UNC-system President Thomas Ross spoke candidly Monday about his concern for the state’s future if out-of-state students are deterred from attending system universities.
Ross spoke to about a dozen journalists at a roundtable event sponsored by the UNC-CH Program on Public Life.
He touched on a variety of topics, such as UNC-CH’s Chancellor-elect Carol Folt and the impact of budget cuts on the university system.
Ross said Folt will lead a University that still holds a prestigious reputation, despite a series of athletic and academic scandals.
Another major talking point was the proposed additional tuition increase for out-of-state students.
Last month, Gov. Pat McCrory released his budget proposal, which includes a 12.3 percent tuition hike for out-of-state students at the six most in-demand system campuses, including UNC-CH.
“We are asking (out-of-state students) to subsidize our in-state students, and I think we are running the risk of turning them away,” Ross said.
Ross said there would be significant consequences to the state if out-of-state students were deterred from attending system schools.
“We’re more than just producing degrees, there’s so many ways we touch the state every day,” he said.