The new appointees should not have partisan influence

With two members of the UNC system’s Board of Governors resigning to take positions in Gov. Pat McCrory’s cabinet, the legislature must fill those vacancies when it reconvenes in late January. The two openings are in addition to the 16 that will also be appointed later this year.

Members of the General Assembly should appoint to the two vacated positions academic leaders from North Carolina who won’t push a partisan agenda.

After years of the board consisting of Democratic members, the Republican-led legislature appointed a slate of decidedly more conservative members two years ago.

However, the new board members shouldn’t be determined by their party. The health and efficacy of the UNC system is a nonpartisan issue.

Regardless of party affiliation, the General Assembly should appoint citizens who will serve the board in the best interest of the students attending the 17 state institutions and not represent the legislature’s ideological beliefs. New additions should be committed to upholding the system’s long-standing history of academic quality and affordablility.

Many students at UNC, especially the UNC Student Power coalition, have been vocal about the possibility of corporate influence on the board. Partisan and corporate influence should remain out of the boardroom.

The two new members should be committed to improve public higher education in North Carolina and not obligated to represent any special interests.

Moreover, the new members should recognize the importance of a strong liberal arts curriculum to education. The UNC system is more than one big human resources department for North Carolina businesses.

Students across the 17-campus system should have their voices heard regarding the new members. The Board of Governors significantly impacts every student in the UNC system, not just those at this University.

Members serve the board for four-year terms. The lone student serving on the board — the president of the Association of Student Governments — is a nonvoting member.

As tuition continues to rise, the Board of Governors’ role in controlling tuition is becoming ever more important.

Given the absence of a student vote, it’s especially important that members of the board be cognizant of students’ financial needs.

Furthermore, 2013 marks the year the board develops its five-year strategic plan outlining the direction of the system.

The board will vote on the plan in February, so new members will be immediately thrust into the process of implementing the strategy.

The current draft is an ambitious plan and would be difficult to accomplish with political interference. All aspects of the plan affect students throughout the system.

Students should be fairly represented in the process by the new members, as well as the rest of the board.