McCrory budget: A bonus won’t cut it

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RALEIGH – “The state of North Carolina cannot function without a strong, motivated workforce,” Gov. Pat McCrory said as he presented his proposed 2016-17 budget to state legislators last week.1 If that’s the case, the governor and legislators need to do better by the state’s university and community college faculty than the one-time 3% bonus… READ MORE

“Igniting the spirit of inquiry” at NC A&T

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GREENSBORO – Dr. Salil Desai researches things most of us struggle to comprehend:  How to deposit nano-scale droplets.  Bio-chemical sensors.  Regenerative tissue engineering. Desai established NC A&T State University’s Integrated Nano and Bio Manufacturing Laboratory.  He is creating new paths for drug delivery and was a key member of a team that developed a “bioprinter”… READ MORE

ECSU Chancellor: Train students to create jobs, not just fill them

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^ PHOTO ABOVE: Elizabeth City State University Chancellor Thomas Conway with UNC President Margaret Spellings as she visits ECSU’s aviation program. ELIZABETH CITY – Thomas Conway took over as Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in January, following a tumultuous few years of leadership changes and enrollment challenges at the campus. Widely respected by his… READ MORE

“High tech/high touch” at WSSU

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WINSTON-SALEM – Dr. Manjunatha Bhat teaches anatomy and physiology by what he calls “high tech and high touch.” With classes of as many as 100 students, technology must play a role. And Bhat, who came to Winston-Salem State University in 2008, is regarded as an expert in teaching and learning technologies.  He helps train fellow… READ MORE

NCGAP: Right problem, wrong solution

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“Right problem, wrong solution.” That’s how University of North Carolina System President Margaret Spellings sums up NCGAP, the legislature’s program to force a percentage of public university applicants to enroll in community college instead.1 She reiterated that point last week, calling on lawmakers to defer or amend the program when they return to Raleigh next… READ MORE

UNCG professor sees a Digital Zen

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GREENSBORO – Religion, we all know, is a touchy subject – but imagine how challenging it is to teach religion in a world that is both increasingly polarized and increasingly digital. Through a mixture of enthusiasm, humor, scholarship and technology, that’s where Dr. Gregory Price Grieve lives. Grieve, an Associate Professor and Head of the… READ MORE

HB2 tarnishes our brand

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North Carolina, its institutions of higher education and its communities have just seen their brand tarnished. HB2, the new law that requires LGBT folks to use the restroom of the sex on their birth certificate1 has been an enormous, costly embarrassment2 for a state that has real issues to confront. UNC System President Margaret Spellings… READ MORE

Learning how bees talk at UNC Charlotte

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CHARLOTTE – At a time when honey bees are in serious – and mysterious – decline, Dr. Stanley Schneider and his students are figuring out how the bees talk. Schneider, a biology professor at UNC Charlotte, describes teaching as a “contagious enthusiasm” that captures students’ imaginations. Schneider believes taking part in research is the primary… READ MORE