Mixed results as legislature concludes short session
The North Carolina General Assembly is wrapping up its short session and is expected to adjourn around June 30. The legislators’ primary work has been adjusting the 2018-19 budget. While the budget includes the enrollment funding for UNC System campuses appropriated in the two-year budget approved last year, it also contains an $800,000 recurring cut to UNC Charlotte’s budget.
In a bold move, the legislature raised the pay for all full-time state employees to a minimum of $31,200 annually/$15 per hour. Separately, the legislature appropriated $20 million for salary increases for UNC System employees, an amount that is insufficient to support the 2 percent raise provided to other state employees. The UNC Board of Governors will determine the allocation of these funds and provide guidance on how raises will be implemented.
UNC Charlotte alumnus Rep. Dean Arp (’99, MS, Civil Engineering) successfully pushed the appropriation for $32 million for repairs and renovations for the UNC System. UNC Charlotte’s backlog of repairs and renovations total more than $100 million, so University officials anxiously await the Board of Governors’ allocation to the campuses.
We appreciate Rep. Bill Brawley (’78, BS, Accounting) for once again sponsoring the UNC Capital Projects bill that unanimously passed both the House and Senate. The bill authorizes the University’s debt for the new Moore and Sanford residence halls; thanks go to Rep. Jason Saine (’95, BA, Political Science) for co-sponsoring the bill.
We were unsuccessful in garnering funding for the building to house the two highly successful early colleges that address high demand for STEM graduates and teachers. We will work with industry supporters and education partners to build legislative support in the 2019 legislative session for the $10 million state appropriation to match $10 million private funding.
Governor’s Education Cabinet learns about Charlotte Teacher Early College
Ellen McIntyre, dean of the Cato College of Education, recently spoke to the Governor’s Education Cabinet about UNC Charlotte’s partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to create the Charlotte Teacher Early College, (CTEC) an initiative to improve the teacher pipeline within our region.
CTEC, a five-year program for Charlotte-Mecklenburg students interested in education careers, is the first of its kind within the state and one of only a handful in the nation. The program aims to increase the teacher pipeline by immersing students in intentional field-based learning activities.
The coursework within CTEC develops the knowledge and skills required for success in today’s diverse urban classrooms, and students will graduate with a high school diploma, a Certificate of Advanced Standing in Education and a minimum of 60 hours in course credits transferable to any public institution in North Carolina. (pictured: Ellen McIntyre)
Chancellor meets with new president of the N.C. Community College System
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois recently met with Peter Hans, the newly named President of the N.C. Community College System. The two educators discussed UNC Charlotte’s leadership in admitting more community college students to the University than any other college or university within the state.
Hans brings decades of leadership experience in higher education policy and governance to his new position, which leads the state’s 58-campus community college system. Since 2016, he has been advising UNC System President Margaret Spellings on issues such as technology, health care, strategic planning and K-12 education. Hans was first elected to the UNC Board of Governors in 2003 and led the board as chair from 2012-2014. He was elected to the State Board of Community Colleges in 1997, and he served as vice chair and chair of the Policy Committee.
Hans’ career also includes serving as an advisor to U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth, then-U.S. Rep. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole. Later, Hans and former Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker built a government relations practice at a series of regional law firms to counsel private-sector companies on public affairs issues. (pictured: Chancellor Dubois and Peter Hans)
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (’96) presents Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band with U.S. Flag
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (’96), N.C. 8th Congressional District, joined the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band in planting American flags in front of the Johnson Band Center on May 31, before 137 band members left for Normandy, France, to represent the United States at commemoration events marking the D-Day invasion. Hudson presented Shawn Smith, director of bands, with a U.S. flag flown recently over the U.S. Capitol Building to take to the D-Day commemoration — and bring back to fly on campus.
“This flag affirms the historic significance of the University’s origins as well as the fact that every time I return to campus, there is something new and exciting to see,” said Hudson. (pictured: Shawn Smith, Rep. Richard Hudson and Chancellor Dubois)