Governor’s School changes fundraising strategy
The deadline for deciding if both Governor’s School campuses will remain open is looming, but fundraisers remain optimistic.
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The deadline for deciding if both Governor’s School campuses will remain open is looming, but fundraisers remain optimistic.
East Carolina University is learning from its mistakes — one black umbrella at a time.
For years, the UNC system has touted its high quality of education, and students from abroad have recently taken notice.
As Occupy protesters continue their second month calling for change in the economic system, they are costing taxpayer-funded police departments money.
Crisis pregnancy centers in the state, which cater to women who might be pregnant, are posing as something they’re not, according to a report released Monday.
As UNC-system libraries move into the digital age, they face several roadblocks from e-book publishers, who are wary of losing money by selling e-books to university library networks.
Universities paying international recruiting agents on a per- student commission have fueled a national ethical debate.
After almost two months of demonstrations, protesters at Peace College have shifted their focus to legal channels as administrators say they will push forward with plans to restructure the college.
President Barack Obama’s proposed American Jobs Act could provide welcome funds for N.C. community colleges in need of repairs, but its overall effect on the state’s economy might be short-lived.
Following changes to two UNC-system schools’ credit ratings, administrators are looking into the criteria behind the ratings to avoid future downgrades.
_Due to a reporting error, Monday’s page 3 story “UNC system considers athletic changes” incorrectly stated the athletic task force was created by system President Thomas Ross last March. He announced the creation of the task force in January. The story also stated that Ross had not yet endorsed the report. He is expected to issue his own proposals for consideration by the UNC-system Board of Governors by the end of the year. The story also incorrectly stated that the task force was created in response to the 2010 NCAA investigation of possible improprieties involving UNC-CH’s football program. The task force was prompted by recent athletics-related issues on several UNC-system campuses, not just the UNC-CH investigation. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors and any confusion._
Winston Salem State University is shifting its focus to restructuring their academic curriculum after abandoning their efforts to move up to Division I athletics.WSSU Chancellor Donald Reaves is laying out a strategic plan aimed at improving retention and graduation rates as well as post-graduate outcomes for students.Some changes include curriculum reviews, updating freshman programs and providing more support for academic success. “Our plan calls for a fairly comprehensive reform for the university. When I say comprehensive, it’s a top-down overhaul,” Reaves said at the UNC-system Board of Governors meeting last week.In 2004, WSSU announced plans to move to Division I athletics, saying the plans were in the best interest of the university and would improve its standing among its peers.The recent decision to shift the school’s focus to academics has received some criticism because it was made after administrators halted the university’s transition to Division I athletics, citing a nearly $2 million budget deficit as the cause. “Our athletes worry because they’re here to play Division I, and some may want to transfer,” said Nancy Young, interim director for media relations at WSSU. But WSSU Student Body President Whitney McCoy said she supports the chancellor’s decision.“Athletics is a big part of university life, but what is a university without your education?” McCoy said.Reaves said he wants to increase admission standards to cap enrollment while balancing the school’s historical mission.“Bigger is not necessarily always better,” he said. His decision mirrors the Board of Governors’ concerns about admitting unprepared students during periods of rapid growth in order to receive more state funding.Another area under close examination is WSSU’s science department, especially one biology class with a 60 percent failure rate, Reaves said. “You can’t keep doing this year in and year out,” he said. The chancellor’s plans also include providing more academic guidance for freshmen to make sure they can manage their course loads, Young said.Other areas being reviewed are the school’s nursing program, academic facilities and the ability to provide more academic scholarships. But it is unclear whether administrators will have enough money to implement academic reforms just by remaining a Division II school.“It doesn’t necessarily free money. We’ve been having to take funds from other sources to cover athletic losses,” Young said. But Reaves said his strategic plan for academic review is still a work in progress.“If you think health care reform is hard, try reforming the academic curriculum at a university,” he said. Senior writer Tarini Parti contributed to reporting. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
North Carolina could soon be host to the first offshore energy-generating wind turbines in the country.Duke Energy and UNC signed a contract last week to begin work in Pamlico Sound, one of the state’s most recent efforts at expanding its alternative energy base. Because of the difficulty and expense involved with offshore installation, Duke Energy is helping fund the project.The company will cover all installation costs. The goal is to have the turbines in place by next year, said Tim Pettit, spokesman for Duke Energy.“This has potential to create a lot of jobs, lots of investment in the state and certainly would do a lot to move Carolina in the direction of eco-friendliness,” Pettit said.But North Carolina isn’t the only place experimenting with wind power. A similar pilot project was recently launched by a private company in Rhode Island.“It’s a matter of who’s going to get the turbines first,” said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services at UNC.The decision to install the wind turbines was made following a UNC study led by Elfland that examined the potential benefits of energy generated by wind turbines.Elfland divided faculty members into groups and asked them to look at the various environmental problems the project could pose to birds and marine life.Areas that posed no conflict were mapped in a computer system to determine the best location. The turbines could provide a habitat for oysters and even increase tourism in the area, she said. “We laid all the maps on top of each other and when there were high conflicts, we eliminated those areas. When you look at that map, the only area in state water is within Pamlico Sound,” Elfland said.The researchers also went to Buxton, a town near the proposed installation site, to field residents’ questions in a meeting.Elfland said the plan was well-received. “People who didn’t have positive comments were in the minority,” she said.The project comes from the state legislature’s desire to find more alternative sources of energy for the state.The N.C. General Assembly delegated a feasibility study last summer on offshore wind energy and chose UNC to conduct it.N.C. Rep. Joe Tolson, D-Edgecombe, vice chairman of the energy and energy efficiency committee, said the project was an important step in reaching their goals of becoming more sustainable.“I think we got to look at wind, solar to try to help us meet the future energy needs,” Tolson said. “Its just a matter of seeing how this works, see what it generates, what a difference it makes.”Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
UNC-Wilmington campus police can now exercise their authority beyond campus limits.The university is expanding its jurisdiction because more students living off campus has increased the need for security in those areas.The concerns mirror those expressed by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Public Safety, which extended its jurisdiction this summer.David Donaldson, chief of police at UNC-W, said the expansion was inevitable.“It’s a natural evolution of the campus police department and the campus,” he said.Campus police at UNC-W can now investigate university-related cases that lead them off campus, where the primary student community is located.Donaldson said the agreement has led to a more efficient police force that can respond to calls faster. It also allows officers to investigate cases more thoroughly without violating their jurisdiction restrictions. Donaldson said he worked with a senior detective from the Wilmington police force to identify areas where cases occurred that campus police were unable to pursue because of jurisdiction restrictions. Those areas were considered when mapping the new jurisdiction limits.Even with the partnership, campus police will still refer ongoing and serious cases to local authorities, even if the location is within their jurisdiction, Donaldson said.Donaldson said campus police at most UNC-system schools are planning to expand their jurisdiction. UNC-CH public safety officers extended their authority to the Franklin Street area this summer.Randy Young, UNC-Chapel Hill DPS spokesman, said the new relationship between campus police and the Chapel Hill police force has so far been a win-win.“It all-in-all offers more police coverage to residents,” he said.The campus police at UNC-CH were given full power of arrest and are fully able to respond to situations requiring police action. One of the deciding points was Granville Towers, which was part of the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation’s purchase of University Square in July. “When the Granville Towers situation was evolving, they were trying to figure out a way to police that property,” said Chapel Hill Police Lt. Kevin Gunter in an interview last summer.“With it being in the central business district, it just made sense for this agreement to play out as it did.”Young said the expansion has worked because it combines two groups with the same mission — creating an environment that minimizes crime.“Crimes happening on the fringe of campus affect campus and vice-versa,” he said.Senior writer C. Ryan Barber contributed reporting. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.