RALEIGH — Although proponents claim that North Carolina’s Customzed Training Program, run by the state’s community colleges, has helped lure businesses to the state, the evidence is scanty. Proponents have not cited a single business that will say CTP was a decisive factor in its decision to locate in North Carolina.
KANNAPOLIS — Billionaire David Murdock provided initial funding and the UNC system began a 20-year agreement in which it eventually would own the two buildings (built by Murdock) that its scientists use. Cabarrus County and the city of Kannapolis also contributed, issuing $35 million in debt in December 2010.
RALEIGH — Under the “high tuition, high discount” model, colleges charge high prices to some students while giving large discounts to students they hope to attract — generally brighter or more diverse students — while also increasing revenues. The idea has been around since the 1970s, but there are growing signs that it is unsustainable, and some schools are reversing direction.
RALEIGH — At a conference in New York City on the future of freedom around the world, the consensus among those looking at higher education was that an impending disruption — the bursting of the bubble and subsequent changes in the way students learn — should create opportunities to advance liberty.
RALEIGH — Colleges leave many classrooms unused throughout the day. During an average hour of the school day at UNC-Chapel Hill, for example, less than two-fifths of the school’s classrooms — only 37 percent in Fall 2011, the latest figures available — are being used. Even at times of peak classroom use, more than a quarter of usable classrooms sit empty.
DURHAM — In late August, Duke University received approval from the Chinese government to start a branch campus in Kunshan, China. The controversial venture has caused a number of critics to question Duke’s rationale, as well as the rationale of other prominent American universities that have tried similar operations, with limited success.
RALEIGH — Recent years have seen some tough times for employees and students in the University of North Carolina system, with a number of layoffs, repeated tuition hikes, and few raises. But one group of employees has weathered the storm rather well: campus diversity administrators.
RALEIGH — Speakers at a recent conference at Wake Forest University agreed that it is hard for English majors (and other liberal arts majors) to find jobs after graduation. However, they maintained that, although colleges could do more to help them find jobs, liberal arts remains a worthwhile field of study.
RALEIGH — A directive from the Obama administration’s Office of Civil Rights has lowered the burden of proof required for colleges to punish students for sexual assault, which ranges from attempts of forced kissing up to and including rape. UNC-Chapel Hill’s Honor Court will adopt the new standard.
RALEIGH — What used to be five programs — and a hassle for high school guidance counselors — will be rolled into one, with the process already under way. A sixth program, the Intellectually or Academically Gifted program, is getting the ax.
RALEIGH — The Pope Center tracked these lectures and panel discussions at North Carolina colleges and universities during the past semester. Edifying events were outnumbered by a multitude of lectures with a decidedly leftist tilt.
