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Golden Leaf grants more than $7M
The Golden Leaf Foundation's board of directors says it will dish out $7.37 million in 55 grants to nonprofit organizations and government agencies as part of its mission to help North Carolina transition from a tobacco-dependent economy.
At least
3 UNC campuses proposing increases in tuition
More cost increases could be on the way for campuses in the University of
North Carolina system.
3rd UNC
cap plan proposed
A third plan to change the cap on out-of-state students at North Carolina's
public universities emerged Tuesday, three days before the UNC system's Board
of Governors takes up the debate.
New jobs
come to the Triangle
Economic experts say this is a sign the US economy is truly on the rebound.
Infineon
to create up to 400 jobs at new Cary facility
Infineon Technologies, the world's sixth largest semiconductor manufacturer,
will celebrate the official opening of a new office in CenterGreen office
park in Cary, North Carolina.
N.C.
State Honors Several Donors for Service, Support
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University
has honored four individuals, three power companies, a charitable foundation
and the North Carolina Farm Bureau with awards for service to the college.
Governor's
Office breaks communications logjam on OLF
During a Nov. 3 meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, a
number of commissioners expressed concerns regarding a perceived lack of communication
from Gov. Mike Easley's office on what the state was doing to oppose the Navy's
plan to locate an outlying landing field in Washington County.
Rise
in enrollment cap still viable
A plan to admit more out-of-state students is out for this year, but UNC rethinks
options
UNC to
delay talk of cap hike
Board of Governors will likely put off vote on out-of-state student admission
UNC student
cap vote postponed
With opinions swirling on his board and among the state's citizenry, the chairman
of the UNC system's governing body announced plans Wednesday to delay a vote
on a controversial plan that would allow more out-of-state students to enroll
at UNC institutions.
Opinion:
UNC wise to wait
Raising cap on nonresident students needs explanation
Hello
modder, hello fodder
Thousands of gamers converge at Unreal University
Eating
healthy is fun in these classrooms
N.C. Cooperative Extension
Golden Leaf grants more than $7M
Nov. 12, 2003
Triangle Business Journal
By staff writer
© Copyright 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.
The Golden Leaf Foundation's board of directors says it will dish out $7.37 million in 55 grants to nonprofit organizations and government agencies as part of its mission to help North Carolina transition from a tobacco-dependent economy.
The grants range in size from $5,000 to more than $500,000 and dot the state's geographical landscape. The money comes from Golden Leaf-administered half of the state's settlement with cigarette manufacturers.
Much of the grant money is headed to the Triangle. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received the biggest grant in the state, a $512,500 gift to the school's Golden Leaf Scholars Program.
North Carolina State University received 530,000 in four grants:
Durham Technical Community College was awarded $140,000 for industrial systems technologies. North Carolina Central University won $140,000 to train displaced tobacco workers for career paths in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Also, the Raleigh-based North Carolina Agricultural Foundation received four grants totaling $360,262. The grants focus on organic crops, cheese, bees and training teens in tobacco dependent counties.
The North Carolina Arts Council in Raleigh won $250,000 for its Agri-Cultural Tourism Proposal for Economic Development Year 2. The Raleigh-based North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities garnered $155,000 for Golden Leaf Foundation scholarships. And Raleigh's Save Our State snagged $50,00 for a frontline swine waste management system.
At least 3 UNC campuses proposing increases in tuition
Nov.13, 2003
Associated Press; Winston-Salem Journal; The East Carolinian; Charlotte Observer; Wilmington Morning Star; Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL
By staff writer
© Copyright 2003 Associated Press
More cost increases could be on the way for campuses in the University of North Carolina system.
At least three campuses in the state university system are talking about raising tuition $900 over the next three years. In addition, seven professional schools at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are proposing tuition increases.
Final approval of the campus-based tuition increases is months away. Each school must get them approved by its trustees and then by the UNC board of governors, the body that oversees the 16-campus system. That board expects to take up the issue in February.
Hundreds of system students are opposing rising college costs in letters compiled by the UNC Association of Student Governments. The association plans to give them to legislators and university leaders.
Since 1990, average in-state tuition has risen 134 percent, four times the rate of inflation.
"We have completely forgotten about the students who are the poorest in our state," said Jonathan Ducote, the student representative to the UNC board of governors. "When only 25 percent of citizens in our state have a college education, something's wrong. And we're not doing anything about it by raising tuition."
Tuition has increased nationally as schools grapple with state budget cuts and a competitive higher-education market that demands highly trained faculty, fitness centers, wiring for the Internet and other amenities.
Tuition at UNC system schools is still low compared with other public universities in the country. On average, in-state undergraduates at four-year public universities across the country pay $4,454 in tuition and fees this year, according to the College Board. UNC system schools charge from $2,175 at Elizabeth City State University to $3,993 at N.C. State.
But the costs are rising faster here than in many other states.
Between fall 2001 and fall 2002, North Carolina's public universities raised tuition and fees by 19 percent. Only Massachusetts (24 percent) and Missouri, Iowa and Texas (20 percent each) ranked higher, according to a report from the nonprofit, unaligned National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Jim Phillips, the chairman of the budget and finance committee of the board of governors, said that approval of the increases will depend on what schools plan to do with the money.
At UNC Chapel Hill, the proposed increases range from a low of $300 for in-state students in the law school, to a $9,000 increase to be phased in over three years for North Carolinians in the Kenan-Flagler Business School's master's in business administration and master's in accounting programs.
Other professional schools hoping to raise tuition are journalism and mass communication, social work, government, dentistry, and pharmacy.
Those increases would come in addition to a proposed tuition increase of $900 over three years for all students on the Chapel Hill campus.
Nov. 13, 2003
Greensboro News & Record
By John Newsom, staff writer
© Copyright 2003 News & Record
A third plan to change the cap on out-of-state students at North Carolina's public universities emerged Tuesday, three days before the UNC system's Board of Governors takes up the debate.
The latest proposal would let state universities petition the board to raise the cap, which limits out-of-state students to 18 percent of an incoming freshman class.
But this plan would apply only to specific programs that train workers for fields such as nursing and teaching, where demand is high but supply is short.
"I just think it makes more sense to base your enrollment management policy on the economic and employment needs of the state," said Jonathan Ducote, president of the UNC Association of Student Governments and author of this plan.
Ducote, a senior at N.C. State, is a nonvoting member of the UNC Board of Governors. The association's members are the student body presidents at the 16 state universities. The group voted last month to oppose raising the cap on out-of-state students to 22 percent.
Ducote's plan will be one of three that the Board of Governors will consider when it meets Friday in Chapel Hill.
UNC-Chapel Hill touched off the debate this fall when it announced that it wants to admit more out-of-state students, who are trying to get into the university in record numbers. The number of out-of-state students UNC-CH turned down this year -- 8,609 -- was more than the number of applications it got from N.C. residents.
University officials say its plan would help the state in two ways:
• It would provide the state with more brain power, as about half of out-of-state students who attend UNC schools stay here after graduation.
• It also would prevent brain drain. About 1,500 N.C. residents turned down a UNC-CH admissions offer this fall, and university officials say many of those chose out-of-state colleges that have a higher proportion of students from across the nation.
The UNC-CH plan would require universities to admit more in-state students as well.
The new out-of-state students must have high academic credentials.
Two board members from Charlotte floated an alternative plan that would let individual universities exceed the cap, but only if the board accepted what they called "compelling reasons" to do so.
There is precedent for Ducote's plan, a variation of the second proposal. In November 2002, the Board of Governors approved a pilot program at three state schools -- Elizabeth City State, UNC-Pembroke and Western Carolina -- that lets prospective teachers from outside the state get in-state tuition rates if they agree to work in North Carolina's public schools for four years.
This project is intended to ease the state's teacher shortage. The state's public schools hire about 10,000 new teachers each year, and N.C. teacher education programs produce roughly a third of that number each year.
Board member Priscilla Taylor supports the UNC-CH proposal. The university system's primary mission is to serve the state residents, she noted, and the UNC-CH plan does just that.
But Taylor, a UNC-CH graduate and executive director of Greensboro's Cemala Foundation, said the university's argument has been drowned out by fears that the plan would deny N.C. residents seats at the state's best-known university.
"If it's going to cause such a furor across the state and in the General Assembly," Taylor said, "then I think we have to be really careful."
The N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and N.C. A&T's engineering program are exempt from the cap.
Nov, 12, 2003
News 14 Carolina
By staff writer
© Copyright 2003 TWEAN Newschannel of Raleigh, L.L.C. dba News 14 Carolina
Infineon will use its new Cary location to research and develop computer chips that go in sport utility vehicles. Tom Drabenstott is one of the new employees. Before he landed this job he was out of work for nine months.
“Month after month you go through and you don't get much opportunity. No interviews no call backs. Just a lot of resumes go out and nothing comes back. It gets down right depressing at times,” recalls Drabenstott.
To make things worse, his new wife was expecting a baby. Drabenstott say the pressure to find a job almost became overwhelming.
"When I finally got the call I got the job I was jumping up and down,” said Drabenstott. “It was too good to be true"
Infineon officials they chose North Carolina for a number of reasons.
"The first factor was access to available talent that we could attract and retain here. Second was an environment that people would enjoy being at. Last was a business friendly environment which included the government relations,” said Infineon President, Tom LeFort.
Economic experts say this is a sign the US economy is truly on the rebound. In fact this many say this is just the beginning of a much larger job increase here in the Triangle.
"This area the Triangle I think will exceed the national rate of growth. We still have a lot of good characteristics that will attract business in the long run,” said Dr. Mike Walden, NCSU economic expert.
That means the thousands of Triangle residents still out of work could have an income again very soon.
Drabenstott says starting over isn't easy. "Having been out of work for as long as I was and not being able to find anything in this area it's going to take a little while before I feel personally secure in the job,” he said.
Officials at Infineon say they would like to hire as many local residents as possible. But they're main objective is to find the best employees available even if that means going elsewhere to hire.
Infineon to create up to 400 jobs at new Cary facility
Nov. 12, 2003
Triangle Tech Journal, Business Wire
By staff writer
© Copyright 2003 Triangle Tech Journal
Cary, NC - Infineon Technologies, the world's sixth largest semiconductor manufacturer, will celebrate the official opening of a new office in CenterGreen office park in Cary, North Carolina, today. Since announcing its planned expansion in May, Infineon has doubled its work force in the area, to 150 employees, and states that it is on track to grow up to 400 employees in Cary by 2007.
For the Triangle and the state of North Carolina, Infineon's expansion will provide a nice economy boost through its well paid new hires and through the additional ripple effect that the company's facility will create. N.C. State University Economics professor, Dr. Michael Walden, projects a gross state product increase of $620 million and more than 650 jobs created in the next ten years (including the 400 direct employees of Infineon).
Infineon is headquartered in Munich, Germany and employees close to 2,800 people through its subsidiaries in the United States. The company has seven development centers and operational offices, with locations in San Jose, California; Williston, Vermont; Cary, North Carolina; the Hudson River Valley Corridor of New York; Longmont, Colorado; Morgan Hill, California; and Princeton, New Jersey. Additionally, almost 1,800 employees work at a state of the art manufacturing site in Richmond, Virginia, where Infineon has invested more than US $1.7 billion.
"The expansion of our business operations in North Carolina plays a key role in our growth strategy for North America. We get much closer contact to our customers in the Eastern U.S. and create a new link in a worldwide network of offices that can work 24-7 to meet our customers' needs," commented Robert LeFort, President of Infineon Technologies North America Corp.
N.C. State Honors Several Donors for Service, Support
Nov. 12, 2003
The Pilot
By staff writer
© Copyright 2003 The Pilot
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University has honored four individuals, three power companies, a charitable foundation and the North Carolina Farm Bureau with awards for service to the college.
The awards were presented Sunday, Nov. 2, during the college’s annual Donor Recognition Gala luncheon. Dr. Johnny Wynne, interim dean of the college, presided, while the event was attended by N.C. State Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and Provost James Oblinger.
Former North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham was honored with the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award. Graham, who retired after serving as agriculture commissioner for almost 40 years, is the first recipient of the award. He is now serving as the college’s first Executive in Residence.
Wynne called Graham’s impact on North Carolina agriculture and agribusiness “truly immeasurable.”
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall; Fleet Sugg, former head of the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association; and Jeff Tennant, an executive with Farm Progress Companies, a leading agricultural publisher, each received 2003 Outstanding Volunteer Awards.
Marshall is a longtime supporter of the North Carolina 4-H program, which is in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is also the 2003 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the 2002 4-H Alumni Award winner.
Sugg, a Pine Tops resident and member of the N.C. State class of 1948, is a former president of the NC State Alumni Association, founding president of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Society Board of Directors and past chairman of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation Inc.
Tennant, a Raleigh resident and project publishing manager for Farm Progress Companies, was honored for his service as president of the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina FFA Foundation. Dean Wynne noted that Tennant led the NC FFA Foundation through a reorganization and eventual merger with the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation.
In addition, three power companies — Progress Energy, Duke Power and Dominion North Carolina — were honored with 2003 Outstanding Corporate Donor Awards. Since 1948, the three power companies have supported the North Carolina 4-H Electric Project, providing educational programs in all 100 North Carolina counties.
4-H Electric Congress, the annual highlight of the program, is recognized as the most outstanding educational and awards and incentives program offered by the North Carolina 4-H program.
The A.E. Finley Foundation, a long-time supporter of college programs, was honored as the 2003 Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation.
The foundation, which is based in Raleigh, is a major sponsor of the JC Raulston Arboretum Gala in the Garden, an annual fund-raising event for the arboretum.
A.E. Finley Foundation also made a $100,000 commitment to fund construction of the Rooftop Garden at the Ruby C. McSwain Education Center at the arboretum and is a sponsor of the Marian Nottingham Finley and Marian Nottingham Rice Rose Garden Endowment. In addition, the Foundation has supported 4-H programs.
The first Outstanding Commodity Organization Award went to the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation. Dean Wynne cited the Farm Bureau for its support of Tailgate, an annual reunion of college alumni, as well participation in a range of other college programs.
Governor's Office breaks communications logjam on OLF
Nov. 13, 2003
Washington Daily News
By Bill Sandifer, staff writer
© Copyright 2003 Washington Daily News
During a Nov. 3 meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, a number of commissioners expressed concerns regarding a perceived lack of communication from Gov. Mike Easley's office on what the state was doing to oppose the Navy's plan to locate an outlying landing field in Washington County.
Several complaints stemmed from the failure to return phone calls placed by County Manager Chris Coudriet and board Chairman Bill Sexton.
So frustrated was Sexton, he proposed a resolution be sent to Easley requesting an update on the state's position on the OLF.
Prior to a Nov. 5 OLF meeting in which N.C. State University representatives discussed tax and legal issues on the proposed buyout, Commissioner Wesley Stokes told the audience he had communicated the board's concerns to Franklin Freeman, Easley's top aide.
On Monday, Stokes, four other commissioners, the county manager, Plymouth Mayor Brian Roth and Roper Mayor Bunny Sanders met with Freeman and three other staff members in Raleigh.
Some of the perceived information vacuum reportedly was chalked up to a communication breakdown.
However, to establish a reliable line of contact, Stokes said the Governor's Office will work through one county office from now on.
"All contacts now will go to the county manager," noted Stokes. "Then everyone will be receiving the same information."
Methods aside, Stokes said Freeman indicated that nothing had changed in the interim.
"The governor's staff is looking into some things," said Stokes. But they "don't feel that there's one particular thing that will stop (the OLF)."
Stokes indicated that some had felt the state had a bombshell in its arsenal of tactics.
However, Stokes, clearly pessimistic by his tone of voice, said his impression from talking to the governor's staff was there was "no such bomb."
Still, Stokes added, Freeman indicated the governor's position opposing an OLF in Washington County "has not changed."
On Tuesday, Plymouth Mayor Brian Roth offered a more optimistic take on Monday's meeting.
"My confidence level hasn't changed at all," said Roth. "I know and understand the significance of what the state's working on."
A realist, Roth still urges residents in the buyout area to have a plan B.
"Obviously, there are no guarantees," he said in recommending that residents follow the advice presented by N.C. State tax and legal professionals who spoke at the Plymouth meeting last week.
Their advice was for residents to hire their own tax and legal professionals to provide guidance and property appraisals prior to any Navy offers to purchase property, a process that could begin as early as January, according to the Navy.
Having an alternative plan doesn't suggest a lost cause, Roth insisted.
"Although it's true there are no guarantees," he contended, "that does not lessen the potency of what (the state is) trying to put together."
Roth said Freeman has emphasized that the governor is not willing to settle for the other, originally preferred OLF site in Craven County just to get Washington County off the hook.
(The Craven site, designated in the July 2002 draft environmental impact statement on the OLF issue, joined the Washington County site as the Navy's top two preferences. However, the FEIS, released July 18, indicated the Craven site no longer was under consideration because of wetlands concerns.)
"They're not doing this to move this from one problem location to another problem location," explained Roth.
Instead, the state, said Roth, is encouraging the Navy "to look at additional OLF sites that were not part of the original FEIS and have the Navy come forward with sites that are acceptable to the state."
In underscoring his confidence in the governor's effort, Roth said, "I think the governor and his staff are as committed ... as they have ever been."
Commissioner Billy Corey, noted for a straight-talking, no-nonsense approach, staked out the middle ground.
Following the meeting with the governor's staff, Corey said on Tuesday, "I feel the same that we have all along that the governor is working as hard as he can. I think he'll use every opportunity he can to keep it out of here."
But as a realist, Corey added, "If he can't stop it, he's got the power to get more squadrons," referring to F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets that will be based at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in Havelock. Two out the 10 new Super Hornet squadrons that reportedly will be using the OLF are going to Cherry Point.
Although Corey said he's never felt the state had any "silver bullet" that would stop the OLF, he's confident that a cooperative effort could prove successful.
"I do think it's like a big wheel," he said. "All the spokes in the wheel" -- the Audubon Society, the governor's and congressional delegation's support and grassroots activism -- "Those are the thing that are gonna make it go away."
Corey said he took a page out of Virginia's book, noting that residents, tired of noise, continued to raise a stink until they goaded the Navy into seeking an alternative OLF site -- the property in Washington County. Corey said that approach can work for Washington County.
"We cannot let it die," he explained, urging everyone opposed to the OLF to take every opportunity to be a "burr" in the Navy's saddle.
"I feel like we got a real good chance to win this thing," he concluded.
Rise in enrollment cap still viable
Nov. 13, 2003
The News & Observer
By Jane Stancill, staff writer
© Copyright 2003 The News & Observer Publishing Company.
CHAPEL HILL -- The question of whether to allow more out-of-state students in the University of North Carolina system won't be answered soon, but the issue is not dead.
Brad Wilson, UNC Board of Governors chairman, said a board committee will continue to study whether to lift the 18 percent limit on out-of-state freshmen to 22 percent.
"We want to do it right, not fast," Wilson said in a briefing with reporters Wednesday, two days before a vote on the topic had been scheduled by the board.
No decision will come in time for campuses to make any changes for the fall of 2004. And now that several alternative proposals have emerged, the contentious debate is likely to stretch for months.
Meanwhile, UNC-Chapel Hill officials, who had pushed the plan to raise the cap, thanked the board for considering the issue. Chancellor James Moeser said the university proposed a modest change because it would be good for North Carolina.
"We also knew that such deliberations would generate much discussion, because North Carolinians care so deeply about their universities," he said in a statement. "We advanced the discussions in good faith and in the context of our goal to become the nation's leading public university. We want the university to be the best that it can be for the state of North Carolina and the nation."
The proposal unleashed angry responses from public school leaders, taxpayers and legislators, who argued that any increase in out-of-state students would shut the door on qualified North Carolinians. UNC-CH leaders insisted they would boost the university's in-state population at the same time.
The issue prompted newspaper editorials and columns, and Wilson said he had received about 50 e-mail messages, most expressing opposition. "There are a lot of parents that are writing, saying they are afraid that it might hurt their student's chances of getting into a particular school," he said.
The UNC board's educational planning, policies and programs committee will reconsider the issue today and likely remove it from the full board's agenda for Friday. Then, the committee will mull a variety of proposals starting in January. Eventually, Wilson said, the panel will "recognize when it's the right time, if at all, to bring a recommendation back to the board."
Among the ideas on the table will be a proposal to raise tuition for out-of-state students in an effort to make a higher cap more politically palatable. Currently, out-of-state students at UNC-CH pay about 95 percent of the cost of their education -- the rest is covered by state subsidy.
UNC-CH Student Body President Matt Tepper said a campus forum last month showed widespread support among students for enrolling more non-North Carolinians to increase the intellectual climate and geographic diversity on campus.
"There are so many reasons why it's a good thing to do for our university and our state," he said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get there eventually."
A recent survey showed more public support than Wilson's mailbox would indicate. In a statewide telephone survey of 512 people by the UNC-CH School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 52 percent of the respondents said they supported raising the cap. The poll was conducted between Nov. 2 and Nov. 6 and had a margin of error of four percentage points.
The ultimate decision won't get any easier, Wilson said. But he insisted the discussion is worthwhile.
"Because it may be complicated, and because it may be sensitive, and because it may, in fact, be heated at times does not mean we shouldn't do it," he said. "If you can't have this kind of conversation within a university, where in the world can you have it?"
Staff writer Jane Stancill can be reached at 956-2464.
Nov. 13, 2003
The Wilmington Star-News
By Sherry Jones, staff writer
© Copyright 2003 The Wilmington Star-News.
Plans to add more out-of-state students to the UNC system will likely be postponed today, the chairman of the Board of Governors said Wednesday.
Chairman Brad Wilson said he has asked the board's educational planning, policies and programs committee to reconsider its recommendation to raise the cap on out-of-state freshmen from 18 percent to 22 percent.
Although Mr. Wilson said he hadn't talked to all of the committee members, he expects the motion to pass when the committee meets today in Chapel Hill.
"The proposal is not dead," he said. "This is a continuation of our deliberative process."
The UNC Board of Governors had been scheduled to vote Friday on raising the out-of-state cap on the freshman class. Mr. Wilson said growing opposition to the recommendation and the surfacing of alternative proposals led to his request.
"The timing is just not right," said Brent Barringer, a board member from Cary. "I can't tell you within a year when the timing will be right. There is the genesis of a good idea here, but it needs refinement and expansion, and it needs to be made more attractive from a political and public-policy standpoint."
The proposal, pushed by UNC-Chapel Hill, has sparked outrage among many state taxpayers who want their sons and daughters to have a shot at admission to the university. Opponents fear that more out-of-state students would hurt the chances of in-state students, although UNC-CH officials have insisted they want to increase the numbers of both groups.
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington Board of Trustees hasn't taken an official position on the issue.
Mark Lanier, special assistant to the UNCW chancellor, said people on campus have varying opinions.
"I personally can see various benefits of raising the cap, and I can see various concerns and problems," he said Tuesday.
One of the main advantages of having more out-of-state students, Mr. Lanier said, is that they pay higher tuition. That provides more money for a better-quality education for everybody, he said
Another benefit is that the university would get more people who are different and students at a higher academic level, Mr. Lanier said.
"We can attract some very bright out-of-state students," he said, explaining that this helps bring up the level of classroom discourse.
The chief opposition comes from those who feel an increase in the cap would take slots away from North Carolina students.
Mr. Wilson said he had received more e-mail messages and letters on this issue than any other during his six-year tenure on the Board of Governors.
"It's overwhelmingly in opposition to any liberalization to the cap," Mr. Wilson said.
The cap, first established in 1986, applies to 15 of the 16 UNC campuses. The N.C. School of the Arts is exempt from the limit, and the board has allowed North Carolina A&T State University to bring more out-of-state freshmen into its engineering program.
Some campuses don't come close to enrolling 18 percent of their students from out of state.
"The concerns cannot be taken lightly or ignored," Mr. Wilson said. "We must be absolutely certain that we do not act before we have reviewed and considered all alternatives."
He said he doesn't have a specific timetable for the committee to reconsider the issue.
"We're not going to rush it," he said. "We're going to take whatever time it needs to make sure everybody is heard and to make sure all the alternatives are on the table. We want to do it right, not fast."
This article contains material from The Associated Press.
UNC student cap vote postponed
Nov. 13, 2003
The Durham Herald-Sun
By Eric Ferreri, staff writer
© Copyright 2003 The Durham Herald Company.
CHAPEL HILL -- With opinions swirling on his board and among the state's citizenry, the chairman of the UNC system's governing body announced plans Wednesday to delay a vote on a controversial plan that would allow more out-of-state students to enroll at UNC institutions.
This afternoon, a committee of the UNC system's Board of Governors is expected to reconsider a recommendation it made last month that sent the plan to the full board for a vote. By doing that, the plan will be taken off the board's agenda.
Originally, the board was expected to vote on the proposal Friday.
The delay will give the board's Committee on Educational Planning, Policies and Programs more time to consider the still-growing pool of alternative proposals that has emerged since the original plan was crafted. It could be several months before a new, revised proposal reaches the board for review.
For UNC Chapel Hill, the strongest proponent of loosening the enrollment cap, the delay eliminates the opportunity to enroll more out-of-state students in next year's fall freshman class.
Board Chairman Brad Wilson's decision came in the face of mounting public opposition to the university's proposal, but was prompted more significantly by the amount of debate among board members, Wilson said Wednesday.
"We now have multiple policy proposals before the board," Wilson said. "Because the alternate drafts advanced in recent weeks differ substantively from the version put forward by the Ed Planning Committee, it seems appropriate to delay any action by the full board and to ask the committee to engage in further review and deliberation."
The first plan, put forth by UNC system staff members, would allow 15 public universities to exceed the 18-percent cap on out-of-state freshmen by up to 4 percent. It is intended to allow institutions to bring more high-achieving students from outside North Carolina.
One alternate plan that's come up in recent weeks suggests allowing the added out-of-state enrollment on a campus-by-campus basis. A second would allow specific university programs that need more students -- like teaching and nursing -- to bring in more nonresidents. A third would raise tuition for non-North Carolinians so that the state wouldn't subsidize any piece of their education.
None of the three alternate plans have yet been discussed formally by any board committees or the full board.
While denying that rising opposition to the plan was the key reason for delaying the vote, Wilson did acknowledge that growing public sentiment against the proposal did play a factor in his decision.
"I've gotten a lot of e-mail," he said. "I would say I've probably received 40 to 50 e-mails, and they have overwhelmingly opposed any liberalization of the cap. There are lots of parents writing, saying it might hurt their child's chances of getting into a particular UNC institution."
The board will not hurry the debate along, Wilson said, declining to set any timeline for a new decision on the issue.
"We're not going to rush this," he said. "We're going to take whatever time we need to make sure everyone is heard. The proposal is not dead."
Opposition to the original plan has been broad. The state's school boards association criticized it, and several local school boards have as well. It has been a subject of much fodder on the editorial pages of the state's newspapers, many of which have taken the university to task for considering a plan that appears to hurt educational access for state citizens.
And politicians have had their say too, with some raising the specter of legislation that would bring the cap back down or even lower it from the original 18 percent level if the university went ahead and raised it.
"We have heard from legislators and appropriately so," Wilson said. "They have heard from their constituents."
State Sen. Richard Stevens, a Wake County Republican and former chairman of the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, said delaying the vote was probably the best decision. Judging from the barrage of e-mails and phone calls he's received, public sentiment is soundly against the plan to bring in more out-of-state students, he said.
"I understand the rationale for raising the quota, but I can tell you from discussing it that there's a tremendous opposition from the general public," Stevens said. "As one legislator said to me, 'I don't have any constituents who have children who live out of state.' "
The latest counter-proposal to pop up this week came from board member Brent Barringer of Cary. Barringer, along with board colleagues Leroy Lail and Jim Phillips, want to increase tuition for out-of-state students so they pay the entire cost of their education, thus relieving the state of any financial responsibility.
On Wednesday, Barringer backed Wilson's decision to delay a vote on the enrollment issue. His alternate proposal and two others put forth in recent weeks indicate that board members have more to say on the issue.
"I think there's a group on the Board of Governors who, on slightly different tracks, are moving in the same direction," Barringer said. "It just needs a lot more thought and discussion."
Had the board approved a loosening of the enrollment cap this week, UNC Chapel Hill would have put a plan in motion to bring in about 45 more out-of-state students for the 2004-05 freshman class. With the delay, that won't happen next fall. Even if the board does approve a plan early this spring, it will be too late to incorporate it into the next admissions cycle.
"We proposed a discussion about the out-of-state enrollment cap because we believe a modest change in the current policy would be good for North Carolina," UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "We also knew that such deliberations would generate much discussion because North Carolinians care so deeply about their universities. We advanced the discussions in good faith and in the context of our goal to become the nation's leading public university."
Nov. 13, 2003
The Charlotte Observer
© Copyright 2003 The Charlotte Observer.
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors is wisely postponing a decision on a sticky and divisive issue: whether to raise a cap on the number of out-of-state students from 18 to 22 percent.
UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser had asked the board to revise its policy to allow campuses to admit more of the best students from other states. He reasons that the influx of top national scholars will improve not only the student body but also the overall excellence of the institution.
But it's controversial -- as all ideas from Chapel Hill seem to be. N.C. voters recently approved a $3 billion bond issue for the UNC system's 16 campuses. Any policy that smacks of limiting opportunity for the sons and daughters of N.C. taxpayers to attend UNC Chapel Hill or N.C. State University in Raleigh is going to generate more heat than light in the legislature. Sure enough, some lawmakers are opposing the proposal, even though it's up to the board of governors to decide.
In a way, all the controversy is a tribute to UNC Chapel Hill and to N.C. State. The simple fact is that both campuses are overwhelmed with in-state applications for places in the freshman class, as well as applications from top students outside the state.
But what many do not understand is that UNC Chapel Hill proposes to increase the enrollment of the actual number of in-state students. There are several scenarios. One proposal is that for every additional out-of-state student admitted, the university must admit at least one additional in-state student.
It's worth noting that some other states have caps on out-of-state freshman enrollment. UNC's planning office says the University of Georgia has a 15 percent cap on nonresidents, while the University of Texas and the University of California's campuses have a 10 percent cap. The University of Virginia, by contrast, has a 33 percent nonresident population and the University of Michigan has an unofficial policy of no more than 33 percent nonresident freshmen.
Chancellor Moeser's argument to expand the out-of-state presence is reasonable. But he also understands that the university must reassure the public that not only will it not reduce the number of places for in-state students, but that it intends to increase space for Tar Heel students as well. To do otherwise would be an insult to the N.C. taxpayers who have long supported the university's expansion plans.
Should the non-resident population jump immediately to 22 percent? It should not, unless university officials wish to squander some badly-needed credibility and good will with the public and the legislature. The university should move carefully and thoughtfully to expand its nonresident population -- and it should devise programs to make sure the system meets the needs of in-state students who are not admitted so that out-of-state students can be.
Solar Center Adds Alternative Fuels Facility
Nov. 12, 2003
Solar Access
By staff report
© Copyright 2003 solaraccess.com
Raleigh, North Carolina - November 12, 2003 [SolarAccess.com] Environmental leaders from across North Carolina gathered to dedicate an Alternative Fuels Vehicle demonstration facility and celebrate the 15th anniversary of the North Carolina Solar Center. The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association was also recognized for 25 years of service in renewable energies. The event was held at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Solar House.
The Alternative Fuels Vehicle (AFV) Facility will serve as a research and education facility for a variety of alternative fuels. An assortment of vehicles is housed at the facility to demonstrate the use of these alternative fuels. The outreach mission of the facility is further enhanced by hands-on displays and guided tours to explain alternative fuel use, production, and impact. Roof integrated photovoltaic panels provide a portion of the electrical energy required to charge the batteries of the demonstration electric vehicles.
The AFV Facility is adjacent to the NCSU Solar House. Maintained and administered by the North Carolina Solar Center, the Solar House has developed into a leading educational and demonstration showcase for solar and energy-efficient technologies. In the successful tradition of the Solar House, the new AFV facility adds alternative fuels to the North Carolina Solar Center's outreach, education and research activities.
The dedication and anniversary included the showcase of a small-scale biodiesel-processing facility, a 1 kW Bergey wind turbine, and six alternative fuel vehicles. The vehicles encompassed a wide range of alternative fuel technologies, including a biodiesel dump truck and a propane vehicle from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT). The event was highlighted by speeches from Secretary Bill Ross, of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Deputy Secretary Carlton Myrick, of the North Carolina Department of Administration; and NCSU Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs John Gilligan. Kim Kristoff, who is the President of Gemtek Products and the Chairman of the Biobased Manufacturers Association, gave the keynote address on realizing the potential of biomass technologies. State Representative Joe Tolson (D-Edgecombe, North Carolina) was also recognized with an award for his leadership in the promotion of alternative fuels use in North Carolina.
Founded in 1988, the North Carolina Solar Center represents a singular partnership among the state government of North Carolina, the College of Engineering and Industrial Extension Service of NCSC, and the solar energy industry. Recognizing the need for a central clearinghouse that could assist the state's citizens, businesses and institutions in utilizing renewable energy, these entities joined forces to launch the Solar Center with sponsorship from the State Energy Office of the North Carolina Department of Administration and also the U.S. Department of Energy.
The mission of the North Carolina Solar Center is to advance the use of renewable energy resources to ensure a sustainable economy that protects our natural environment, encourages energy independence, and lowers energy costs for consumers. The dedication of the AFV Facility continues this mission into the field of Alternative Fuels through research and education.
Thousands of gamers converge at Unreal University
Nov. 12, 2003
CNN
By Walt McGraw, staff report
© Copyright 2003 cnn.com
(CNN) -- Forget Camp Granada. I recently got to spend a weekend at game developers camp, aka Unreal University.
Hundreds of folks from all over the country attended the event sponsored by Epic Games (makers of the hugely popular "Unreal" franchise published by Atari), NVIDIA (of high-end graphics card fame) and North Carolina State University.
If you're a gamer, you probably already know what a modder is. It's somebody who takes one of the popular game engines (think Unreal Technology) and bends it to his or her will. It can be something simple like tweaking a level, or as hard-core as creating a game from scratch. Modding was what the weekend was all about.
Most of Unreal University's students were modders hoping to break into the industry. They were there to get a leg up on the competition. Yes, competition. Gamers are a competitive bunch, and right now a slew of them seem to have their sights set on winning more than a million dollars in cash and prizes in NVIDIA's "Make Something Unreal Contest."
Epic's lead designer, Cliff Blezinski, told me, "Nothing makes a better resume than actually making your own mod." And it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a big, fat check burning a hole in your pocket, along with one of the other big prizes: An Unreal Engine license worth about $350,000. Win that, and you can put your mod on store shelves next to the big boys.
Blezinski says, given the success of the Unreal University weekend, there's a good chance there will be another event like it.
In the meantime, get to work on those mods. There are lots of categories, including best level, best vehicle and best use of 3-D sound. Winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California, in March. So you still have some time to turn the competition into fodder.
Eating healthy is fun in these classrooms
Nov.13, 2003
Knight Ridder News Service; Salt Lake Tribune, UT
By staff report
© Copyright 2003
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Four-year-old Davis Cheek nibbled his cauliflower and made a discovery. "Hey, it is good," he announced. "I tasted a little bit of it, and it's good!"
If you have ever struggled to persuade a child to try new, healthy foods, the sound of a kid singing the praises of raw cauliflower is sweet indeed. But in the classrooms at Charlotte's YWCA Uptown Child Development Center, such declarations aren't unusual. Trying new foods is just part of the classroom experience.
The child-care center is among hundreds of N.C. child-care providers now using "Color Me Healthy," a preschool curriculum designed to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.
Developed two years ago by the N.C. Division of Public Health and N.C. Cooperative Extension at N.C. State University, "Color Me Healthy" aims to sell youngsters on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity while their habits are still being shaped.
A new study suggests such guidance is sorely needed. The study examined eating habits of 3,000 U.S. infants and toddlers and found that nearly 25 percent of those 19 to 24 months old ate no fruits or vegetables in a day, though most consumed sweets, desserts or salty snacks daily. Commissioned by baby-food maker Gerber Products Co., the study also found that the median calorie intake for children 1 to 2 years old was nearly 30 percent more than that age group needs.
Since 1980, the percentage of overweight children ages 6-11 has nearly doubled, to 13 percent. For adolescents ages 12-19, it has nearly tripled, to 14 percent. Doctors now see overweight children with type 2 diabetes, until recently considered an adult disease.
But teachers using "Color Me Healthy" can instill healthy habits early and help prevent weight problems later, says N.C. Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist Carolyn Dunn, one of the curriculum's authors.
Teachers using the "Color Me Healthy" curriculum get posters, picture cards and a CD of songs that teach healthy habits while encouraging marching, jumping and running around.
They also get scripts that prompt children to act out activities as teachers guide them on imaginary trips -- to the beach or farm, for instance.
And they learn ways to introduce new fruits and vegetables. The curriculum even involves parents by providing newsletters with health tips and kid-friendly recipes.
In the YWCA uptown center
classroom recently, kids walked, jumped and danced to the "Heartbeat Beat"
song:
When I walk around (beat beat)
My heart makes this sound (beat beat)
I walk faster, it beats faster
I can feel my heartbeat beat
During a pause between songs, 4-year-old Shamarie Grant held hand to chest and
announced: "My heart is beeping."
After working up an appetite, the class sat down to snack on raw carrots, celery,
broccoli and cauliflower, accompanied by ranch dressing and peanut butter for
dipping.
In a nearby classroom, teacher Elaine Johnson's students discovered where orange
juice comes from by producing their own. Supplied with orange quarters in plastic
bags, the children squeezed while providing commentary:
"I can't squish. The juice won't come out of mine."
"Ms. Elaine, mine is all messy."
Launched in 2001, "Color Me Healthy" has trained more than 4,000 child-care providers across the state. The initiative focuses on child-care centers and homes whose students include low-income children.
The program has begun drawing national notice. The nonprofit Dannon Institute recently gave "Color Me Healthy" a national award of excellence in community nutrition. And in August, N.C. officials trained health educators in 10 other states, so they could then train child-care workers to use the curriculum.
At the uptown YWCA, Director Ginger Evans believes "Color Me Healthy" is making a difference.
The center has always tried to teach healthy eating and exercise habits, but the curriculum "has helped to focus us and given us ideas," Evans says.
It has also prompted the
staff to re-examine the snacks and meals it serves students and staff. Desserts
are typically fruits. "You don't have to serve them cookies, cakes or pies,"
she says. "They will eat what is put before them."
Advice for parents
*Tips on helping kids develop healthy eating and exercise habits, from "Color
Me Healthy" newsletters:
* Encourage children to try new foods by letting them pick out a new fruit,
vegetable or grain each week at the grocery store.
* Cut down on television. Studies show that kids who watch the least TV are
least likely to be overweight.
* Instead of renting a video, use the money to buy an inexpensive toy, such
as a jump rope, ball or Frisbee.
* Encourage kids to drink water by letting them drink it out of a sports bottle.