UNC System Braces For State Budget Cuts

Higher education institutions in the UNC system are waiting for the final version of this year's state budget. And they're already bracing for possible cuts.

The proposed budget calls for increasing the starting pay for some state employees, including teachers, corrections officers and state troopers. But it appears there may not be funding support for faculty and staff pay raises in the UNC System. That is causing major concerns for schools like North Carolina A&T State University. Chancellor Harold Martin Sr. says he's worried about the long-term impact.

“In the sense that we have not had sustained pay raises over a seven or eight year window, only a couple of times have we been able to accommodate pay raises for our faculty and staff,” says Martin. “That makes it difficult for us to recruit and retain top talent on our campuses.”

Martin is not alone in his concerns. UNC Greensboro's incoming chancellor Frank Gilliam says universities will have to come up with new ways to fill in the gaps.

“We must ensure that providing access to quality higher education is central to our efforts,” says Gilliam. “Even if the state isn't going to invest in us like it used to, we have to invest more, if we're going to provide the same economic opportunities for everybody.”

According to a recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, state funding for higher education in North Carolina has been cut by more than 20 percent since 2008 when adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, the average tuition at a public, four-year college increased by 36 percent during this period.