for these positions has evaporated.... We know UNC Charlotte is a formidable driver for economic growth in our region. Our enrollment will likely top 25,000 this fall, and we are playing a vital part in retooling for new industries and positions to replace those our region has lost. But make no mistake: Our growth and our ability to respond will slow to a halt unless the governor and General Assembly preserve our enviable public university system. Click here to read more.
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