Shifts in budgets miff UNC officials

The continual decline in state funding to the University has evoked debate about the rising emphasis on and influence of private funding sources.

Even though UNC-system schools have suffered less than universities in many other states, the rising cost of higher education has created widespread budget cuts, Provost Robert Shelton said.

“I think there’s been a gradual trend really for all public universities in the country that the state’s share in their budget has gone down,” he said.

The University now is facing a potential 4 percent budget cut from the state, totaling $16.3 million in campuswide reductions.

Shelton said the decrease in funding is a sign of the times.

“We’re in an era now where people don’t want to pay for the common good,” he said. “Taxpayers are unwilling to raise taxes to pay for the increasing cost of higher education.”

The funding shift means that University officials must balance the budget by seeking more and more funds from other sources.

“That’s where it gets complicated,” Shelton said.

University officials are in the final stretch of the $1.8 billion Carolina First fund-raising campaign and also are considering other avenues to raise funds, such as corporate advertising in athletic facilities.

Conflicting interests between private contributors and UNC’s mission have been a source of recent controversy.

The Progressive Faculty Network, a group of UNC faculty that handles community and social-justice issues, will host a forum from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today in 111 Carroll Hall to take a closer look at those complications.

Steve Wing, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and organizer of the forum, said there is a need for community discussion about such a pressing issue.

“Universities in this country, including UNC, have been undergoing significant financial changes and have become increasingly dependent on outside funding,” he said. “This has the potential to change the character of the university.”

Although much of the controversy concerning the John William Pope Foundation’s recent effort to fund a Western studies program has subsided, debate remains within the University community as to the severity of the threat private donations pose to the curriculum.

In March, 71 UNC faculty members signed an open letter to administrators, urging them to halt negotiations with the foundation and to establish guidelines for donor influence on curriculum matters.

Several UNC officials said Monday that private funding does not threaten the University’s mission or curriculum.

Paul Fulton, a member of the UNC Board of Trustees, called curriculum vulnerability “a very far-fetched concern.”

Fulton said the connection between private donors and the curriculum is not an issue. He cited faculty independence and the University’s ability to turn down grants that are too limited or that go in a negative direction.

Trustee Roger Perry also said he has full confidence in University administrators’ judgment.

“The administration and faculty are not going to allow (private contributors to negatively affect curriculum),” he said. “The spirit of carefree and creative thought has always been a hallmark of Carolina.”

Shelton said an increasing amount of funding comes with strings attached. Administrators, he said, just need to be cautious and avoid conflicts of interest.

“More and more of foundations and private donors are spelling out the uses of their money,” he said.

Administrators have to work with the faculty and those who construct the curriculum to determine whether to accept donors’ terms, he said.

Although private contributions have greater potential to have conflicting interests, the donations are a welcomed resource, Shelton said.

“There’s a chance for misstep,” he said. “It’s more complicated coming from a profit-oriented company than from the government.

“But that doesn’t mean (private funding) is automatically a problem. We just have to be careful.”

Wing said private groups have the potential for tremendous impact on the University.

“Interests of many outside groups have influence on curricula,” Wing said.

“Many people view universities as place where people are able to work without direct financial obligation and influences and, a lot of times, that’s not the case.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.