governance system of public college and universities of north carolina

RUNNING head: NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNANCE ANALYSIS

Governance System of Public Colleges and Universities of North Carolina:A Narrative Analysis

Jessica L. GoreEDLD 8433

Summer 2014Georgia Southern University

NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNANCE ANALYSIS 2

Introduction

As one of the original thirteen colonies, North Carolina has quite an established history,

especially that of providing it’s citizens with the opportunity to attend institutions of higher

learning. The following is an analysis of higher education governance and how associated

concepts and theories are related to the structure of the seventy-four public institutions of higher

education in North Carolina. Furthermore, the historical, geographic, economic, social/political

and environmental characteristics that affect the state and the governance of its public

institutions of higher education will be examined.

When the Constitution of the United States was composed, education was one area in

which the federal government was not allocated authority; this was left to the states and those

people who reside in them. McLendon & Hearn note that public institutions of higher education

in the United States are viewed by their international peers as decentralized, in addition to having

much more autonomy and independence from its national government (Fowles, 2010).

However, by allocating authority to the states, structures of higher education governance have

developed quite differently, yet effectively, as Fowles (2010), observes that “the diversity in state

higher education governance arrangements across states, have simply assumed that this variation

implies that each state has strategically adopted a governance structure which complements its

unique environment” (p. 2). Nonetheless, despite the structure of the higher education system of

a state, “governance should be understood as a process of setting long term goals and

establishing strategies for reaching these goals” (Vukasovia, 2005, p. 2).

As one of the strongest and most successful systems of public higher education in the

nation, the University of North Carolina (UNC) was founded on the “ideal of shared knowledge

in a free society,” and continues to strives “to discover, create, transmit, and apply knowledge to

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address the needs of individuals and society” ((University System of North Carolina [UNC],

2014). With UNC as it’s model, the state further developed its accountability to education by

creating a public community college system. Today, both of these systems are governed by the

General Assembly of North Carolina to ensure that the basic principles of good governance,

transparency, accountability, legitimacy and implementation of decisions are shared by all

stakeholders involved (Vukasovia, 2005).

History

The concept of a consolidated statewide university system was first establish in the state

of Georgia in 1931, with North Carolina following close behind (Sander, 2002). Later that same

year, through a legislative consolidation, North Carolina brought together three of its principal

public institutions, the UNC (Chapel Hill), North Carolina State College of Agriculture and

Engineering (Raleigh), and the North Carolina College for Women (Greensboro), to become one

multi-campus know as the ‘UNC.’ In the 1960s, the multi-campus system grew by three more

public institutions, including those at Charlotte, Asheville and Wilmington. During this time, the

state also maintained ten other public institutions as well as a large system of public, two-year

community colleges.

In 1971, Governor Robert W. Scott and the state legislature decided to ‘restructure’ all of

the public institutions of higher education in the state in order “to achieve better returns on the

state’s investment in higher education through central planning and coordination, program

authorization and allocation, resource distribution, and advocacy in the interest of meeting the

state’s higher education needs” (Sanders, 2002, p. 46). As a result, UNC was reestablished to

encompass all sixteen public baccalaureate institutions into a single coordinated higher education

system to “improve the quality of higher education, to extend its benefits to all citizens, and to

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encourage an economical use of state resources” (Education Commission of the States, 2014).

A few years later, in 1979, the State Board of Community Colleges was established by

legislative action of the General Assembly. The need for community colleges began soon after

World War II when the state’s economy shifted from that of agricultural to more industrial, thus

resulting in the need for educational options for students pursuing more than a high school

diploma but not desiring to earn a four-year baccalaureate degree (NC Community Colleges

[NCCC]). In 1957, The General Assembly provided funding in order to establish Industrial

Education Centers to train students in skills required by various industries in the state. From its

inception, the NC Community College System has experienced exponential growth, exceeding

ten percent annually in the 1970s, and still continues to grow in enrollments each year, but at

much more modest margins (NCCC).

Structure of the Systems

Established by the General Assembly, the UNC System consists of a thirty-two member

Board of Governors, sixteen of who are elected by the General Assembly every two years. In

addition to governing the sixteen senior public institutions, the Board of Governors is

“responsible for program approval; preparation of a single, unified budget request for all sixteen

public senior institutions; setting enrollment levels and other matters not delegated to

institutional boards of trustees (Wellman, 2002). The system president serves as the chief

administrative and executive officer to UNC and is elected and therefore subject to the direction

of the Board of Governors. A campus chancellor who is chosen by the Board of Governors,

based on a nomination by the system president oversees each of the UNC institutions. In

addition, a thirteen member Board of Trustees is elected to serve the individual institutions: eight

members elected by the Board of Governors, four appointed by the governor, and the president

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of the student body, who serves as an ex officio member (UNC, 2014).

The North Carolina Community Colleges System mimics the UNC System very closely,

which offers proof of a successful coordinating governance system. The system is comprised of

a State Board of Community Colleges, which consists of twenty voting members: ten appointed

by the governor, eight elected by the legislature, and the lieutenant governor and state treasurer,

both who serve as ex-officio members. The Board has governing authority over fifty-eight

comprehensive public two-year institutions an one technology center and “establishes policies,

regulations and standards for the administrative offices and the institutions that comprise the

North Carolina Community College System (Wellman, 2002).

The Future

Over the next ten years (between 2014 and 2024) North Carolina can expect to see

growth not only in its overall population, but also in its number of high school graduates; it will

increase by 12.2 percent from 90,852 high school graduates to 101,900 (Noel-Levitz, 2014, p.

10). However, despite this increase in high school graduates, our nation is experiencing a rise in

the average age of college students as people return to college in order “to acquire new

knowledge, advance their careers, or move in new career directions” (Noel-Levitz, 2014, p. 4).

In response to this increase in the age of students as well as overall college enrollments, the state

has taken action in many forms, including initiatives that help strengthen the community college-

baccalaureate transfer function and providing modern methods to education.

The state legislature enacted a comprehensive statewide articulation policy in 1995,

which had been developed by the Board of Governors of the UNC and the State Board of the

Community Colleges (Wellman, 2002). This articulation policy established a general education

transfer core curriculum that is applicable to all associate degree programs in the state. By doing

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so, the state is able to monitor and control the quality of academic completion for college-level

work as well as allow for a smooth transition for transfer students from a two-year to a four-year

state institution. It is through this policy that North Carolina hopes to increase the percentage of

its residents who attend college thus strengthening the workforce and economy of the state.

As North Carolina’s institutions of higher education experience increases in enrollment

numbers, so have students experienced increases in tuition and the overall cost of attending

college. One popular method of assisting students with the cost of tuition is through the

revenues of state lotteries, however North Carolina currently allocates only 15.3 percent of its

lottery funds specifically for higher education; all of which are designated as ‘need-based’

(North Carolina Education Lottery, 2013). However, according to the State Budget and

Management (2014), five million dollars of lottery receipts will be appropriated to establish NC

SERV, a financial aid program for military veterans attending UNC institutions.

Another popular method to combat tuition cost as well as reach a diverse student

population is that of offering online educational opportunities. In 2012, an estimated 6.7 million

students were taking at least one online course (“Is College Worth It”, 2014). Currently, UNC

offers more than 300 online programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as

certificate programs and MOOC’s (UNC, 2014). Furthermore, UNC is looking not just to

educate its citizens, but to convert their discoveries into innovation; state funding is being

recommended to assist campuses with moving promising ideas, research and technologies from

the laboratory to the marketplace (Office of State Budget and Management, 2014).

By embracing the ever-changing market of higher education, the state of North Carolina

has embraced the ideas and concepts of an effective and efficient coordinating governance

structure. In doing so, the state has set itself as a model for other states to follow.

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References

Brown, B.E., & Clark, R. L., (2005, May). North Carolina’s commitment to higher access and

affordability. Presented at Cornell University 2005: Assessing Public Education at the

Start of the 21st Century.

Education Commission of the States. (2014). State Profiles - Postsecondary Governance

Structures Database: North Carolina. Retrieved from

http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/MBProfSN?

SID=a0i700000009vZI&Rep=PSST&state=North%20Carolina

Fowles, J. (2010). Public higher education governance: An empirical examination (Doctoral

dissertation). Available from the Graduate School at UKnowledge. Paper 100.

(http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/100)

Is college worth it? Higher education. (2014). The Economist, (8881). 23.

Noel-Levitz. (2014). 2014-24 projections of high school graduates by state and race/ethnicity,

based on data from WICHE. Coralville, IA: Noel-Levitz.

North Carolina Education Lottery (2013). Where the money goes. Retrieved from

http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/beneficiary.aspx

Office of State Budget and Management. (2014, May). The Governor of North Carolina’s

recommended budget adjustments 2014-2015. Raleigh: NC. Office of the Governor.

Retrieved from http://osbm.nc.gov/thebudget.

Palmiero, P. (2005, June). Governance in the public interest: A case study of the University of

North Carolina System. American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535767.pdf

Sanders, J. L. (2002). An essay on successful multicampus governance: the North Carolina

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model. School Law Bulletin, (2).

Sanders, J. L., (1993, Fall). The University of North Carolina: The legislative evolution of

public higher education. Popular Government, 59(2), 20-29.

Waller, C., Coble, R., Scharer, J., & Giamportone, S. (2000). Governance and coordination of

public higher education in all 50 states. Zebulon, NC: North Carolina Center for Public

Policy Research, Inc. Retrieved from

http://www.nccppr.org/drupal/content/researchreport/121/governance-and-coordination-

of-public-higher-education-in-all-50-states

Wellman, J. V. (2002, August). State policy and community college- baccalaureate transfer.

San Jose, CA: The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Retrieved

from http://www.highereducation.org/reports/transfer/transfer.pdf

North Carolina Community Colleges is a site that presents the full text on many of the functions,

concepts and structure of the four-year public system of higher education

(http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu)

North Carolina Education Lottery (2013). Where the Money Goes. Retrieved from

http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/beneficiary.aspx

University of North Carolina is a site that presents the full text on many of the functions,

concepts and structure of the four-year public system of higher education

(http://www.northcarolina.edu).

Vukasovic, M. (2005). General Report from Higher Education Governance Council of Europe

Higher Education Forum. Retrieved from:

http://www.ehea.info/Uploads/Strasbourg_final_report.pdf

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Grading Rubric

State Higher Education Governance Chart

Part III

Name: Jessica GoreUnsatisfactory

1Satisfactory

2Target

3Score

Esse

nti

als

Essentials of Assignment not met.

Essentials of Assignment met. Essential of Assignment exceeded. Included more articles than required. 3

Unsatisfactory1

Satisfactory3

Target5

Score

Cita

tion

s &

St

ruct

ure

APA Style Formatting of citations not followed or there are more errors in APA Style formatting than not. Numerous errors in grammar and spelling.

APA Style Formatting followed for all citations but include a number of form breaks. A few errors in grammar or spelling.

APA Style Formatting followed accurately for all citations with no form breaks. Minor errors in grammar and spelling. 4

Unsatisfactory1

Satisfactory4

Target7

Score

An

alys

is

Narrative is weak and lacks any depth of analysis regarding issues and theories of governance related to the structure of the selected state.

Narrative is adequate. Analysis is a little more detailed and general links to issues and theories of governance are made.

Narrative is strong. Analysis contains a thorough link to issues and theories of governance as it relates to the governance structure of the selected state.

6.5

Unsatisfactory 1 - 2

Satisfactory5

Target10

Score

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Expr

essi

onStudent lacks a clear message and point behind the writing. Supporting references are not used to strengthen points made by the student in the writing. The narrative lacks a sense of flow and a limited sense of organization to how the student’s ideas about governance are interpreted.

Student’s message is generally clear and there is a more defined argument or case behind the writing. Supporting references are relevant and help to strengthen points/ideas the student is making about governance in the selected state. There is a stronger purpose to the writing and the expression of ideas about governance are more organized and articulate.

Student’s message is solid with a definitive argument or case being made. Supporting references strengthen the ideas about governance being presented. The writing and expression of ideas are well thought out making the narrative interesting to read. From reading the paper, it is clear that the student has an articulate understanding of governance and the governance structure of the selected state.

9.5

Jessica, I appreciated the thought and detail that you put into your analysis of North Carolina and its governance structure. It was a good presentation and analysis of the current system. I think that North Carolina is most unique in the country because of how the structure is so influenced by the geography and population base of the state. I liked the analysis you did of this consolidated governance structure. It provides a nice context of understanding on why the governance system looks like it does today. A very relevant governance analysis approach. Your presentation of the different levels of HE governance in the state was a relevant and important discussion. The structure of the UNC is an important overall component of their system. I like how you discussed this within the context of the role of the Board of Governors. I particularly liked the description of the various other committees, commissioners for the state, and some of the unique qualities of the different institutions. I also thought it was good you spoke about literacy and remedial education as it relates to HE in the state. Your writing was solid with just a few minor errors. Nothing to worry about. APA was good. Remember though that APA numbers 10 or higher you write the number, 9 or less, you write the word. Thanks for this look at North Carolina. I learned quite a few things from your analysis of North Carolina’s governance system. Dr. J

TotalScore 23

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governance system of public college and universities of north carolina

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