The Facts: Decreasing the corporate tax, generating more jobs, improving public schools and opening more opportunities up for high school students to go to community colleges are all goals the governor is aiming to achieve in the next two years.
Our Opinion: Education is tremendously important to the State of North Carolina. The topic of education is a sensitive topic, but it is a topic that must be discussed.
Monday saw Gov. Bev Perdue holding the State of the State address. She only mentioned the UNC system in passing. Now is the time for the governor and the General Assembly to think critically about what the UNC system is providing and what it should be providing.
The Governor and the General Assembly need to first recognize what the University is holistically providing the state with in terms of education, research and extension. Without acknowledging the possibility that the University is not effectively and efficiently meeting the state’s goals, the General Assembly and the governor cannot effectively move forward with their plans to compartmentalize high school students’ choices to attend community college or the University.
The role and importance of a bachelor’s or master’s degree to the state and its residents also needs to be considered. While there has been a social push for high school students to move on to universities after graduation, perhaps not everyone needs to pursue this path. There is a difference between a University experience, community college and vocational school, and the state should clarify them so students can pursue the appropriate path for their higher education.
This will help the state provide a stronger education for everyone, no matter if they are going to the University of North Carolina or the community college. By refocusing this demand with the realities of what a University versus a community college education means, the governor and the General Assembly will help prepare students for their future and help them handle the demands of pursuing their respective degrees.
The University of North Carolina, across the system, is helping students become the next generation of workers and researchers. It provides skills to students and will help create more specialized jobs like a trade would, but on a more academic level. Each system has an advantage and something it can better provide, but the effectiveness of its program depends on the student.
It is difficult to mention a frustrating and sensitive topic during the most uplifting speech of the year, but the governor needs to acknowledge that public higher education is going to continue to be a challenge she will have to deal with. She is shifting her efforts towards community colleges, but the University of North Carolina can provide similar services in a different capacity. It is now at the point where the General Assembly and the governor need to work with the UNC system to refocus their recruitment efforts to make sure students are provided with the best opportunity for a higher education.
