Board of Governors changes path

Another year of decreased funding from the state has forced the UNC-system Board of Governors to shift its priorities.

The board will now focus on efficiency and making the most of already-available resources rather than starting new initiatives from scratch, said Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the board, at the Aug. 13 meeting.

“I hope this will be the year that we make a big philosophical shift to performance funding rather than enrollment growth funding, but there are still some hurdles with that one,” she said.

The shift will be centered around utilizing community colleges as feeders for transfer students and making improvements to online and distance education, Gage said.

UNC-system President Erskine Bowles said using those two avenues will help accommodate the 84,000 students that are expected to be enrolled system-wide in the next decade.

Continuing solely with the traditional higher education model would not be sustainable as universities deal with deep budget cuts, Bowles said.

“At a time when the state is starved for resources, it’s how we fit the numbers in the budget we see,” he said.

He said the board will push universities to offer more degree programs and classes online.

“There will be a huge investment in distance education,” he said. “We want to get way ahead of the curve.”

Board members also have the major task of replacing Bowles, who announced his resignation Feb. 12. The search will be a top priority for board members in the fall semester, but they will also begin planning for a tighter budget for next year.

One of the first steps will be reviewing the tuition plan that was drafted under Bowles’ leadership in 2006. The plan was intended to make it more flexible for universities so that they can increase tuition in years of below-average state funding, Gage said.

Members are looking at a slew of possibilities to balance the universities’ growing need for revenue with keeping tuition affordable for students.

“I want it done before Erskine leaves,” Gage said. “ It’s too important a policy to leave out there.”

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