When selecting the new members for the UNC-system Board of Governors, the General Assembly should avoid partisan politics.
Every two years, the N.C. General Assembly must nominate 16 members to the Board of Governors to serve four-year terms.
In early February, legislators voted to create nominating committees to select the new cohort of 16, as well as fill two board spots vacated by members who joined Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration.
The board is the governing body for the UNC system, and those who serve on the board determine the future of the state’s public universities.
It is a given that members appointed to the Board of Governors will have their own respective political affiliation.
However, the people chosen for the board need to be motivated by education, not politics. Education in North Carolina should be a nonpartisan issue.
If chosen for the board, new members must be concerned only with improving state education, not with pushing hidden agendas or special interests. They should be devoted to keeping the system’s 16 universities affordable, accessible and effective.
This may seem like starry-eyed optimism, but directly reminding elected and appointed officials of their ultimate duty to the people is sometimes necessary, especially given recent events.
Late last month, McCrory voiced negative opinions on liberal arts education in the state. The new board members that are appointed should recognize the fact that a liberal arts education is a key component to the success of this university and the state.
