While the N.C. General Assembly has claimed that it tried to avoid partisanship in making appointments to the Board of Governors, the naming of a largely conservative class of new members belies that notion.
Despite this contradiction, the Board of Governors must respect diversity and the overall wellbeing of the UNC system through its actions and policies.
The UNC system, and the state in general, is comprised of many different groups, and it may be unrealistic to expect every single person to be equally represented. However, the Board of Governors must do its best to represent as many groups as possible.
The N.C. General Assembly should have done a better job when selecting board members. The quota system used by the General Assembly until 2001 reserved 12 of the 32 seats for women, racial and political minorities.
Though a quota may not be the right way to enforce diversity on the board, the sentiment is something that the General Assembly must keep in mind. It should make nominations that will allow the Board of Governors to reflect the demographics of the whole UNC system.
Although the appointees aren’t as diverse as they should be, this doesn’t mean that they will prevent the board from making proper decisions.
In order to take full advantage of their position, it is essential that board members keep their focus on promoting higher education over all else. By emphasizing higher education and being its strongest advocates, the board will be able to ensure the future of the system and the state — regardless of politics.
For the Board of Governors to be successful and representative of the whole UNC system, diversity and devotion to education are necessities.
