North Carolina

Governor

General Assembly

University of North Carolina System

North Carolina Community Colleges State Board of Community Colleges

Board of Governors

17 Campuses Statewide
58 Community Colleges Throughout the State of North Carolina

North Carolina
Governor

General Assembly

University of North Carolina System*

Public Institutions

North Carolina Community Colleges** State Board of Community Colleges

21 Members: 10 appointed by the governor, 4 elected by state senate, 4 elected by state House of Representatives, Lt. Governor, State Treasurer, & President of N4CSGA

Board of Governors
32 Voting Members that are elected by the General Assembly

17 Campuses Statewide
Each campus is headed by a chancellor chosen by the Board of Governors. Each campus also has a board of trustees consisting of 8 members elected by the Board of Governors, 4 appointed by the governor, and the president of the student body.

58 Community Colleges Throughout the State of North Carolina

* Key History & Policies: University of North Carolina System: University of North Carolina chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1789. The 1931 session of the General Assembly redefined the University of North Carolina to include three state-supported institutions: the campus at Chapel Hill (now the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University at Raleigh), and Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington were added through legislative action by 1969. In 1971, Higher Education Reorganization Act of 1971 was passed bringing into the University of North Carolina the state's ten remaining public senior institutions: Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, the North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts), Pembroke State University (now the University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University. The board of trustees of the University of North Carolina was redesignated in 1972 as the 'Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina.

Source: http://www.northcarolina.edu/about/mission.htm ** Key History & Policies of State Board of Community colleges In 1957, the General Assembly adopted the first Community College Act and provided funding for community colleges. In May 1963, the General Assembly provided for the establishment of a Department of Community Colleges under the State Board of Education and for the administration of institutions in the Community College System. In 1979, the General Assembly changed the state control of the system and provision was made for a separate State Board of Community Colleges.

Source: http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/pr/MissionHistory/mission-history.htm

State Governance Narrative Analysis: Exploring the Public Higher Education Governance in North Carolina Lauren Bell Georgia Southern University

Abstract This paper will provide a basic outline of the current systems in place that govern the public higher education institutions in the state of North Carolina. Key historical legislative and policy changes that lead to the current system will be identified. The history, culture, and population dynamics unique to the state will also be explored in relation to their effect on higher education in the state. Basically, this paper will identify the key issues in higher education today, and how the governing structures in North Carolina are addressing these issues.

Although every state has a system of governing the post-secondary institutions located there, the structures and policies vary widely from state to state. The Education Commission of the States has identified three main categories for governing types: consolidated governing boards, coordinating boards and planning/service agencies. The categories are based on differing levels of power allotted to outside governing boards as opposed to the powers held by individual institutions. Based on the system of labeling, consolidated boards maintain the most power, while planning/service agencies maintain the least amount of power. The Education Commission of the States has labeled the North Carolinas system as consolidated with two boards encompassing all public institutions. These two boards are the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina system and the State Board of Community Colleges for the North Carolina Community Colleges system. Both boards maintain important roles in their respective system and each system serves different needs of the students in North Carolina. Today the University of North Carolina systems Board of Governors consists of 32 voting members that have been elected to four year terms by the General Assembly of the state. The Board of Governors then elects a president from within its members to oversee the board. The board is responsible for the general determination, control, supervision, management, and governance of all affairs of the constituent institutions" of the system (http://www.northcarolina.edu/about/mission.htm). Each constituent institution university is lead by a chancellor that has been nominated by the president and then approved by the Board of Governors. Each campus also has an individual Board of Trustees made up of 13 people: eight elected by the Board of Governors, four appointed by the governor of North Carolina, and the student body president of that institution. The Chancellor and Board of Trustees handle the dayto-day practices of each institution as well as the academic decisions and do maintain some

autonomy in making decisions specific to campus needs. (http://www.northcarolina.edu/about/mission.htm) Although the University of North Carolina system began when the University of North Carolina was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1789, the system has evolved greatly into what it is today. For many years, the campus at Chapel Hill was the only part of the University of North Carolina. In 1931, a session of the General Assembly redefined the University of North Carolina to include North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University at Raleigh) and Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). In 1969, legislation was passed to include the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The Higher Education Reorganization Act of 1971 was passed which made Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, the North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of North Carolina School of the Arts), Pembroke State University (now the University of North Carolina at Pembroke), Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University part of the University of North Carolina system. It was not until 1972 that the board of trustees at the University of North Carolina was renamed the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina, and the current traditions were developed. (http://www.northcarolina.edu/about/mission.htm) The State Board of Community Colleges has a much more recent history. It was not until 1957 that the General Assembly adopted the first Community College Act which provided funding for community colleges in North Carolina. In May 1963, the General Assembly provided

for the establishment of a Department of Community Colleges under the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education also oversaw K-12 public education in the state. Then, in 1979, the General Assembly changed the state control of the system and provision was made for a separate State Board of Community Colleges. (http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/pr/MissionHistory/mission-history.htm) The State Board of Community Colleges is made up of 21 Members. Of these 21 members, 10 are appointed by the governor, 4 are elected by state senate, 4 are elected by state House of Representatives, one is the current Lieutenant Governor, one is State Treasurer an one is the President of the North Carolina Comprehensive Community College Student Government Association. The members of the board serve on committees to oversee the boards main objectives for the system: Accountability and Audit, Finance and Capital Needs, Personnel, Policy, and Program Services. (http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/state_board) The systems in place in North Carolina are seemingly complex and involve a web of people beginning at each institution and continuing to the highest levels of state government. Higher education governance has become an increasingly hot topic as changes in the economic climate and other sectors of society have changed the demands Americas post-secondary institutions must meet. In Duderstadts paper Aligning American Higher Education with a 21stCentury Public Agenda, he outlines the issues facing American Higher Education today. Some of the issues identified include globalization, evolving technology, more diverse populations, an evolving market place with changing needs, funding issues, and the complex nature of governing boards. In order to address these issues, Duderstadt identified key challenges for higher education officials. North Carolinas consolidated boards are aligned with some of Duderstadts yet seem to defy other challenges he sets forth.

One area where the governing boards of North Carolina and Duderstadt do seem to agree is the goal to provide the opportunity for post-secondary education to all citizens. The State Board of Community Colleges boasts that there is an institution within a 30 minutes drive of every citizen in the state (http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/pr/Get_The_Facts). This allows much more accessibility to the citizens of the state. North Carolina also ranks 10h in the country in number of students enrolled in degree granting institutions, showing that the citizens are taking full advantage of that accessibility (http://data.osbm.state.nc.us/staterank/state_rankings.pdf). It is also important to note that the State Board of Community Colleges and the University of North Carolina system offer acceptance and degrees to students from a variety of skill levels and economic backgrounds, which is in line with Duderstadts challenge of broadening access to world class education opportunities to citizens of all levels. One large discrepancy that may be exist between the policies of the consolidated governing boards in North Carolina and the ideals put forth by Duderstadt is that Duderstadt warned against an overly active presence of governmental agencies. It seems to me that with many of the appointments and elections of board spots coming from governmental officials, the ideals of the governmental officials may be heavily influencing the governance of these institutions.

References

http://www.northcarolina.edu/about/mission.htm

http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/pr/MissionHistory/mission-history.htm

http://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/pr/Get_The_Facts

http://data.osbm.state.nc.us/staterank/state_rankings.pdf

Dudertadt, James. Aligning American Higher Education with a 21st-Century Public Agenda. 2008.