Office of the Chancellor

Legislative Call to Action

March 22, 2011

To: Friends of UNCG
From: Linda P. Brady, Chancellor
Subject: Legislative Call to Action

To emerge stronger than ever as the economy recovers, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving access to affordable, quality higher education. In February, Governor Perdue released her budget proposal that calls for a 9.5% reduction for the UNC system. The General Assembly's Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education is currently developing the first draft of the 2011-2012 budget. It is imperative over the next week that legislators hear from University supporters.

Recent articles and comments made by legislators have suggested that the budget writers intend to require the University and its constituent campuses to take a disproportionately large share of the education cuts. We need you to contact key legislative leaders (listed below) now with the following messages.

The University of North Carolina Budget Message

We understand the current economic crisis. The University stands ready to be a partner and to do its part to help the state through this crisis.

However, it is critical that cuts to the University not lead to long term permanent damage. On top of the $620 million in reductions absorbed over the last four years, the University simply cannot endure disproportionately large cuts.

Public higher education is the economic engine of the state and is the state's best tool for recruiting new industry.

Since 2008-09, our state appropriations, excluding need-based financial aid, have declined by nearly $475 per student.

Cuts of the magnitude under consideration by the legislature would cause permanent damage to the University's ability to educate students and to North Carolina's ability to continue to attract top companies and jobs. For every 5% cut in state support, the University's budget is reduced by $135 million. A 5% cut will result in the loss of approximately 2,750 course offerings. Efforts to improve graduation and retention rates will be hampered as students have increasing difficulty enrolling in courses they need to graduate on time. A 10% cut would be devastating to the University and will mean the loss of jobs, reducing income tax and other revenue currently supporting the state. By 2018, an estimated 32% of all N.C. job openings will require a four-year degree. Currently only 26% of North Carolina's workforce holds a college degree.

Many say that we can simply raise tuition to offset these cuts. Tuition at UNC campuses has increased by an average of 38.8% over the last four years. Additional tuition increases to offset substantial cuts would tax students and their families unfairly when many are struggling to make ends meet and our constitution requires that we keep tuition as low as practicable.

Please urge committee members to hold cuts to the lowest level possible and to ensure that cuts to the university are not disproportionally large.

Individual telephone calls and e-mail messages are appropriate; however, mass e-mails sent to multiple legislators at one time are typically ineffective.

Please share the outcome of your conversations or communications with Mike Tarrant, Special Assistant to the Chancellor (mike_tarrant@uncg.edu or 336-501-2673).

I will keep you posted on new developments as they become available. This promises to be a very challenging legislative session, and UNCG will need your ongoing support. Thank you.

State employees: please remember your assistance is voluntary, and that all contact with legislators should be done on your own time without the use of state equipment; including your computer, state e-mail account, cell phone, etc.