Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and Sen. Dan Bishop (R-Mecklenburg) recently hosted an education roundtable at UNC Charlotte with local members of the education community and industry partners.
The discussion centered on ensuring that North Carolina students are prepared to enter college or the workforce when they graduate high school. Participants included teachers and administrators from area schools and colleges and members of the local business community.
“Having a well-trained workforce is vital to the economic future of North Carolina,” said Berger. “I enjoyed having the opportunity to speak with members of the community and hear some of their ideas about how to achieve that goal in today's rapidly changing society.”
Bishop added, “This was a very important discussion for us to have. Education is key to ensuring that businesses all across North Carolina continue to have a high-quality talent pool to hire from."
As part of Berger’s visit to campus, he had an in-depth discussion on teacher preparation with Provost Joan Lorden and faculty members from the Cato College of Education.
He also toured the Burson Building with Chancellor Dubois and Bernadette Donovan-Merkert, chair of the Chemistry Department. Burson and Cameron building renovations top the list of 2019 legislative priorities. Renovations are needed to increase lab and classroom space for fast-growing fields including STEM, computing and informatics, engineering and other physical sciences.