Gov. Perdue gives her first University Day talk

Gov. Bev Perdue reflected upon UNC’s history and concentrated on the bright future of the student body, especially its ability to reach out into the world, in a Monday address to campus leaders and community members.

Perdue, wearing academic robes in front of faculty and administrative leaders, praised the University’s rich history, exclaiming, “Happy birthday, Carolina!” to begin her University Day speech.

The University holiday marked the 216th anniversary of laying the cornerstone of Old East, the University’s first building.

While she frequently referred to the role UNC students will play in addressing the global recession, the speech largely overlooked the school’s immediate economic challenges.

UNC lost $67 million in state funds this year, but instead of addressing how to weather the financial storm, Perdue focused on the University’s history and future.

Echoing former Chancellor James Moeser’s 2007 University Day speech, Perdue stressed UNC’s need to be a global leader in education.

“Education in the 21st century must be global. It is no longer about this one state or even about our country,” Perdue said. “It’s about the world.

“We are in a new century with new challenges. The next great chapter of our state’s history will be written at a global level.”

Perdue added that the University community must be prepared to help lead the world out of the recession.

“My goal,” Perdue said, “is to be sure that as the recession ends, North Carolina is poised for global economic recovery.”

Perdue spoke about UNC’s role as a leader not only in education, but also in business, public health and government programs.

“We in North Carolina must build an economy that attracts businesses from around the world, that supports small businesses and that turns innovative ideas into jobs and economic development,” she said.

She used the Research Triangle Park as an example of North Carolinian entrepreneurship, saying it has helped the state become more recognized for research and innovation.

Perdue commended UNC’s research, including decoding the HIV genome and innovations with nanotechnology.

Perdue’s speech included topics found in Chancellor Holden Thorp’s video address posted on YouTube on Monday, including UNC’s future role as a leader beyond the campus community.

“I think that she is thinking about North Carolina’s economy and how we’re going to compete against other states,” Thorp said in an interview later Monday.

“I thought it was very optimistic about what the University can accomplish and what we can do about North Carolina.”



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