Today, the Board of Governors will take a major vote on the future of financial aid in the UNC system.
The ever-evolving financial aid discussion has shifted from a plan to limit the percentage of the tuition increases that our University invests in need-based financial aid to a proposal that allows each institution flexibility in how they provide financial aid.
The issue on the table now is whether or not to remove the requirement that universities grant a minimum of 25 percent of tuition revenues to financial aid.
No matter what happens today, UNC will maintain its financial aid commitment. It may seem as if we dodged a bullet with the removal of the cap proposal, but I hope we do not become complacent about the issues surrounding tuition and financial aid.
So many students have been active in this debate during the past year, and their efforts have made a real impact.
It is important we remain engaged because these issues won’t disappear after today’s meeting. Our state’s tight budget ensures this conversation will recur in future years.
My team and I will be in attendance at the Board of Governors meeting today to demonstrate our support for UNC-system President Thomas Ross’ current proposal for University autonomy, and to show our commitment to keeping this institution proudly public.
Universities need to have flexibility to adapt to a changing economic climate.
Ideally, state appropriations would be increased to levels seen in previous years, making such a high percentage of tuition increases towards financial aid unnecessary. Regardless of the money source, we will always remain committed to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need.
