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Posted by : 7 Comments In NC Budget and Tax Center

Colorado joined a growing number of states (16 in total) yesterday in recognizing the importance of an affordable post-secondary education to all their residents, regardless of immigration status. The Governor signed legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants who graduate from state high schools the ability to attend state colleges at the in-state tuition rate.

Meanwhile, a similar proposal in North Carolina is languishing in the Rules Committee, which means young people like Marco Cervantes can’t afford college.

Charging the same tuition rates to all residents is a great way to invest in our state and in our future workforce. The higher tuition rate often charged immigrants—in Colorado the out of state rate is three times in-state tuition—is a barrier for many students and a drain on the economy.  That is because it is increasingly necessary to have some kind of post-secondary degree to attain a family-sustaining job and secure middle-class status.

Today is a great day to call your state reps to voice support for HB 904 and in-state tuition equality. Also, sign the petition here.

As one of the bill sponsors in Colorado noted:  “in Colorado the doors are open and the dream is alive.”

Can North Carolina say the same thing?

Posted by : 1 Comment In Uncategorized

Frank Bruni of the New York Times had a thoughtful column about the future of American higher education over the weekend entitled “Questioning the Mission of College.” It is a balanced piece that explores the debate between those who want public higher education to be about preparing people for employment and those who say that it has to be about more than that.  

In it, Bruni cites Governor McCrory’s controversial — some would say anti-intellectual — comments from earlier this year as exemplifying the new, conservative, “jobs first” point of view. He then goes on:

“How practical versus idealistic should the approach to college be? I’m somewhat torn, and past columns have reflected that. I applaud proposals to give young people better information about how various fields of study match up with the job market and about projected returns on their investments in college. And for students who want college to be an instant pivot into a job with decent pay, a nudge toward certain disciplines makes excellent sense.

But college is about more than that, Read More

Posted by : 3 Comments In Uncategorized

As legislators get back to work this week crafting their version of the state budget, the head of the UNC system is downplaying the prospect of closing one or more of the state’s 17 campuses to save money.

UNC System President Tom Ross say the idea would save the state less money than one might think – as closing one campus would only increase the demands on another campus. Ross says the state would then have the cost of repairing many of these large buildings before they could be put on the market.

Forsysth County Senator Pete Brunstetter first floated the idea of consolidating campuses last month as a way of saving the state millions of dollars.

Ross tells N.C. Policy Watch that while they are willing to study Brunstetter’s idea, it’s unlikely to yield the big savings lawmakers are hoping to find.

President Ross also tells Policy Watch that he has grave concerns another 5% budget cut, as proposed by Governor McCrory, will impact their ability to  provide high-quality educational opportunities to the state’s residents and assist in North Carolina’s economic recovery.

To hear a portion of Ross’s weekend radio interview with Chris Fitzsimon, click below. Or, visit the Radio Interview section of the website to download a podcast of the full interview.

Also be sure to check out our recent interviews with Diane Ravitch and BTC policy analyst Allan Freyer.

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Posted by : In Falling Behind in NC, NC Budget and Tax Center

This week has been deemed Education Week by legislative leaders, who have invited superintendents, principals and teachers from across the state to Raleigh to discuss public education issues. As education leaders and teachers share their thoughts and concerns regarding public education, funding has been a key part of that conversation.

With consistent improvement in proficiency rates, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, and graduation rates over the past 20 years, North Carolina has long been recognized for its commitment to public education – both K-12 education and higher education. However, significant cuts made to K-12 and higher education in recent years threaten to erode the leadership position the state has achieved among southern states. As lawmakers work to craft and approve a biennial budget for FY 2014-15, investment in public education will be a central part of the budget debate.

Read More

Posted by : 1 Comment In Uncategorized

The massive open online course (MOOC) provider, Coursera, announced today that 29 universities including UNC-Chapel Hill have signed on as partners to offer free classes to the public through their websites, doubling the company’s size.

Coursera began operating just last year, and in that short amount of time has registered 2.8 million users. While courses are currently noncredit and free, it appears Coursera’s business model will evolve as the company does have future plans to charge students interested in earning “certificates of completion.”

Duke University, which joined Coursera in 2012, plans to take part in their pilot program for fee-based courses. Many universities, however, may not be so quick to accept these certificates for credit. As David Szatmary, University of Washington’s vice provost for educational outreach, tells Inside Higher Ed, “Most of our peers probably wouldn’t take a free Coursera course certificate for credit.”  He also said that the University of Washington would not sign certificates for their own free Coursera courses. “We obviously don’t want to compete with ourselves.”

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