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New efforts beckon UNC
Erskine Bowles, James Oblinger, UNC system/campuses, BOG, Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering, corporate partnershipsNCSU may gain in research cash
John Gilligan, federal research spending, Centennial Campus
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NCSU may gain in research cash
Feb. 13, 2006
Triangle Business Journal, MSNBC
By Michael Wagner
© Copyright 2006
RALEIGH - An impending shift in federal research spending could bestow huge benefits on North Carolina State University while handicapping the Triangle's two largest federal award winners - Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
President Bush's budget would trim about 1 percent off the Department of Health and Human Services' research budget, the lion's share of which is for the National Institutes of Health. The NIH is the single largest source of federal research dollars for Duke and UNC. The cut, if approved by Congress, would be the first in DHHS research spending in nearly a decade.
At the same time, the National Science Foundation - NCSU's largest benefactor - could see a 7.9 percent increase in 2007 and continued increases that could double its $6 billion budget in 10 years. Similar spikes are expected in both the departments of energy and commerce.
"If (Bush) can get Congress to go along ... you'll see much bigger increases (in federal research grants) at N.C. State relative to the other institutions," says John Gilligan, NCSU's vice chancellor for research and graduate studies.
The university brought in $39.1 million in NSF funding in 2005, exceeding both Duke's $34.8 million and UNC's $24.5 million. Gilligan says NSF money at NCSU is as critical as NIH money at medical schools but is spread out among departments all over campus. Medical school grants tend to be more concentrated.
Gilligan says the NSF increase would have "a huge impact" on programs such as math, marine and environmental sciences, and engineering.
When HHS and NIH grants from all three of the universities' totals are factored out, NCSU brought in the most in federal research dollars in 2005 with $120.7 million. UNC-Chapel Hill ranked second with $82.4 million, followed by Duke with $70.5 million.
For medical schools, the president's budget bears little good news. Jim Siedow, vice provost for research at Duke, says the NIH hit will unquestionably slow down medical research. "People will be losing grants altogether," he says.
"Nobody's complaining about energy and NSF," he adds, "but the rest of the picture just looks pretty bleak."
Medical schools enjoyed back-to-back NIH increases throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, leading to a leveling off in 2004 - a harbinger of what was to come. Now, the competition for federal dollars will be more intense, and universities will have to step up efforts to write grant proposals, hire top-notch researchers and look for more funding opportunities outside the federal government.
"Clearly the pie is going to be smaller, and the contenders are growing by the day," says David R. Perry, executive associate dean for administration at the UNC School of Medicine.
Most university research administrators agree that Bush's budget proposal represents a paradigm shift away from government funding for traditional medical research. People are beginning to wonder more now whether the doubling of the NIH budget over the past decade - from $14 billion to $28 billion - has really paid off, Perry says.
That skepticism is what prompted NIH last year to launch its "roadmap" initiative, a grant program that offers incentives to researchers to find ways to apply their research to patients faster.
"We're always looking at other areas that our faculty might not have considered before," says Tony Waldrop, vice chancellor for research and economic development at UNC.
The university grew comfortable during the NIH boom years, he says, but now will have to step up efforts to rope in private financing. "That's one of the reasons why the Carolina North project is so important to us," he says, referring to the university's version of NCSU's successful Centennial Campus, where private industry and university researchers collaborate.
No one will be facing research cuts this year, but the budget shift long-term will force research institutions to act more like their private industry partners by stealing market share and hiring the brightest researchers they can find.
"It's kind of a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog existence," Perry says. "It happens all the time in the business world. That's largely what's going to have to happen at this point."
Feb. 13, 2006
Kinston Free Press
By BOB SHILES
© Copyright 2006
Kelly Collins, a graduate student at North Carolina State University, hopes her research into the quality of stormwater runoff from various permeable pavements will help in the development of new state guidelines.
The parking lot at the Kinston Public Services Complex, on U.S. 258 South, is site of the runoff project being conducted by NCSU’s biological and agricultural engineering department and the university’s cooperative extension service. The goal of the project is to determine to what degree different permeable surfaces remove pollutants from runoff.
Six different plots — totaling 7,500 square feet, or 20 parking spaces — are being used in the study, said Jon Hathaway, an extension associate with the university’s department of biological and agricultural engineering. Two of the plots consist of standard asphalt, he said, with the other four covered with different permeable surfaces.
“With permeable surfaces, instead of running off into the gutter the excess water and nutrients are allowed to soak into the ground,” Hathaway said. “As a result, less
stormwater — and the pollutants that are collected — are going to find their way into streams.
“Previous studies have shown how permeable surfaces have reduced the amount of runoff from parking lots,” Hathaway said. “This study will determine if permeable surfaces improve the quality of runoff from parking lots as they reduce runoff volume.”
Construction of the plots, including paving and the recent installation of a concrete water collection vault that will be used to measure nitrogen and phosphorous in runoff, will be finished by the end of the month. Monitoring of runoff from the six plots will last at least a year.
“I hope the results of water quality will be incorporated into North Carolina’s stormwater guidelines,” said Collins, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree. “The state already allows credits for reduction of volume with permeable surface parking lots, but there is nothing similar in state stormwater guidelines for the improvement of water quality through the use of permeable surfaces.”
Collins said that she became involved with this project because she has an engineering background and has always had an interest in water quality.
“This is a way that technology can advance and still maintain a minimum of pollution and erosion,” she said. “What we are doing is treading as lightly as possible on an ecologically sensitive environment. We can still enjoy (development) benefits, but we have more control at protecting the high quality of the environment.”
Bob Shiles can be reached at (252) 527-3191, Ext. 237, or bshiles@freedomenc.com.
Muslims push for talk on cartoons
Feb. 13, 2006
News & Observer
By Benjamin Niolet
© Copyright 2006
Weeks of protests - sometimes violent - over newspaper cartoons showing the prophet Muhammad may seem overzealous to the Western world, but some Triangle Muslims say the depiction aggravated long-standing frustration.
One of several cartoons published in a Danish newspaper depicted Muhammad, the founder of one of the world's largest religions, with a bomb-shaped turban.
Last week, demonstrators in Iran responded by attacking the Danish, French and Austrian embassies with stones and firebombs.
The depiction in the Danish newspaper is like a cartoon mocking the Holocaust or showing people in blackface, Triangle academics and Muslims said Sunday.
A cartoon published Thursday in The Daily Tar Heel, the UNC-Chapel Hill student paper, used a drawing of Muhammad in an effort to comment on the reaction to the Danish cartoons. It also drew complaints on campus.
The cartoons violate a long-held Muslim tradition of not depicting Muhammad, and feel like an assault from the West, said Akram Khater, associate professor of history and director of the Middle East studies program at N.C. State University. "This has come to embody years of what many Muslims consider to be unfair characterizations of their prophet and their religion and themselves," Khater said.
"Ever since 9/11, basically, most Muslims in the world felt like they have unfairly been targeted as a collective," Khater said, "and tarnished, basically, as a violent people who practice a violent religion."
The Islamic Association of Raleigh has denounced the cartoons but also is urging restraint in the protests, saying that Muhammad promoted freedom of expression and would not approve of violence in the name of defending his honor.
The association hopes to use the controversy to educate non-Muslims and Muslims alike, said Hani Chohan, a spokesman. The association plans to dedicate its Friday night sermons for three months to the life of Muhammad, run newspaper ads and sponsor an open house.
Chohan said the offense the cartoons cause to Muslims could be compared to the reaction many American Christians had to "Book of Daniel," an NBC show that features a pill-popping priest who talks to Jesus.
"This kind of sentiment and disappointment, in terms of the emotion that was raised by that show, is very similar," Chohan said.
A delicate balance
On the global stage, reaction among U.S. officials to the Danish cartoons and the protests has been careful to condemn violence while supporting the right of a free press.
The Danish press was free to publish the cartoons, but that isn't really the point, said Ellen Mickiewicz, a public policy and political science professor at Duke University. These cartoons -- a broadside against an entire religion and perhaps culture -- don't seem to do very much other than incite, she said Sunday.
"We have a lot of freedoms that we don't practice to their limit all the time," she said. "You can have the perfect right to do something that's offensive, but don't be terribly surprised if it's offensive."
Most American newspapers -- including The News & Observer -- have not published the cartoons, but some have. The Philadelphia Inquirer published one of the cartoons with a note explaining that decision, said Amanda Bennett, the Inquirer's editor.
"This is the kind of work that newspapers are in the business to do," Bennett told The Associated Press. "We're running this in order to give people a perspective of what the controversy's about, not to titillate, and we have done that with a whole, wide range of images throughout our history. ... You run it because there's a news reason to run it."
The Danish cartoons, however, came at a time when Nordic nations such as Denmark are for the first time seeing significant Muslim immigration, Khater said. Many of Europe's 25 million Muslims have felt marginalized and banished to living in the equivalent of ghettos, he said.
Meanwhile, across the Muslim world, certain conservative leaders have taken advantage of the cartoons to mobilize followers and incite anger over them, Khater said.
But, like the Raleigh group, some world Muslim leaders have used the cartoons as a time to call for dialogue between the Muslim and Western worlds. Those calls, however, Khater said, have not received the same publicity as the protesters.
ECU and Turnage to form alliance
Feb. 13, 2006
Washington Daily News
By JIMMY RYALS
© Copyright 2006
Steve Ballard, chancellor of East Carolina University, made a swing through Washington last Monday, touring the Turnage Theater and attending a party in his honor at the North Carolina Estuarium.
During an interview Monday afternoon, he also discussed a range of topics, from the university’s connection to Washington and the east, to the importance of keeping college affordable.
A partner for Washington
“It’s a nice community that’s close to Greenville, and close to ECU,” said Ballard.
A year and a half into his tenure with ECU, Ballard was no stranger to Washington before his visit this week. He spoke at Beaufort County Community College’s commencement in May 2005. He and wife Nancy are also considering buying a second home in Washington, Ballard said.
The connection between the university and Washington goes beyond the chancellor’s affection for the town. Budding partnerships with the Turnage Theaters Foundation and BCCC tie ECU to the area, Ballard said.
In this upcoming legislative session, ECU will ask the General Assembly to appropriate money for a summer-theater program that would be housed at the Turnage.
”We think it will have economic development impacts and be a good thing culturally here,” Ballard said. “And we think it’s the right thing to do to be a partner with this particular area of eastern North Carolina.”
Ballard said he hopes the program would eventually draw endowments and grants to supplant the state’s funding of it.
ECU already has a waterfront presence in Washington, in the form of a seagoing lab that docks downtown regularly. The Pamlico Sound offers professors and their students hands-on research opportunities.
A regional hub
”We have to have a special eye on eastern North Carolina, in large part because eastern North Carolina needs ... educational services in order to prosper, in order to do well in the transition that its economy is going through,” Ballard said.
Working relationships with local eastern hospitals, community colleges and public schools “will be vital for the next 20 years,” the chancellor added.
Further expansion of ECU’s academic reach will also aid the region, Ballard said, particularly in health care. One potential expansion, the creation of a school of dentistry at ECU, would address regional oral health care needs.
Eastern North Carolina is 72 percent below the national average for dentists per 1,000 people, Ballard noted; seven eastern counties have one or no accredited dentists.
Ballard said he expects the ECU Board of Trustees to pass a resolution this month supporting a new dentistry school, which would be the second in the UNC system. The 50- to 60-seat school would focus on primary dental care, with no specialized programs, Ballard said.
An ECU dentistry program would not compete with the existing one at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Ballard said, because of its focus on rural areas and primary care. The school’s experience recruiting future doctors for rural areas at the Brody School of Medicine prepares it well to do so in dentistry, Ballard said.
“We have 30 years of experience of knowing how to serve rural populations,” Ballard said, noting that the Brody School ranks fourth nationally in serving rural areas. “We know how to bring people into the Brody School who will then go back into the communities they came from.”
An affordable education?
Two things keep Ballard up at night: One, he joked, is the late-night noise of students living near the on-campus chancellor’s residence.
The other is the continuing rise of the cost of attending college; four days after Ballard’s Washington appearance, the UNC Board of Governors passed a systemwide tuition increase. At ECU, the rate will increase by nearly 10 percent. Two-thirds of that increase will fund financial aid for lower- and middle-income students.
Such increases result from the state’s declining role in funding higher education, Ballard said. Students and the schools themselves are footing more of the bill as the state withdraws.
The upward spiral is particularly burdensome for students who already have financial needs. Of ECU’s 23,000 students, Ballard said, 9,000 qualify for federal aid. That’s more than any other UNC school.
“We have to provide more money for scholarships, and we find more avenues like distance education to solve that access problem,” Ballard said. “We do not have any challenge facing East Carolina that’s more significant than this question of the cost of education.”
There’s an aspect of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” in raising tuition on one hand while giving more aid on the other, Ballard acknowledged.
“We have to ask for our wealthier students to pay full tuition or closer to full tuition so that more of the students that need our access can actually get access,” he said. “If we don’t help meet those needs … those students aren’t gonna get higher education. In today’s economy, we just can’t have that.”
Maintaining the system
During the last legislative session, advocates of N.C. State University and UNC-CH asked the Legislature to give the two schools control over their own tuition rates. As the system’s flagships, they argued, the universities needed to generate more tuition revenue to remain competitive with schools across the country.
Some, Ballard included, saw the move as a threat to the UNC system, which sets tuition rates for all 16 UNC schools. Keeping the universities under one umbrella is crucial to their success, Ballard said.
“It’s one of the reasons that I was first interested in the job at East Carolina University, because of the quality and the reputation of the University of North Carolina,” Ballard said.
Last summer’s controversy also suggested a class structure in the UNC system that Ballard expressed discomfort with.
“What I really don’t like about the debate is the hypothesis presented by a few people that national competitiveness is only a factor in two of our 16 institutions,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
While ECU and other, smaller UNC schools don’t boast the reputation of UNC-CH or the wide range of academic programs of NCSU, Ballard said they carry nationally recognized curricula of their own. Specifically, he noted ECU’s nursing, teacher preparation and construction management programs.
“The competitiveness factor affects every one of our institutions,” he said.
NC press photographers give out awards
Feb. 13, 2006
Fayetteville Online, Winston-Salem Journal, WCNC, WVEC.com (VA), Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC)
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
Jason Arthurs of the Winston-Salem Journal was named the 2005 photographer of the year Sunday by the North Carolina Press Photographers Association.
Arthurs also took 1st place in the feature picture story category and won Best of Show.
Ted Richardson of The News & Observer of Raleigh was the runner-up for photographer of the year, and the staff of the year award went to the N&O, as it did last year.
Concord Monitor picture editor Dan Habib, Washington Post photojournalist Andrea Bruce-Woodall, and Times Picayune photojournalist Ted Jackson judged 3,426 photographs from 75 North Carolina professional and student photographers.
Patrick Schneider of The Charlotte Observer was named the clip photographer of the year. He took runner-up for the award last year.
David Smith of The Fayetteville Observer, who won clip photographer of the year for 2004, was named runner-up on Sunday.
Raymond Jones of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was named student photographer of the year, an award he also won last year. Justin Cook, also of UNC-Chapel Hill, was named runner-up.
Other awards at the event, held at UNC-Chapel Hill, went to the following:
SPOT NEWS
1st place, Justin Cook; 2nd place, Jeff Siner, The Charlotte Observer; 3rd place, Raymond Jones, UNC-Chapel Hill.
GENERAL NEWS
1st place, Lisa Lauck, The News & Observer; 2nd place, Travis Long, The News & Observer; 3rd place Shawn Rocco, The News & Observer.
FEATURE
1st place Ted Richardson, The News & Observer; 2nd place Jason Arthurs, The Winston-Salem Journal; 3rd place Ted Richardson, The News & Observer.
SPORTS
1st place, Yalonda M. James, The Charlotte Observer; 2nd place, Jerry Wolford, The Greensboro News & Record; 3rd place, Corey Lowenstein, The News & Observer.
SPORTS FEATURE
1st place, Dan Hale, The Charlotte Observer; 2nd place, Chuck Liddy, The News & Observer; 3rd place, Jeff Willhelm, The Charlotte Observer.
PORTRAIT PERSONALITY
1st place, Ethan Hyman, The News & Observer; 2nd place, Dan Hale, The Charlotte Observer; 3rd place, Ted Richardson, The News & Observer.
PICTORIAL
1st place, Tim Lytvinenko, NC State University; 2nd place, Lisa Lauck, The News & Observer; 3rd place, Chuck Liddy, The News & Observer.
ILLUSTRATION
1st place, Kelly Pace, Greensboro News & Record; 2nd place, Todd Sumlin, The Charlotte Observer; 3rd place, Nathan Clendenin, UNC-Chapel Hill.
NEWS PICTURE STORY
1st place, Justin Cook, UNC-Chapel Hill; 2nd place, Takaaki Iwabu, The News & Observer; 3rd place, Chuck Liddy, The News & Observer.
FEATURE PICTURE STORY
1st place, Jason Arthurs, Winston-Salem Journal; 2nd place, Ted Richardson, The News & Observer; 3rd place, Ted Richardson, The News & Observer.
SPORTS PICTURE STORY
1st place, Travis Long, The News & Observer; 2nd place, Lisa Lauck, The News & Observer; 3rd place, Jeff Siner, The Charlotte Observer.
Feb. 11, 2006
Durham Herald-Sun
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
NCCU to host PAIR seminar
N.C. Central University will host the Partners Allied in Research to Eliminate Disparities in Cancer Outcome Program seminar series from noon to 1 p.m. Friday in the Mary M. Townes Science Building, Room 1111. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Lee Jones, assistant research professor of oncology at Duke University. His lecture is titled "Exercise Therapy for Persons Diagnosed with Cancer."
The focus of the PAIR seminar series is to increase public knowledge of cancer prevention, detection and research, especially in underserved populations.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jeannine Bratts at (919) 530-7687.
Small business talk to be held
Durham Technical Community College's Small Business Center will host an information session on the U.S. Small Business Administration's Community Express Loan program from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday.
The program will be held at Durham Tech's Small Business and Continuing Education Center in the N.C. Mutual Building, sixth floor, at 411 W. Chapel Hill St.
Sue Malone of California-based Innovative Bank will discuss small-business loans to help entrepreneurs develop and grow their businesses. The workshop is targeted toward women, minorities, veterans and those with low to moderate incomes. Those planning to apply for a loan should bring a copy of the front and back of their driver's license, along with their federal tax ID numbers if representing a corporation, limited liability corporation or partnership, or Social Security numbers if self-employed. Applicants must have business checking accounts.
Register by calling (919) 686-3449.
NCCU to host leadership event
N.C. Central University will host the 13th annual South Eastern African American Student Leadership Conference Friday through Feb. 19 in the New School of Education Auditorium at 712 Cecil St.
The theme for the conference is "Leading With Precision -- A Shared Responsibility."
This is the first time the conference has been hosted by a historically black college or university.
Participants will propose solutions to issues in their communities. It includes workshops, social events and speakers aimed at promoting leadership and self-awareness. It incorporates black history, morals and values, leadership skills, self-improvement techniques, community involvement and unity to inspire and motivate black students.
"This is an extraordinary event for N.C. Central University and the Durham community," said Andre D. Vann, NCCU's assistant dean for students and co-chair of the conference.
Organizers are expecting more than 300 people to attend, Vann said.
For more information or to register, visit www.nccu.edu/seaaslc or contact Vann at (919) 530-7466 or by e-mail at avann@nccu.edu.
NCCU to present student research
Students in N.C. Central University's Department of Psychology will present a research presentation titled "From Kirk to Kanye: The Gospel and the Gangsta in the Religious Socialization of African American Adolescents."
The event will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Taylor Education Building, Room 307. Pamela Martin, assistant professor of psychology at N.C. State University, will be the speaker.
Martin earned her master's degree in psychology from NCCU. After earning a Ph.D. in ecological community psychology and urban studies from Michigan State University, she was awarded a National Science Foundation minority post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan to continue her dissertation research.
Each month, the NCCU Department of Psychology will host a student-led research symposium on psychological and sociological issues that impact black life in America.
The free event is open to the public. For more information, call Jonathan Livingston at (919) 530-7776.
NCCU to present Eve Ensler's show
North Carolina Central University will present Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24-25 in the B.N. Duke Auditorium. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
The production will be sponsored by the Voices for NCCU and the NCCU Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for student affairs. It will be directed by Barbette Hunter, a member of the board of directors for the Raleigh Ensemble Players.
NCCU is the first coed historically black college or university to present "The Vagina Monologues."
There will be an opportunity to meet the cast at 10:40 a.m. on Feb. 21 in the Alphonso Elder Student Union.
Proceeds will be donated to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Advance tickets are $10 for the public and $5 for students with valid ID. Tickets will be available both nights at the door for $15 for the public and $8 for students.
Tickets can be purchased at the NCCU Ticket Office located in the lower level of the student union.
NCCU to exhibit modernist show
The N.C. Central University Art Museum will present "William H. Johnson: Revisiting an African American Modernist," beginning Feb. 19 with an opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m.
The show will be the first time NCCU has exhibited works by a Harlem Renaissance master.
"We are honored to have the opportunity to bring one of America's most original artists to Durham," said Museum Director Kenneth Rodgers. "We view this exhibition as an opportunity for the community to learn something about an artist rescued from oblivion and today given a prominent place in American art history."
This exhibition includes works borrowed from historically black colleges and universities such as Hampton University, Howard University and Morgan State University. The show has approximately 50 paintings, watercolors and prints that have become well known through frequent reproduction.
Johnson, who developed his talent along a path that took him from the southern United States to New York to Europe and back again, was one of America's most powerful black painters. Through intense paintings of single isolated figures, Scandinavian and South Carolina landscapes, black biblical themes and Harlem street and nightlife, Johnson aimed to communicate the energy and beauty of the land and the dignity and vitality of the individual.
The NCCU Art Museum is located on Lawson Street across from the Farrison-Newton Communications Building. For general information, call (919) 530-6211. For group visits, call in advance. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Feb. 11, 2006
News & Observer
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
The last time North Carolina modernized state government and taxes, the Great Depression had stripped property value and pushed the state's counties to the brink of bankruptcy. Because of reforms born out of that necessity, much has changed for the better.
Now a new necessity is upon this generation. North Carolina needs to maintain its investments in education, roads and other vital services at a time when state tax revenues consistently have trouble keeping up. Routinely occurring budget shortfalls force state leaders to find ever deeper spending cuts in important programs along with awkward revenue patches to make the budget balance. Hoping for economic growth to resolve a fundamental shortcoming in revenue-raising methods looks increasingly futile in the face of business cycles.
A gap in the money that counties can raise with their only flexible revenue source -- the property tax -- is widening between urban and rural, rich and poor. These corrosive trends have to be reversed if the state is to compete successfully in a global economy and meet the needs of its citizens.
During the annual Emerging Issues Forum at N.C. State University last week, several speakers called attention to that competition. North Carolina wants high-paying jobs for problem-solvers to take the place of disappearing jobs for textile, furniture and cigarette factory workers. But the state is up against not only places like New Mexico and Texas, which also want those jobs, but the likes of Singapore and Switzerland.
They're racing us for the few big manufacturing operations that are in the market for sites. And they're after businesses with deep roots in North Carolina's red clay as well.
Small world
Singapore's minister of community development, for example, said his country is wooing GlaxoSmithKline, which has a U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park. To win a GSK expansion in research and development, the South Asian island nation is investing heavily in an educated work force.
To sweeten its appeal, Singapore also is willing to offer the low taxes and incentives that American employers also frequently seek. There's no doubt Singapore has what it takes, judging by the location of GSK's largest manufacturing plant there.
It's instructive, though, that the company located its second largest manufacturing plant in Zebulon. North Carolina's work force, its cluster of pharmaceutical firms and quality of life clearly can match the lure of Singapore. Remember, those attributes are the result of investments made years ago, thanks to the taxes paid by earlier generations.
To remain competitive now, North Carolina must invest in the faculties of its public universities while keeping them affordable. The state needs millions of new dollars to expand the community college system's ability to retrain workers whose skills are no longer in demand. And for those investments to have maximum impact, more North Carolinians must be positioned to take advantage of them. Allowing a third of our students to drop out before they finish high school is a waste of talent our state can't afford.
Find the money
Fortunately, because of the 1930s government restructuring, the state contributes significantly to the cost of public schools. Yet it still doesn't contribute enough -- a truth that has become harder to confront as the economy has shifted out from under state government. Exemptions and the Internet have weakened the sales tax. Loopholes have weakened the corporate income tax. And personal income tax rates, which undergird the whole structure's fairness, are under attack by competitors for economic development.
A comprehensive update is in order, but the politics are daunting because of the conflicting interests of businesses, working families and many more. State leaders have reached for stopgaps like temporary taxes, but the time is at hand when there will be no more stopgaps left.
Counties are on the hook with unmet needs, and the cavernous disparity between them has to be addressed. Dependence on the property tax, which limits prosperous counties, positively hamstrings poor ones. In fact, property valuations reportedly are so low in some poor counties that they end up spending more money on their state-required contribution to Medicaid than they do on education.
The search for answers at the Emerging Issues Forum generated a host of proposals. Too many of them aspired to little beyond the status quo. Too many were driven by self-interest, particularly that of big business.
Tax reform of that sort is scarcely worthy of the name. North Carolina needs a tax structure that both produces enough money and is fair to all. Those principles guided the creation of a modern progressive state decades ago, and they have the power to do the same today.
Tax system needs overhaul, but change may come hard
Feb. 11, 2006
Winston-Salem Journal
By Paul O'Connor
© Copyright 2006
RALEIGH - Most of us don't care much for change - even when the change would represent a significant upgrade.
For example, how many of us delayed buying a DVD player, thinking the VCR worked just fine?
The state of North Carolina is about to begin discussing a change to its Depression-era tax system, and the comfort level with what is familiar, over what might work better, will be a big factor in whether changes are made.
At the Emerging Issues Forum held on the N.C. State University campus last week, the state tax system was the focus. Implemented beginning in the 1920s, it was mostly in place by the end of the 1930s. Changes since have been adjustments, not overhauls.
The heart of the problem is this: The tax system is designed for the economy of the 20th century, mostly pre-1980s, and doesn't fit with today's reality. The economists who described the problem noted that two-thirds of economic activity taking place in North Carolina goes untaxed.
While that might sound good, it isn't. It's a phenomenon that leads to higher tax rates. If the state budget demands a certain amount of money, and only one-third of economic activity is being taxed, then the tax rate on that one-third has to be very high.
This essentially explains the apparent contradiction in studies comparing state taxes. North Carolina has comparatively high tax rates compared to other states, but a relatively low overall tax burden. Because the state is taxing only one-third of its economic activity, it must get the entire $17 billion needed for its budget out of that one-third of the economy. If the $17 billion could be spread over a larger portion of the economy, then the state could lower tax rates.
The economists and other speakers at the conference, plus other state leaders, mentioned the rates on North Carolina's top personal income-tax bracket, the corporate income tax and the sales tax as good candidates for reduction. But, to reduce the rates, the state would first have to expand the tax base - or the share of the economy it taxes.
That's where the most controversial change will come in. It would expand the coverage of the sales tax, which now peaks at 8 percent in Mecklenburg County restaurants, to cover all or most services. So, the sales tax would cover transactions such as labor charges at the auto mechanic, legal fees, tax-return preparations and lawn services.
In such a scenario, the tax rate could drop correspondingly. The economists said that a sales tax of between 2 and 3 percent on all services would pay for the entire budget. The rest of the state's taxes could be discarded. That extent of service coverage is not likely to happen, but it provides an insight into how the tax system could change.
The trick, of course, for taxpayers is to ensure that the total tax take by government doesn't go up. If the current system collects $17 billion, then the new one should, too.
Under a new system, some people would pay more in taxes and others less. Here's where it will get difficult. Strong business interests, maybe including the newspaper industry, would be very opposed to the tax on services. The industries that would prove to be losers would be less likely to go along with the changes.
And industries that would only break even would probably also oppose change because it would change the way they do business. There'd be cost involved.
The forum provided a fascinating panel on the idea, but my guess is that legislators will keep their eyes closed to the need for change, preferring to ruffle as few feathers as possible by staying with the comfortable older system until it breaks down - like an old VCR.
• Paul O'Connor writes editorials for the Journal from Raleigh. He can be reached at poconnor@wsjournal.com
Feb. 11, 2006
News & Observer
By Rob Christensen
© Copyright 2006
The 2006 midterm elections begin at noon Monday, and for the first time in more than a decade there will not be a Bush, a Clinton, a Hunt, a Helms or any other widely recognized name on the ticket.
Every 12 years, North Carolina has an election without a race for governor or senator. The most important statewide election this year will be for the state Supreme Court, and traditionally such races have been as dry as a legal notice.
But that doesn't mean the political ground won't shake some time between Monday -- when candidates begin filing to run -- and when voters cast their ballots in November. The last time there was no major statewide race was 1994, when Republicans -- capitalizing on congressional scandals and the unpopularity of President Clinton's health-care plan -- took control of Congress and the state House of Representatives.
So, what themes will most likely capture the attention of North Carolina voters in congressional, legislative and local races? Corruption in Raleigh or Washington? Gas taxes? Iraq? Education? Immigration?
"The Democrats want to have a national conversation about Iraq and the economy and fears about health care and energy prices and how the Republicans are mismanaging Washington," said Andy Taylor, a political scientist at N.C. State University. "The Republicans want to keep the conversation about the mismanagement within the [state] House and the problems associated with the speaker."
UNC board OKs increases in tuition, fees
Feb. 12, 2006
Charlotte Observer
By Estes Thompson
© Copyright 2006
CHAPEL HILL - University of North Carolina leaders approved tuition and fee increases of up to 20 percent Friday, but still didn't dump too much of the costs of public education on the people paying the bills, the chairman of the system's Board of Governors said.
The hikes bring the tuition paid by in-state students to about 25 percent of the actual cost, said Brad Wilson, chairman of the board that sets policy for the state's 16 public universities. That level is about right, he said.
" The legislature has been very supportive and very generous," Wilson said. "The philosophical question we're facing is will the university system remain a state funded system."
The lowest increase was 8 percent at UNC Chapel Hill, where tuition and fees for 2006-07 will be $4,875. Costs at Appalachian State University increased 20 percent to $3,869 for the coming academic year, while UNC Wilmington tuition and fees increased 12 percent to $4,080.
" Our students are paying more as a percentage because we are the lowest-funded of the universities," said UNCW Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo. "Historically, we've had the highest fees."
No students appeared at the meeting to protest the increases as they have in previous years.
" They don't like to give up more money, but they understand it and they support it," said Spencer Perkins of Charlotte, a UNC Chapel Hill sophomore journalism student. "For the education we're getting, it's an incredible bargain. I still question whether UNC Chapel Hill did everything they could to cut the fat out of the budget."
Tuition and fee increases will add $21 million in revenue for teacher and administrator pay, about $19 million for financial aid and about $6 million for items ranging from libraries and technology upgrades to students services.
A study by the university system showed that the average tuition and fees for a resident undergraduate student has risen from $457 in 1974 to $3,373 this year. During the same period, state government's support rose from $149 million to $1.5 billion.
In a separate discussion, university system President Erskine Bowles has urged leaders at the schools that train teachers to look for inefficient education programs that can be trimmed or eliminated so the money can be used elsewhere.
The state continues to have a a crisis in teacher production, Bowles said. In the past four years, the state university system has produced just three physics teachers.
" Some of that is because they don't make enough (money)," he said. "At a time when we're supposed to be competing globally, we can do better."
Higher Tuition and Fees for UNC Schools
Tuition and fee amounts for 2006-07 approved Friday by the UNC system Board of Governors and percentage increase for resident undergraduate students:
School Amount Pct. Chg. School Amount Pct. Chg.
N.C. State $4,678 9.32 N.C. Central $3,395 9.69
UNC Chapel Hill $4,875 7.99 UNC Pembroke $3,221 8.12
East Carolina $3,816 9.97 UNC Wilmington $4,080 12.15
N.C. A&T $3,348 9.84 Western Carolina $3,623 9.42
UNC Charlotte $3,841 9.9 UNC Asheville $3,810 10.31
UNC Greensboro $3,762 10.13 Elizabeth City State $2,763 10.87
Appalachian State $3,869 19.63 Winston-Salem State $3,108 11.84
Fayetteville State $2,842 12.78 N.C. School of the Arts $4,679 10.3
Tax reform difficult but doable, Warner says
Feb. 12, 2006
Charlotte Observer
By Jack Betts
© Copyright 2006
RALEIGH - Just in case anyone thinks it's impossible to bring about tax reform in a conservative Southern state, Mark Warner has a word or two of advice: You can do it, but you have to do it the right way.
Warner, governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006, is the Democratic Party's newest star, a dynamic speaker who not only survived tax reform but left office with high voter approval numbers.
Warner is being talked about as a presidential candidate, and held a fundraiser last week in Chapel Hill, former Sen. John Edwards' political back yard. He was coy about his plans, but thought there was "a wide-open sensible center in this country waiting to be reclaimed."
That he could bring about significant tax change in Virginia -- which has traditionally had low taxes and retains the pay-as-you-go philosophy of the late Gov. Harry Flood Bird -- is testament to Warner's business acumen and persuasive skills. As he said last week, "Talking about taxes in Richmond is kind of like talking about Ulysses S. Grant."
Gov. Mike Easley would understand that. Easley found early in his first term there's plenty of support for cutting taxes, but not much for replacing them with other levies to support local and state services. Former Gov. Jim Hunt, who convened the 21st annual Emerging Issues Forum here last week, told hundreds of attendees that tax reform "is not a task for the faint of heart."
The forum examined how state and local governments might restructure
their revenue systems to meet needs in the 21st-century economy.
There was considerable
discussion about how to broaden the tax base and boost economic development,
but relatively little about finding the political will to do it.
That's where Warner made a key contribution. As soon as he took office
four years ago, he said, he quickly discovered that a $700 million
budget shortfall
in reality looked more like a multibillion-dollar hole -- and even
with a strong economic recovery wouldn't be able to meet needs. So
he went
to work
to bring
about systemic change. He shared a few lessons he learned during
the process:
• You can't make the case for tax reform unless you first convince
the people you're spending their money wisely. Warner said he eliminated
5,000 jobs,
closed 70 state boards and even shut down the division of motor vehicles
one day a
week. People were mad as fire and long lines prevailed, but folks
got the point.
• You've got to be straight with the people. The truth goes a long way. People will accept unpleasant facts if they are convinced you are telling the truth.
• You've got to be willing to go over the heads of public officials to make your case. Warner took his PowerPoint presentation about Virginia's finances on the road, talking about reform at every fire hall and service club where he could find an audience.
• You've got to let people know what is at stake over the long haul -- and the difference between a short-term fix and a commitment for the long term. That meant shifting the debate away from Democrat vs. Republican or liberal vs. conservative and selling it in terms of Virginia's future vs. the past.
• You've got to produce results. When Virginia was named among the best-managed states and its schools began to show measurable progress, the public understood that painful change had fostered success.
• When the battle is over, you've got to go back where you started and keep doing the things that brought about change. That means continuing to cut spending, promote efficiency and focus on the long-term business plan.
No one is arguing that the Commonwealth of Virginia has developed a model revenue system for North Carolina. But its recent leadership ought to be an inspiration to those who fret that the job of substantial tax reform is too big to tackle.
" When you get elected, people expect you to lead, not follow," Warner said.
He has a point.
Feb. 11, 2006
News & Observer
By Jane Stancill
© Copyright 2006
UNC campuses may embark on three corporate partnerships that have the potential to push the frontiers of technology and create hundreds of jobs in North Carolina -- but that also could carry a multimillion-dollar price tag for the state.
In addition to the already announced research campus in Kannapolis created by Dole Foods owner David Murdock, the UNC system is looking at a deal with IBM to develop what could be the world's largest supercomputer. And N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill have been approached by California entrepreneur Alfred Mann to start an institute that would design and produce medical devices.
The projects are still in the exploratory phase, and UNC officials said Friday they're not even sure they'll agree to all of the partnerships.
But they're clearly excited about the possibilities.
"All of them could have quantifiable effects on the future of the state and the opportunities for people coming out of our universities -- all those who want these jobs of the future," UNC President Erskine Bowles said.
Early outlines of the research initiatives were presented Friday to the UNC Board of Governors. The board could go to the General Assembly as soon as this spring with requests for tens of millions of dollars for buildings and operating costs for the endeavors.
The projects are separate and different in scope. The Kannapolis operating costs could reach $28 million a year by 2010. After startup, the supercomputer operating budget could cost $18 million to $28 million a year. The Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering would call for two buildings, one at NCSU and one at UNC-CH, that cost about $25 million each.
Patent ownership
The biomedical engineering institute has been discussed quietly for a couple of years, and Alfred Mann and his teams have visited North Carolina several times. On Thursday, NCSU and UNC-CH got a proposal from Mann, who aims to establish as many as a dozen such institutes around the world to quickly invent and commercialize medical devices.
A $100 million endowment from Mann would allow NCSU and UNC-CH to use the annual investment earnings for research and development.
NCSU and UNC-CH are uniquely attractive because of their joint biomedical engineering program, which combines NCSU's engineering strength with UNC-CH's medical expertise. But Mann also has been in talks with Duke University.
On Friday, NCSU Chancellor James Oblinger said university officials were studying the agreement. One stumbling block could be the issue of who would own the patents to inventions that could generate big dollars.
"Intellectual property is no longer given away at public universities," Oblinger said.
Into the fast lane
The supercomputing initiative is pushed by the Renaissance Computing Institute, a collaboration among Duke, NCSU and UNC-CH. Director Dan Reed said he wants North Carolina to pull into the fast lane of high-speed computing.
In the most recent ranking of the world's top 500 supercomputers, nothing in North Carolina was listed, Reed said, but the state could rocket to No. 1 with the proposed deal. "This capability with IBM would be unique in the world," he said.
The state's high-tech businesses and universities need access to high-performance computing, he said, and the supercomputer could attract industry to the state.
'A significant sum'
Also on Friday, NCSU and UNC-CH proposed special funding for the two large research universities, starting with $50 million a year and rising to $200 million by the fifth year. The proposal was first suggested last year by some UNC system board members after tuition increases were denied.
It is unclear whether that proposal will gain any traction, particularly with the state's strained budget and the three research initiatives now under consideration.
Bowles said he would prefer to evaluate the need for research funding case by case rather than giving universities a blank check. "You're talking about $50 [million] to $200 million a year," he said. "That is a significant sum of money."
But he said that in the end, the board would decide whether to ask the state for a lump sum to support research universities.
Oblinger said he hopes some of these proposals become reality.
"The connection between research and economic development is pretty straightforward," Oblinger said. "I do believe the legislature knows that."
Six questions for 2006 elections
Feb. 13, 2006
News & Observer
By Rob Christensen
© Copyright 2006
The 2006 midterm elections begin at noon Monday, and for the first time in more than a decade there will not be a Bush, a Clinton, a Hunt, a Helms or any other widely recognized name on the ticket.
Every 12 years, North Carolina has an election without a race for governor or senator. The most important statewide election this year will be for the state Supreme Court, and traditionally such races have been as dry as a legal notice.
But that doesn't mean the political ground won't shake some time between Monday -- when candidates begin filing to run -- and when voters cast their ballots in November. The last time there was no major statewide race was 1994, when Republicans -- capitalizing on congressional scandals and the unpopularity of President Clinton's health-care plan -- took control of Congress and the state House of Representatives.
So, what themes will most likely capture the attention of North Carolina voters in congressional, legislative and local races? Corruption in Raleigh or Washington? Gas taxes? Iraq? Education? Immigration?
"The Democrats want to have a national conversation about Iraq and the economy and fears about health care and energy prices and how the Republicans are mismanaging Washington," said Andy Taylor, a political scientist at N.C. State University. "The Republicans want to keep the conversation about the mismanagement within the [state] House and the problems associated with the speaker."
Election Dates Monday: Candidates' filing period begins
May 2: Primary
Nov. 7: General Election
Questions for 20061. Will the controversies surrounding N.C. House Speaker
Jim Black bring down fellow Democrats in the state legislature?
2. How will the civil war among the state's Republicans affect legislative
elections?
3. Will the decreasing popularity of President Bush and the increasing concern about the war in Iraq be a drag on the Republican ticket?
4. Are any congressional incumbents in trouble?
5. Who will win the biggest local races?
6. How will voters handle Triangle growth?
Feb. 12, 2006
News & Observer
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
Magnet high school? Charter school? Private school? Base school? For college-bound students, the decisions don't stop: How many Advanced Placement classes to take? What types of extracurricular activities make sense? Is it better to be president of one club or a member of four? How much does GPA count? Is the SAT score the most important thing? What's the magic formula for getting into college?
What counts with college?
Many of the students and their parents who have been shuttling through open houses
at Wake County's magnet high schools this month aren't thinking just about the
next few years. They're also thinking about the four years of college to come.
Which high school program will look good to college admissions officials? Is it better to attend a rigorous, nationally ranked high school and end up in the middle of the GPA pack or to enroll in a school where a student is sure to earn a higher class rank?
Admissions officers at colleges in the Triangle aren't offering any pat answers. The choice of a high school depends on the interests of the individual student, they say.
But one thing they do emphasize: Regardless of whether a rising ninth-grader applies to a magnet high school or enrolls in a base school or a private school, it's time to start thinking about college. Some Wake eighth-graders will be asked as early as March to start choosing classes for high school, and those choices will affect how universities later view their applications.
To help parents and students alleviate the angst, Q sought the advice of admissions officers at Duke University, N.C. State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Meredith College and N.C. Central University. Also, three families share their stories.
What the experts say
1. Plan early
The seventh or eighth grade isn't too early to start preparing for college, admissions officers say.
But students hit their academic stride at different ages. If the academic light bulb hasn't come on by the eighth grade, the ninth grade is not too late, says Stephen Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill.
"For many students, the transition from middle school to high school is an opportunity for them to reinvent themselves," Farmer says.
School guidance counselors can help with college planning, and there's plenty of information available on college Web sites. Admissions officers recommend that students take advantage of the Web site of the College Foundation of North Carolina, www.cfnc.org, to set up a high school portfolio, find a directory of college prep resources and get expert advice.
"Paying a little bit of attention early in the game can help in putting a student in a situation where they can flourish and where they can grow and be happy and be successful," says Christoph Guttentag, dean for undergraduate admissions at Duke University.
2. Visit campuses
Colleges welcome visits from prospective students, even those in middle school, and their parents.
Such visits may inspire students, says LuAnn Edmonds-Harris, associate director of undergraduate admissions at N.C. Central University. "Sometimes it helps spark the student who may have been sluggish in middle school but now says, 'Gosh, I've been to a college campus, and I know what I have to have to get into this university, and I'm going to really go.' "
3. Choose challenge
For those who have a choice of high schools, parents should put their child's interests ahead of their own aspirations. "Sometimes as parents we project on our kids our own desires," says Thomas H. Griffin, undergraduate admissions director at N.C. State University. "We need to think about our child, who they are."
Colleges are less concerned about which high school a student attends than one might expect. Many colleges simply look for students who stretch to take advantage of available academic opportunities.
"We look at what they've accomplished compared to what's available to them and what their natural talents are," Guttentag says. He urges students to choose schools where they feel comfortable -- and challenged.
Admissions officers have reassuring news for students who wonder whether they should risk a lower GPA and class rank by going to an especially demanding high school: Colleges take into account the rigor of a school's curriculum and its grading patterns.
"We certainly factor into the decision-making what we know about particular schools," Farmer says. "But we admit the students and not the schools they attend."
Regardless of whether students sign up for specialized programs in magnet schools, they need to make sure they complete their core academic courses, says Heidi Fletcher, admissions director at Meredith College.
And if a high school officers Advanced Placement, or AP classes, students should take advantage of them. A single AP course on a transcript may not be impressive if the high school offered 30 of them, Fletcher says. But if the school offered only two AP classes and an applicant took one of them, she would take notice.
4. No, they don't have high school quotas
It's a big myth that UNC institutions limit admissions from certain high schools, admissions officers say.
"No quotas by high school, no quotas by county, no quotas by street," says Farmer of UNC-CH. "The truth is, there are great students across the state of North Carolina, and our job is to try to find them and encourage them, and we don't have an artificial limit."
Adds Edmonds-Harris: "If 5,000 students want to come out of Lenoir County, and they meet all the criteria, we'll take them."
7. Think ahead
Colleges generally look at transcripts from the ninth grade on -- something students should bear in mind when signing up for classes. The classes they choose in the ninth grade will pave the way for the rest of their high school education.
"They really need to get on track their freshman year, because it's really hard to make up time, especially in math and foreign languages," Meredith's Fletcher says.
Edmonds-Harris says high schoolers also should think through the curriculum required for careers that interest them. "Some students will say they want to go into engineering, but they don't like math and don't like science," she says. "Some of them say, 'I want to major in premed, but, oooh, I can't stand the sight of blood.' "
Admissions officers agree that students should aim for the most challenging classes in which they can succeed. "If they take an honors course in English and get a D in it, maybe they should drop back to regular English and take an honors course in U.S. history or something else that is a better fit," Fletcher says.
Few students are academic whiz kids for four straight years, and colleges recognize as much. "Students and parents shouldn't feel that they need to be perfect from Day One on," Duke's Guttentag says. "But the desire to do well, the willingness to try, the willingness to put in real effort to do as well as the student reasonably can, that counts for a lot."
5. Don't obsess on the SAT
The SAT is an important source of information for admissions officers, and students should prepare to take it, as well as the PSAT. Edmonds-Harris recommends that students do a lot of writing to get ready for the writing section of the SAT.
But the SAT is not necessarily the most important factor in winning admission to college. A strong academic record can trump a less-than-stellar SAT score.
NCCU once admitted a student who did poorly on the SAT but was valedictorian of her high school class, Edmonds-Harris says. The student graduated from NCCU in less than four years, at the top of her class. "We want to measure the student on four years as opposed to a test that is just done on one day," Edmonds-Harris says.
Or, as Farmer puts it: "It's easier for a student who is a modest test-taker but an outstanding student to be admitted than it is for someone who is a modest student but an outstanding test-taker. A student who has thrived in a challenging curriculum, a student who has demonstrated an ability to master difficult subjects, is a student who is a good bet, by and large."
6. Be selective about extracurricular activities
Students don't fool anyone, especially college admissions officers, when they sign up for every school club and committee. "What I think students should avoid doing is loading up their schedules with activities they really don't care about because it's easier for them than studying," Farmer says. "That's not in general a good tradeoff."
Not every college considers extracurricular activities when judging applicants. Meredith, for example, looks at a student's extracurricular activities only when deciding whether to award scholarships and honors.
"The best indicator of success in college is a strong academic record of course selection and performance," Fletcher says. "As far as the social and leadership aspects, we feel like we do that very well for any student who comes to Meredith, whether they have had that in high school or not."
Bottom line: Students should choose only activities that are especially meaningful for them.
"It's more important to have a few activities and organizations to be very involved in than being in 100 different organizations just so you can get your picture in the student annual," NCSU's Griffin says.
9. On the margins
While getting good grades is critical for college admission, many colleges have other considerations, too. Students can't do anything about factors such as having parents who are alumni, having a background that would improve diversity on campus or having the athletic talent to make a varsity team.
But there are ways students can give themselves an edge when admissions officers are choosing among applicants who seem equally qualified.
For instance, Meredith looks at trends in grades. A student who didn't do well in ninth grade might have pulled up her grades by senior year. "We like that upward trend," Fletcher says. "If we see the trend going the other direction, we're going to consider that student a risk."
UNC-CH considers dozens of variables when weighing applications, Farmer says. "The ability to persist when the chips are down -- that can help a student," he says. So can a reputation for asking tough questions, being curious or especially good-hearted, writing well or helping other students.
Being an artist, musician, dancer or accomplished actor also can work in a student's favor. "Students can't control the natural talent they have, but they can certainly control the dedication they apply to their gifts," Duke's Guttentag says.
8. Back off, parents
Ninth-graders need advice and support from parents as they map out their high school plans. But later, when it comes time to apply to college, take it from admissions officers: Let the kids do it on their own.
"Students are perfectly capable of handling the admissions process themselves, but parents many times inject themselves into the middle of the process," Griffin says. Students demonstrate responsibility when they handle their own applications, he says.
10. Oh, yeah. Have fun
High school "is not the easiest terrain to navigate," Guttentag says. "That said, high school should also be fun.
"A student or family should try hard to avoid putting children in situations where they are just not going to have any fun because they are overcommitted, because they are in the wrong courses, because they're in the wrong environment. Being a teenager isn't the simplest thing in the world, but it's a lot of fun, too."
Besides, getting a kick out of school may pay off at college application time.
"Probably the most important thing for students to do is to make peace with school and actually try to find a way to enjoy it and to enjoy learning," Farmer says. "In my experience, and I've worked with a lot of really strong students, the ones who really enjoy learning -- and the ones who are eager to do it and the ones who find a way to enrich whatever they are studying -- do great in college admissions."
Describe the ideal applicant for ...
DUKE UNIVERSITY
Christoph Guttentag, dean for undergraduate admissions: "Every ideal applicant
is different. The ideal applicant is someone who has either taken advantage of
opportunities that have been presented to them or has made opportunities where
none existed, who would be a great member of the student community, a great member
of the academic community and a great alumnus or alumna once they graduate. But
beyond that, everyone's different. One of the great things about Duke, and I'm
sure it's applicable to other institutions, is that every individual has something
interesting about them, and that's always different, and that's what's neat."
MEREDITH COLLEGE
Heidi Fletcher, director of admissions: "We really would like to see a student who has a solid foundation in academics, who has stretched herself to take some things that maybe are a little out of her comfort zone but has stayed focused on academics while at the same time taken advantage of some of the extracurricular activities at school or maybe in the community. We do things very individually here at Meredith, and many small schools do the same. The ideal candidate is one who has had a good foundation, who has taken advantage of some opportunities and who is looking to try some new things when they get to college."
N.C. CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
LuAnn Edmonds-Harris, associate director of admissions: "We're looking for students who are in the top half of their class. We're looking for students who are going to be committed to coming in to challenge, yet to be challenged. We're looking for a student who demonstrates leadership, a student who demonstrates that they are active in school activities. It doesn't give you a plus; it doesn't give you any up, if you are in a group, but we just like to look at a well-rounded student. The ideal student for us is one who is committed to receiving a quality academic, mental, social, physical and spiritual education here at North Carolina Central University."
N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY
Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions: "The ideal applicant is a student who has taken good courses in high school, has done well in those classes and has really made the most of their high school opportunities. Nobody is a perfect person or a perfect student, but the ideal applicant is one who has really taken advantage of what their high school is able to offer. You could say number one in class, but that person may not have had additional experiences. If they had taken a few minutes from their studies to be more involved in some other activity, it could make them a better overall student for us."
UNC-CHAPEL HILL
Stephen Farmer, director of undergraduate admissions: "We expect and we want students to bring different talents, interests and skills. If I had to stress a couple of things we hope to see in everybody, one is curiosity: a desire to learn and take advantage of opportunities. That kind of curiosity, that kind of desire, goes a long way toward helping a student be successful here. And the other thing is that a student comes with the capacity to really thrive academically. Not every student has to be good in exactly the same thing, but we hope they all have areas of academic expertise that will allow them really to contribute."
Feb. 11, 2006
News & Observer
By staff report
© Copyright 2006
Police are looking for an N.C. State University student who has not been seen since Sunday.
Vitor Coneglia Franchito, 23, who is originally from Brazil, is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds, according to a Raleigh Police Department news release. Police do not suspect foul play.
Anyone with information is asked to call Raleigh police detectives at 890-3555.
Average corn yields not profitable in today's world
Feb. 13, 2006
Southeast Farm Press
By Roy Roberson
© Copyright 2006
“North Carolina growers should not manage for average corn yields, because ‘average’ is not profitable,” says North Carolina State University Corn Specialist Ronnie Heiniger.
Speaking at the recent North Carolina Corn Producers Association meeting, Heiniger says there are five basic keys to managing a corn crop for high yields.
First, he says is to select high yielding hybrid varieties that have a history of high, uniform stands and yield stress tolerance. Heiniger points out that 70 corn growers in North Carolina were recognized at the annual meeting for producing 200 bushels or more per acre and that one consistent variable among their production practices was use of proven varieties.
After selecting the optimum variety, it is critical to plant enough seed to get an optimum stand without wasting money on over-seeding. Seed cost is a variable often not managed well by corn growers, Heiniger contends.
Though many production factors influence precise seeding rates, in statewide testing on sandy soils, the optimum seeding rate was 40,000 seed per acre. On heavier soils with more organic matter, 35,000 seed per acre provided maximum yields, Heiniger explains.
Depending on soil dynamics and other factors, growers can adjust precise rates up or down from these average rates, Heiniger points out. In 2005, the state yield champion, Hardy Farms planted 35,000 seed per acre and runner up, Justin Carter planted 24,000 seed per acre. Row spacing 30-inch versus 20-inch for the top producer is one factor accounting for the difference in seeding rates.
A simple thing like planter calibration can play a bigger role in reaching yield potential than most growers think, Heiniger contends. “Calibrating the seeder correctly is simple and doesn’t take a lot of time, but not paying attention to this detail can be the limiting factor in reaching 200 bushel per acre yields, the North Carolina corn specialist stresses.
The optimum seed spacing for 30-inch rows is six inches, he notes. Research, he explains, demonstrates that every one inch variation from the standard deviation caused a five bushel per acre drop in yield in field testing in 2005. “When you see a corn field with some plants bunched together and others with wide plant spacings, it’s easy to see how a grower can lose 35-40 bushels per acre just from poor planter calibration, clogging or other mechanical problems that can easily be avoided,” Heiniger stresses.
Quick exploitation of the vertical root system is another of the keys to producing 200 bushel per acre corn, Heiniger contends. In addition to the cost of yield reductions, the high cost of fertilizer makes it doubly important for growers to choose the optimum starter fertilizer that gives corn plants the best chance to establish a strong root system, according to Heiniger.
Proper fertilization is the last key, though it directly affects the other four. “How do we respond to higher fertilizer costs is a question every corn grower is asking, Heiniger says. For growers trying to make maximum yields it is another of those two-edged swords — on one side using enough fertilizer to make maximum yield, and on the other side, not using more than is needed.
Richard Reich, assistant commissioner of agriculture in North Carolina, says their labs completed over 300 corn tissue analyses in 2005, and surprisingly, more samples showed low and deficient sulfur than nitrogen.
Heiniger agrees that low sulfur in 2005 was a more limiting factor on corn yields than nitrogen. Though stopping short of recommending grid sampling in corn fields, the North Carolina State specialist did urge growers to test more thoroughly in low-producing areas of their farm to ensure adequate use of sulfur and other fertilizers.
Potassium is another critical factor affecting corn yield. Heiniger points out that for every 100 pounds of K applied to a corn field, takes $6.25, or about three bushels of corn to pay for it. “Growers can’t cut back on K and expect to produce a top yield, yet in the overall budget for fertilizer there is a set amount for potassium. Thus, putting K in the places in a field where it will do the most good is critical to both yield and profitability.
Determining precise amounts of fertilizer to use is critical in that fertilizer prices are high and corn is a high-demanding crop. The best approach, according to Heiniger is to use 25-50 pounds of N at planting, then use a simple color test, in which small strips are analyzed, to determine which areas of the field used the N and which areas need additional amounts.
Armed with strip test color analysis and well thought out soil testing, growers can make better decisions on which fertilizers to use. Knowing how much nitrogen carryover is in the soil can allow growers to cut back on N in some fields, or even parts of fields.
By carefully managing these five keys, Heiniger contends, North Carolina corn growers can maximize yields and profitability.
e-mail: rroberson@prismb2b.com
Research finds excessive drinking may lead to cancer
Feb. 13, 2006
Daily Colonial (DC)
By Ryan Watkins, NCSU Technician
© Copyright 2006
(U-WIRE) RALEIGH, N.C. -- Last week, results of research done by the International Agency for Research on Cancer was released to the public, stating that too much drinking raises the risk of certain types of cancer, including mouth, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and breast. This is just another example of how things done in excess can lead to harmful side effects.
The study done by the IARC showed many believe total abstinence from drinking would solve this problem, but that is not the case. Other research done over the years has proven that when done moderately, drinking can help combat and even prevent the risks of cardiovascular diseases.
"Lots of things that we do in life can be good or bad based on how much we use them," Chris Austin, the assistant director of Health Promotion at North Carolina State University, said. "If we abuse them, that is where the problem lies."
According to the World Health Organization, in the year 2000 alcohol was the cause of death of 185,000 men and 142,000 women in developed countries. However, in that same year, alcohol prevented the deaths of 71,000 men and 277,000 women.
"Everything causes cancer in excess," Matthew Veety, a senior in electrical and computer engineering, said. "People just need to learn to drink responsibly. Moderation is the important key."
Even the American Heart Association does not have a concrete answer other than drinking excessively will cause negative effects to one's health. Yet at the same time they admit drinking does have some positive side effects.
According to the AHA website, alcohol or some substances such as resveratrol found in alcoholic beverages may prevent platelets in the blood from sticking together. That may reduce clot formation and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.
"For some people, there are indeed some benefits of using alcohol, but like with anything else, there are some very important guidelines," Austin said. "But if you're under 21, you still should not drink at all."
Both the AHA and the IARC recommend watching how much you drink. While the substances inside alcohol may have scientific benefits, the same benefits can be obtained from regular exercise according to the AHA.
Nature lessons make children smarter, fitter
Feb. 13, 2006
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
By Sherrill Nixon
© Copyright 2006
SINCE they began birdwatching, worm farming and gardening during their school day, St Helens Park public school students' grades have soared.
Spotting echidnas and monitoring the health of local rivers near Campbelltown have done wonders for their maths and English marks. The students are beating the state average in the Basic Skills Test and their teachers and parents are reporting all-time high levels of engagement in class.
Led by its principal Andrew Best, the school is at the forefront of an international movement to restore contact between city children and nature.
Advocates say that if cities were more child-friendly and encouraging of a back-to-nature approach, children would learn more easily and they would be less likely to be overweight or need to take drugs such as Ritalin.
Australian and international experts in environment and behaviour studies attended a conference at the University of Sydney at the weekend to discuss the theme of child-friendly cities.
A professor of landscape architecture at North Carolina State University, Robin Moore, said children had lost touch with nature as formal child care, computer games and parents' fear of abduction kept them indoors.
"In just two and a half decades kids have stopped going outdoors, and outdoors is where they need to be to get enough exercise to keep them in good fit condition. Especially if you link that with bad diets, it's a toxic mix," Dr Moore said.
While playground equipment has its place, he said, studies show it limits physical activity because children cluster together. The best kind of outdoor play is where children explore natural environments.
Parents and teachers did not need to visit the country to give children this experience, he said. Tree-filled local parks would do.
In the US, children's museums with outdoor play spaces are popular, while in Europe professional play teams co-ordinate some children's play.
"[If we don't do this] the children are going to start dying before the parents and countries are going to be investing horrendous amounts of money into healthcare systems … beginning in early childhood," Dr Moore said.
A PhD student at Monash University's department of psychology, Kathleen Bagot, is studying how contact with nature affects children's health and wellbeing. Her research shows that children who spent their lunchtime in the playground were mentally and physically fitter than those who spent it in the library.
None of this is news to Mr Best, whose first project at St Helens Park was planting native trees to attract the endangered Regent Honeyeater. Most recently the school has built a frog pond and uses an outdoor amphitheatre for art and drama classes.
"It isn't the tidiest area," he said, "but we want the kids to see what the bush is like.
"Kids should learn that the creepy-crawly things aren't necessarily bad for you."
Feb. 11, 2006
The Age (Australia)
By Luke Benedictus
© Copyright 2006
WHILE romantics splash out on roses, teddy bears and cards dedicated to their "precious little snugglebunny", one symbol inevitably dominates Valentine's Day — the heart.
But it is an anatomical bastardisation. "A picture of a real heart wouldn't be very romantic — it's bloody and messy," says James Shaw, a cardiologist at The Alfred hospital. I don't think you'd woo many women with that if you stuck it on a card."
So how did the heart become the universal logo of love? The most likely answer originates in the ancient city of Cyrene, a Greek colony in what is now Libya. Cyrene was renowned in the 7th century BC for a plant called silphium. The seed pods of this variety of giant fennel were heart-shaped. Silphium was hailed as a miracle plant to treat all sorts of maladies including warts, fever and indigestion.
John Riddle, a medical historian at North Carolina State University, believes that the true reason the plant was so highly prized was that it was a herbal contraceptive. "There were a number of statements in medical works by Hippocrates, Galen, Dioscorides and Soranus that specify the plant was an effective contraceptive," Professor Riddle says. "The plant was so valuable that by the 1st century it was worth its weight in gold."
Classical literature is rife with references to silphium. The Roman bard Catullus alludes to its sexual properties in one of his love poems. When asked how many kisses it will take to satisfy him, he says: "As many as the grains of the sand in the desert near Cyrene where silphium is gathered."
Silphium was harvested with such vigour that it became extinct. The closest you can get to it now is asafetida. It does not lend itself to amorous practices, but does come in handy as a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.
Feb. 13, 2006
Bradenton Herald, Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC), Centre Daily Times (PA)
By Steve Jones
© Copyright 2006
SHALLOTTE, N.C. - Protecting the environment was not the primary motivation for the way developer Buddy Milliken designed his 38-acre Woodsong neighborhood.
Rather, he says he was after the same feeling of well-being he got from two picture books - "This is How We Live in the Town" and "This is How We Live in the Country" - his 17-year-old son brought home 13 years ago from a Montessori school in Wilmington, N.C.
The approach earned him the first outstanding recognition from the new Cape Fear Stewardship Development Awards program. Based on a program the S.C. Department of Natural Resources has done since the 1990s, the Cape Fear program was designed to recognize developers in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties for exemplary protection of natural resources.
In Georgetown County, the Prince George tract development and Huntington Beach State Park have earned S.C. awards. No Horry County developments have been recognized, said S.C. DNR spokesman Brett Witt.
Those who developed the awards say they provide positive reinforcement for those who come up with plans that balance the desire for economic growth with environmental safeguards.
Wilmington Realtor Chip Berry said he believes the potential for such developments is unlimited.
A native of Murrells Inlet, Berry is a former program coordinator for the land division of S.C. DNR. He was instrumental in getting the stewardship awards program started in South Carolina, and exporting it to the Cape Fear region of North Carolina.
In South Carolina, Berry said, "There were some people doing some pretty amazing things and we wanted to recognize them."
What organizers south of the border found after the awards program began, he said, was that developers would come to the DNR for advice. Organizers of the Cape Fear program hope for similar results.
The Cape Fear program has its roots with Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties, but includes a broad range of backers from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association to Brunswick County government.
" All of us are in the throes of substantial growth, both residential and commercial," said Bill Hart, an elected supervisor of the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District and one of the program's originators.
Low-impact development
Low-impact development, said Margo Thompson, a research associate in environment
and energy for the National Association of Home Builders, is that which uses
a system of natural elements to control stormwater.
Things such as minimizing impervious surfaces, using grasses and native vegetation and planning the development's layout to move with the natural land contours are each a part.
" What you want to do is slow down runoff," Thompson said.
The narrow streets of Woodsong weren't necessarily designed to reduce the impervious surfaces, Milliken said, although they do. Rather, his idea was to make streets that could be friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists by reducing sight lines, setting intersections slightly off center and giving the eye interesting vistas to encourage motorists to slow down to the 10 to 12 mph the streets are designed for.
The narrow streets wind past homes nudged toward the front of their lots under a canopy of native oaks and pines. "We drove in and we said, 'Oh,'" Woodsong resident Bob Hopper said of the reaction he and his wife had when they happened into Woodsong late one afternoon.
Those streets also dip toward the center, where grates channel stormwater into a system that flows into a small lake and from there into a woodland stream that empties into a natural wetland. Should so much rain fall to overtop the lake, it is designed to spill through a roadside channel into a grassy area and woodland behind it.
Meeting human needs
Woodsong is as much about meeting human needs, about creating a sense of
community in which one could live a lifetime, Milliken said.
Available residences range from 400-square-foot apartments that rent for
$500 a month to $300,000 homes, and if the next phase of the development
is realized
as it is now envisioned, to assisted living apartments for the elderly.
His hope is that people who move there will not have to "be uprooted if you wake up one day and realize you can no longer live independently."
Milliken said he doesn't know if developments like his make as much money as other kinds of developments. But he's convinced the protection of natural areas relies on attaching value to wooded areas.
That's what Milliken has done by putting paths for residents through Woodsong's woodlands, said Brunswick Soil and Water Conservation District director