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Hampton Dellinger on Higher Education
John Hope Franklin arrived at Fisk University hoping to hurry through school so that he could join his father's legal practice. Luckily for his generation, and many to come, Franklin took a history class from a young professor, Theodore Currier. Dr. Franklin later told The Black Collegian that "within my first term, I knew I had career problems. He was so transforming, so powerful, so influential. I knew I wanted to be a historian just like him." The rest, shall we say, is history. Dr. Franklin went on to become on of our nation's great historians and educators and a leader in the civil rights movement. He is one of our state's great treasures, and I am grateful for his support of my campaign.
Dr. Franklin's experience represents the best that our colleges and universities can provide, inspiring a lifelong love of learning and a full career serving others. North Carolina's tremendous public and private colleges, universities and community colleges provide these opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. But they can be even better. We can make college more affordable while enhancing the college experience. My proposals for higher education in North Carolina include:
- Loan Repayment and Forgiveness: Expanding loan repayment and forgiveness programs and other means of easing the burden of student debt. I applaud the efforts of UNC President Bowles and others to slow tuition rate hikes through the tuition cap. But from 1999 to 2004, tuition in the UNC system increased 71 percent. Student fees, books, room and board, and other expenses grew as well. Despite our state constitutional mandate that tuition be free "as far as practicable," the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave North Carolina a grade of "F" for affordability in 2006, and members of the class of 2006 who graduated with debt had an average of $17,000 to repay.
With the nation's current credit crisis, the burden of student debt is likely to become even more difficult for our recent graduates. We need to make sure that student debt does not prevent young workers who have made responsible financial decisions from finding mortgages and other credit at reasonable interest rates. And we should expand our loan repayment and forgiveness programs for health care workers and teachers to include other underserved professions and communities that benefit our state.
- HBCU Funding: Funding for our historically black colleges and universities. President Bush's 2009 budget calls for an $85 million cut in federal funding to HBCUs. I will work with North Carolina's congressional delegation to fight the proposed cuts. In the event the cuts are enacted, I will lead the effort to ensure state funding so that HBCUs do not suffer another setback in terms of resources.
- Service Learning Opportunities: Creating a civic engagement pilot program offering funding and credit for service learning opportunities within North Carolina. Semester- or summer-long community service projects can give students unique real-world experiences and lead to careers in public service, all while benefiting the communities in which the students serve.
- Affordable Health Care: Ensuring that every student has access to affordable health care both on and off campus. Living and working together in tight quarters, college students are at-risk for health problems. We need to be sure to keep costs as low as possible for health care -- including preventative care -- not fully covered by student fees so that health care for every student is affordable and available. We also need better coordination between our colleges and universities, and the insurance companies that serve our students, to make reimbursements easier for students who carry outside insurance.
- Balancing Athletics and Academics: Making sure our college athletic departments pay their fair share. Like many of our fans, I love college sports, and I hope the great success of our schools continues. But, above all, we need to make sure we are celebrating the success of our researchers and ensure that our professors have the resources and academic freedom they need. We should stop allowing our schools to charge in-state tuition for out-of-state student-athletes, which results in a transfer of millions of dollars from our schools' general fund to athletic booster clubs, and taxpayer money should not be funding athletic scholarships at private institutions.
And as the athletic arms race grows and even seeps into the high school ranks -- West Charlotte High School recently forfeited its 2007 football victories after an investigation into the use of false addresses by ineligible players -- we must be sure to strike an appropriate balance between our fields and our classrooms. I applaud former UNC system Presidents Friday and Spangler for ensuring close and informed scrutiny of the potential costs and benefits of a Division I football program at UNC Charlotte. Our community colleges also should show caution in developing varsity athletics programs, as Wake Tech is considering. Our students, staff, and faculty members should not bear the burden of funding a college athletics arms race.
- Investment in Clean Energy: Collaboration with our community colleges to prepare workers to create sustainable energy. Governor Easley's plans for the Advanced Transportation Energy Center should only be the beginning of North Carolina's leadership in the production of sustainable energy sources. Done right, North Carolina can be an international leader, boosting our economy and protecting our environment. Our 58 community colleges provide a great opportunity to train workers for the evolving industry.
- Town-Gown Relationships: Establishing a Town-Gown Commission. Our public and private colleges and universities are invaluable members of our communities. However, continuing efforts are needed to ensure cordial, mutually-beneficial relations. Community and college and university leaders from across the state should come together to share best practices and new ideas to improve relationships, like efforts by Duke to include Durham restaurants and activities into its new-student orientation.
- Transparency: Helping our colleges and universities be leaders in transparency. As part of preparing the next generation of leaders for our democracy, our schools should go beyond our open meetings and public records laws. For example, when fields of candidates for top university positions have been narrowed, the names of those finalists should be publicly identified.