Dive Brief:
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A North Carolina bill hopes to cap tuition at five UNC System schools at $500 per semester, urging the system to reconsider the names of those institutions to better promote enrollment, academic strength and diversity.
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S.B. 873 would affect Fayetteville State University, Winston-Salem State University, Elizabeth City State University and the University of North Carolina-Pembroke — all of which serve high minority populations — and Western Carolina University.
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Critics say the measure would cripple the institutions while diminishing their histories and missions and force closure or merger of the schools. Supporters argue it will increase affordable education options for all North Carolinians while strengthening the campuses.
Dive Insight:
The bill offers the discounted tuition for four years; students who go over that time frame are to pay the full cost of tuition, and the state is to cover the difference from its general fund. But many are skeptical, given the dramatic cuts to higher ed spending in the state.
North Carolina’s higher ed spending is down 23% since the start of the recession, and average tuition costs are up $1,759, according to the Center on Policy and Budget Priorities. And dissenters criticize that the bill, which targets three historically black institutions and a fourth that serves a high Native and African-American population, will disproportionately impact the quality of education provided to minority students in the state.
This is not the first time the state has sought pathways to merge or close some of its historically black institutions, and some fear this plan will transition viable four-year schools to “community colleges, at best.” Proponents point to a $3.2 million earmark in the bill for merit scholarships at North Carolina A&T State University and North Carolina Central University — also historically black institutions — in defense of the criticism that the state is anti-HBCU. Skeptics argue the measure is to drive a wedge between the institutions, and call it a manipulation tactic to justify the harm done to the other institutions.