University PAC ups election funds

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A controversial political action committee run by UNC-Chapel Hill trustees has raised its standing as one of the state’s largest lobbying groups.

Though still trailing the interest groups for realtors and trial lawyers, Citizens for Higher Education increased its contributions to state legislators by 14 percent this election.

The group has given $485,000 so far, according to campaign finance reports filed this week with the N.C. State Board of Elections.

At this point in the last election cycle CHE had given $425,000.

In addition, the PAC has raised almost 14 percent more money from its members than it had by this time last election, putting it on track to reach the $700,000 mark by year’s end.

That growth has been spurred by a number of high-profile legislative victories in recent years, including a $50 million annual appropriation for cancer research at the University.

“If I can get somebody on the phone, it’s an easy sell,” said Paul Fulton, the UNC-CH trustee who leads the PAC.

Fulton has set a goal of 200 members, each of whom typically gives $2,500 per year. The group now has about 165 members, including prominent alumni and current or former UNC-CH trustees.

Fulton said he is trying to recruit younger members, particularly for the PAC’s executive committee, which makes decisions about campaign giving.

“We’ve got a bunch of old folks; we need some young blood,” Fulton said.

Created in 2002, CHE generally takes positions that are in sync with those of the UNC system. But that has not always been the case, and critics say the group gives UNC-CH an unfair advantage in the legislature over other state universities.

Several UNC-system Board of Governors members have said that so long as the PAC supports the system’s agenda, they do not see it as a problem.

N.C. State University is the only other UNC-system school with a PAC, called the University Development Coalition. It has given $100,500 to state legislators this election.

N.C. State’s PAC also is trying to grow, but it has a long way to go before reaching the upper echelon of state political action committees.

The N.C. Realtors PAC has given $522,500 in contributions to state legislators and some local government candidates. The N.C. Advocates for Justice PAC, the trial lawyers’ lobbying group, gave $605,500, mostly to legislators.

Fulton said it will be tough to catch up with those PACs. But by continuing CHE’s success, and by recruiting young new members, Fulton is setting the stage for the group’s long-term prosperity.

“It’s an ongoing thing,” he said.

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