With a Republican governor and a Republican-controlled General Assembly soon to take the helm of state government, further budget cuts to the UNC system could be on the table.
When the University’s Board of Trustees meets this week, members should keep in mind the board’s purpose — maintaining the affordability and quality of a UNC education — instead of worrying about how to compensate for impending cuts.
Since Republicans took control of the N.C. General Assembly in 2010, significant cuts have been made to public education in an effort to reduce the state’s budgetary burden.
While balancing the budget and growing the economy should be top priorities for any state government, Governor-elect Pat McCrory and the General Assembly must realize that an economy without an educated and skilled workforce is an economy with little room to grow.
The Daily Tar Heel endorsed McCrory for governor, and it stands by that endorsement. He has promised to reform and improve public education in North Carolina, and he will have many eyes on him to see if he carries out his promise.
University leaders — and members of the UNC system’s Board of Governors — should remind North Carolina’s new government leaders that further budget cuts would be detrimental to UNC-CH, the UNC system and the state’s economy as a whole.
The system has long been seen as a model for those of other states. This is due in part to the substantial state funding UNC-system schools have received in the past.
Obviously, money isn’t the only factor in academic quality. However, a university with inadequate funding can rarely achieve its maximum potential.
