Raleigh has been the scene of a lot of partisan political discord this decade. But the president of the University of North Carolina system says she’s thankful all that fighting has not impacted higher education funding. Margaret Spellings says even in North Carolina’s polarized political atmosphere, selling members of the General Assembly on maintaining higher education funding isn’t real tough.
“To a person, they know that this institution, the University of North Carolina system, is going to be the driver or a major driver of the economy (in North Carolina) and has been,” Spelling said at the North Carolina Arboretum just outside of Asheville Friday. She added that support has allowed the system to keep tuition flat, or even lower it at places like Western Carolina University. It’s one of three schools apart of the NC Promise program, which offers $500-tuition per semester starting this fall.