North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 05/14/1998

It's Thursday May 14th. Tonight the noble past of our nation's first public university in North Carolina now. Hello I'm married I'm a try thanks for joining us for this Thursday edition of North Carolina now. Education is the main focus of this evening's program both higher education and K through

12. Tonight we'll examine the history of the University of North Carolina plus explore the expanding relationship between the university and our public schools. Our guest tonight is state school superintendent Mike Ward and he'll be here to talk about the efforts to improve public education. But we start tonight with a look at how it all began. This weekend marks the 203 anniversary of the first graduation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The nation's first public university the university which started off with just one campus in Chapel Hill is now composed of 16 institutions offering about as many graduate degrees and majors as one can imagine. Shannon Vickrey looks back now to find out how you and see grew into the diverse statewide institution that is today. When the bell tolls at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill it rings with more than 200 years

of string and history. I think the university statewide is the engine of progress. I think it's it's where ideas germinate. It's where courageous advocacy occurs. One can't help but wonder at North Carolina state constitutional writers didn't have the same idea in 1776. They wrote into that document that all duly encouraged and promoted in one or more universities. Thirteen years later the North Carolina General Assembly voted to create the University of North Carolina in 1795 the university located in Chapel Hill became the first public university in the United States to open to students. It was also the nation's only public university to graduate students in the. A republic is not self-sustaining detrained leadership and the purpose of the University originally was to provide the kind of leadership that North

Carolina and the New Republic would need if it was if they were just not in the 19th century state leaders would again draw upon the words of North Carolina's Constitution to establish or support other schools of higher education. Separate from the university. Each was created to achieve a particular purpose. Often times it was a local problem. It might be to train teachers for an area of the state in 1877. The General Assembly adopted the second oldest institution in today's University started after the Civil War to educate African American teachers. Today it is known as a state university that over the next forty six years the legislature created or acquired nine other schools. These institutions are now part of the University of North Carolina. When they were forced by the state state lawmakers kept them separate from the university in the late 18 hundreds. What we now know is North Carolina State

University the University of North Carolina at Pembroke the University of North Carolina and Greensboro North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Elizabeth City State University. Western Carolina University and Winston-Salem State University became state institutions of higher learning. Then in the early 1900s the state added Appalachian State University East Carolina University and North Carolina Central University. And even after the state began supporting all these new universities the University of North Carolina remained only one campus. But that would soon change. In 1931 the University of North Carolina's campus here in Chapel Hill was combined with North Carolina State College known today as North Carolina State University and the woman's college which is today the University of North Carolina. The new three campus University of North Carolina resulted from the work of North Carolina governor

our own Max Gardner and University of North Carolina president Frank Porter Graham. They chose to consolidate the campuses in order to protect the university from the ultra was events of the early 1930s. The immediate cause of it was the economy. We were in the depths of the Depression and it was necessary to save money where we could be saved. One of the objectives behind consolidation in 131 wrote about Governor Gardner's recommendation by the legislature was to achieve a kind of sorting out of responsibilities among institutions but little did state leaders know that the first consolidation would provide a blueprint for future university expansion. When William Friday began his tenure as president of the University of North Carolina in 1956 he inherited the three campuses He says the 1950s and 60s. Once again placed new demands on all of North Carolina's colleges and universities.

I think what happened there was that. The huge demand for people who had college education was just being thrust upon the country and North Carolina had a deficit their rather substantial proportions at this time many of North Carolina's colleges and universities had limited educational programs. So in an attempt to improve higher education the legislature approved generous grant to green powers to all state supported schools. The General Assembly had authorized all publicly funded institutions to offer degrees up to them including the Ph.D.. Well everybody understood who had any knowledge of what was going on. But that was a political decision. There was no need for that. We couldn't afford it and do it with any degree of quality. Also in the early 1960s the General Assembly elevated the two year community junior colleges in Charlotte Ashville and Wilmington to four year institutions. And in

1963 state lawmakers took a great leap and created the North Carolina School of the arts which was the first of its kind. Then from 1965 until 1969 the university experienced a second wave of consolidation as the campuses at Charlotte Ashville and Wilmington became part of the university a move Friday still supports Saturday. What we've done is provide really solid arts and science basic undergraduate education for all the young people who could qualify. And it's in the interest of the state that we get more of our young people there and fewer. But even with its new state wide presence the biggest battle facing the now six campus university was yet to be fought in the late 1960s state lawmakers continued to expand academic programs at all of North Carolina's public colleges and universities. But these changes only resulted in new competition and confusion for the state's higher education system.

A lot of the log rolling trading was going on. You vote for my institution be a university I'll vote for your student be a university. And as a result overnight almost every institution of higher education state became a university. It was ridiculous. We were the laughingstock of the nation. So was Governor Scott made restructuring higher education a top priority for his administration. In October 1971 Governor Scott convened a special session of the legislature to decide the future of higher education in North Carolina. Well it was very political. Very intense very. And as the political debate sparked over several different restructuring proposals Friday knew one thing was certain. There was no turning back the state had to certify having voted in their family going to 51 in the negative past concurs in the seven members in less than a

week. State lawmakers made their decision. They would once again enlarge the University of North Carolina this time by consolidating the remaining 10 state supported colleges into the university in the spring of 1970 to the University of North Carolina in rice 16 campuses and spread throughout the state. The consolidation gave authority to a single board of governors and a university president. State lawmakers felt this move would allow all decisions concerning public higher education in North Carolina to be made by individuals knowledgeable and concerned about all aspects of higher education. The university president and the boredom governors could also be relied upon to set priorities for public higher education throughout the state. You really felt that you were part of something that changed the face of North Carolina and it did. And I our friend said at the time before this thing really settles down and they were take several years to prove that we were right.

It would require. A number of retirements and resignations and a few funerals before we knew whether or not it will work. Not to mention the time and effort bringing in 16 campuses with diverse histories and racial make ups under one governing structure early on that was 18 hours a day six days a week just about. And it took a lot of traveling and a lot of listening because fundamentally it was a matter of confidence trust fairness. You had to build those relationships so that it was not going to work. But the consolidation efforts did work. And in 1985 state lawmakers added the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics to the university. These decisions helped to create a strong legacy of higher education for North Carolina. It's a mighty powerful force when you can take before a legislative process and you know if you have 16 different faculties and 16 taps

was a student body president. That's a that's a consolidation of strength that's been on the court before. In 1798 the first graduating class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consisted of seven men. Among them Hinton James the university's first student to walk from Wilmington to Chapel Hill to enroll this Sunday when the class of 1998 is granted the diplomas among them will be Ted stagger the great great great great great grandson of Hinton James now also graduating over the weekend are students of North Carolina State East Carolina. You would say Wilmington Duke University and the USA Greensboro Wake Forest University will hold its commencement on Monday. Now still ahead we'll examine the university's role in helping to better our state's public schools. But first it's time to get caught up on today's statewide headlines by checking in with Michel Louis. Good evening Mitch.

Thanks Zoraida. Good evening everyone. Topping our news a state senate committee has taken the first step toward reforming campaign finance laws. The proposal put forward by the Senate Judiciary Committee would ban corporate contributions to candidates contribution limits would be dropped from $4000 to $2000. And the measure would also cut off unlimited contributions to political parties. Senate Judiciary Committee member with gun Lee signs the proposal addresses all the issues relevant to state authority. Therefore I'm limited. Things can happen. People don't give money to a political party they're going to demand the party to turn around and give it directly to the head of you know unlimited amounts. The party can spend it on behalf of the candidate working with them in unlimited amounts. And finally a political party backed independent candidate can spend unlimited amounts. Those four things are permitted right now in North Carolina. The U.S. Constitution law says you can't do something about number four. This bill shuts down a loophole for the first three we take care of three out of four problems.

He says the bill is in part in response to a federal judge's ruling last month that threw out three sections of North Carolina's election law. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are grappling over the future shape of the now unconstitutional 12th Congressional District. Key Democratic Senate negotiators want the new district to include heavily Democratic areas in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. While Republican plans are not put Forsyth County in the 12th district at all. Republican negotiators are also said to be looking at making changes to the First District. The legislature has until next Friday to come up with a redrawn map. A number of labor unions travel to Raleigh today to show their support for the tobacco industry's fight against congressional legislation. Unions representing bakery and tobacco workers machinists and teamsters banded together at the state legislature to express their allegiance to cigarette manufacturers. Union organizers say they're launching a campaign to remind Congress there are 44000 North Carolina workers in the tobacco industry. The unions are working in the industries have consistently supported strong effective public policy actions to control youth access to

tobacco products. I'm convinced Vance that a nation as resourceful as ours can devise national legislation that ends that tobacco wall and fulfill our national public health goes without destroying quality U.S. jobs and devastating the communities in which we live and work. The display of solidarity comes one day after RJR Nabisco its annual shareholders meeting. Company Chairman Steven Goldstone says he's still optimistic a settlement is achievable Ereli was held at the state legislature today to draw attention to calls for stiffer penalties for water polluters. The Clean Water Fund of North Carolina and other groups rallied to demand tougher enforcement of existing laws. The rally comes as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reporting that agriculture is the biggest polluter of the nation's rivers. The EPA says farming contributes to 70 percent of waterway pollution more than sewage treatment plants and urban storm sewers. Some North Carolina schools exhibited a

very poor showing in a recent education survey released by The Wall Street Journal. The paper lists seven North Carolina high schools among the 10 worst in the southeast. This estimate took into consideration of value ratio of performance to cost. Only one schools saw as very high was among the surveys top 10. The regional rankings were based on a nationwide study by a company called school match. Many of the poorest performing schools were small and one was an alternative school for troubled youths. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather it will be a very warm day across the state as high temperatures will range from the mid 70s to mid 80s. Mostly sunny skies will cover the entire state for Friday. In business news Charlotte based Duke Energy Corporation has landed a contract to develop a natural gas industry. Well the Australian state of Tasmania the Premier of Tasmania says Duke Energy was selected after an international search because of its record a new project development and strong environmental credentials. A Chapel Hill company is collaborating with credit card giant American Express to compile and sell personal information about its

cardholders knowledge base marketing incorporated keeps track of such things as a person's age their marital status and whether they recently bought a home. The Chapel Hill Farm already has compiled records on 175 million Americans. American Express is catching some heat from some privacy groups after announcing the venture to sell such information. And now for a look at what happened on Wall Street today. The. During her inaugural address University of North Carolina president Wally Corbett broad pledge the

university's help to improve the quality of our state's public schools as Mitch told you in our new segment The image of North Carolina schools has taken another beating in a recent Wall Street Journal survey. That report listed seven North Carolina high schools among the 10 worst in the southeast. Joining me now is the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Mike Ward superintendent Good to see you again. Thanks for coming back. It's good to be back. Thanks for the invitation. Let's get your reaction to this survey of the listing of seven North Carolina high schools listed among the 10 worst. Obviously that's disappointing to us. We want North Carolina schools to fare well in national rankings. We're just finishing 18 months in which we've had a lot of good news to celebrate nationally five national reports cited North Carolina as being among the front runners in the nation's schools and progress report a month or so back cited several North Carolina schools based upon Advanced Placement scores as being among the nation's top 100 so

it's disappointing after a series of reports that provide such good news to have one like this. This one's interesting it's a little different. It measures school performance but it also measures school performance against the cost of that particular school's operation. And it's interesting that among the schools that fared poorly in this report they're very small high schools. And the per pupil cost in a high school that small is going to be higher so in terms of a report that's kind of looking at efficiency and value it's always going to be tougher for a smaller high school to look good. We need to analyze a report a little further. We've not had a long time to look at the details of the report but just some first blush reactions. We want those schools to perform much better. We want our high schools to deliver good service to the community but we're a little concerned about the efficiency criteria that were used in this report. How accurate can surveys like that be.

Well they're always an interesting gauge of the progress we're making. It's worth looking at the details of how our survey was conducted to get some sense of how valid the rankings are whether the news is good or bad. But it's always helpful to get some feedback in the Wall Street Journal is certainly a credible piece of literature. Well this so let's get to the partnership that President Broadhead talked about reinforcing with between the university and public schools. What's your reaction to her offer to have the university help out a little bit more. A lot of people heard President Broad's inaugural speech on the night of her installation were really pleased with the things that she had to say but I don't think anyone was more pleased than I was. President Braun has sent such a clear signal that the university system and the K-12 schools are interdependent and that's really good news to us because it manes that she's going to put her interest in her emphasis behind programs of preparation for teachers. She's

going to take a keen interest in trying to work with schools through technology and other kinds of support to say that the universities are getting a good product from our high schools and most recently she and her staff have really been working closely with us to design how level plans and quality resources to support schools that are performing poorly. Our conversation just a moment ago about the high schools that have performed poorly in this national survey couldn't be more timely and the university systems pledge to help schools that are experiencing the greatest difficulty. Can the public schools get there without the help of the university I mean is this it. Is this an intricate part of improving our schools. Sure. It can help and where that can't happen without a strong working relationship not only between K-12 schools and the university system the public university system but there's a strong interdependence between K-12 public university system. The community college system

and our system of Independent Colleges and universities unless there's a close working relationship among the four entities. We can't do all we need to do in North Carolina to support quality education and that quality education among those four entities is the key to the continued economic and community growth that we've seen in our state for the past few years. There has been a lot of growth as you have talked about in a lot of movement towards bettering public education in North Carolina. How far do we need to go yet. I mean what are we going to get there. Yeah that's a good question. If you look at some measures we've made a lot of progress in the past 18 months for example our math and reading and science programs our students are moving into the middle of the pack nationally and that's not news that North Carolinians are used to hearing they're used to hearing that our schools average among the nation's worst school systems the fact is that the National Assessment of Education Progress in reading and math and science places our students in the middle of the pack either just below or

just above the national average depending on which test area you're looking at. That's real progress. But it's also important to say that being in the middle of the pack in a nation that's not fairing all that well by international comparisons certainly isn't good enough. We've got a lot more work to do we're just glad to see that the tramlines are in the right direction. Dr. WOOD Very quickly let's talk a little bit about the image of public schools we have the reality. That is taken some of these tests and surveys but it is a lot of us were dealing with just the image that people are used to hearing about the fact that North Carolina schools are banned. Yeah that's that's a worthy question. I think over the past 15 years since the publication of The Nation at Risk the naysayers have had an awfully good time with the image of public schools and some of the negative images been very well deserved. But so many good things have happened in recent years to strengthen what's happening in schools that sometimes I think we're not taking enough time to celebrate the progress. And there is a

perception problem. Happily enough that's improving. We did some polling this past fall and I asked North Carolinians some pretty pointed questions about the things their perceptions about our schools and and some of the things that concern them most in the Carolina poll this past fall more North Carolinians rated their schools with a great of a B using the same scale that we use with our students than we had seen previously and fewer expressed concerns about weapons drugs and violence on campus as are most serious concerns about schools. So bit by bit we're getting there and we're hoping that the community will hang in there with us while we while we we make those final steps. Well Dr. Ward thanks for being here. It's always good to be here. And that wraps up tonight's edition of North Carolina now thanks for having been a part of it. Please join us

tomorrow. Good night everyone.