Need Budget Savings? UNC Centers and Institutes Deserve a Closer Look.
Where can budget writers find savings to help fund priorities such as teacher raises? That’s a question on everyone’s mind these days. In our opinion, a review of UNC Centers and Institutes might be a good place to start.
What are UNC Centers and Institutes? They are UNC-affiliated entities that address some of the most challenging research problems of the day. UNC Centers and Institutes provide the infrastructure and support services necessary to help scholars and scientists collaborate and produce their best work – or are supposed to.
Currently there are several hundred Centers and Institutes on UNC campuses. Many of them receive state funding. To review a listing of UNC Centers and Institutes and budget figures, click here.
A quick review of listing reveals several things. First, most centers and institutes focus on highly specialized areas of research. Second, the centers and institutes reflect a fair amount of duplication. There is an Institute for Marine Sciences (UNC-Chapel Hill) and a Center for Marine Sciences (UNC-Wilmington). East Carolina claims the Center for the Liberal Arts; UNC-Chapel Hill houses the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. The duplication seems to extend not only across campuses, but also within campuses. UNC-Chapel Hill is home to the Institute for African- American Research, the Sonja Hayes Stone Center for Black Culture, and the African Studies Center.
It’s fair to ask: Are these efforts duplicative? If so, are there justifiable reasons to finance multiple programs? In recent years, the state has been reducing its support for UNC Center and Institutes. In 2012-13, North Carolina still provided $72.3million to UNC Centers and Institutes. Last year (2013-14) the figure was reduced to $65.6 million. Last year state monies comprised about 11 percent of $576.7 million in total revenue for UNC Centers and Institutes.
While these entities can provide valuable research functions, they are also dependent on state appropriations, contracts, staff, facilities and other overhead costs. The McCrory administration has recommended a 20 percent cut in state funding for UNC Centers and Institutes. That translates to a budget reduction of $13.1 million. Gov. Pat McCrory based his recommendation on redundancy. Administration budget writers also note that many of the centers and institutes aren’t focused on degree production and have missions that are not central to the mission of the institution.
Budgets provide a good framework for lawmakers to use in their deliberations. Lawmakers should ask: Is the center or institute conducting timely, needed research ? Months before his retirement, UNC President Erskine Bowles acknowledged that many centers and institutes had outlived their original purpose. He welcomed a full review of all UNC Centers and Institutes. Is the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina still needed? Or the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology? Or could North Carolina better spend the $474,000 and $489,000 respectively elsewhere?
However, the tough questions should also be asked of the larger centers and institutes as well. The James B. Hunt Institute for Educational Policy received $588,000 in state funds last year. The Institute for Emerging Issues received $750,000 from the state of North Carolina. The William and Ida Friday institute for Educational Innovation received $1.3 million in state funds last year. Many believe these institutes espouse a definite viewpoint that in reality the state should not support.
The McCrory Administration’s recommendation of a 20 percent budget reduction for UNC Centers and Institutes is a good place to start. Budget writers should ask: Does the Center or Institute perform needed research? What reasons justify continued investment? What benefits has the public received from its $65.6 million investment? A review of the current budget figures suggests additional budget savings are possible.
Once again Civitas Institute show s conservatives lack vision. Imagine if such dull, greedy leadership were in power when FDR had the vision for the TVA and the massive power grid still in use today. Image if people like Art Pope had the political power to stop the vision of the Interstate Hwy System? What if the congressional and executive branches of Government were made up of Tea Party Republicans and America got a tax cut instead of the NASA space program? America needs positive visionaries, not self serving Plutocrats like those Civitas Institute represents.
Does 17 Trillion mean anything to you?All of FDR’s programs are bankrupt.All the Tea Party said was they wanted spending slowed down.The corrupt press and Democrats said the Tea Party were all crazy.What is crazy about not spending more than you make?All the spending the Democrats want is to give away programs to buy votes.
Good job, Lonnie, knocking down all those straw men.
Hundreds of millions of people tangibly benefit from the interstate highways and the TVA.
What benefits do we enjoy from the programs discussed in this article?
(Or did you even read the article?)
A.Conservative
What tangible benefit did we know we would benefit from the Space Program or by putting a man on the moon? Knowledge from the research may be applied in areas beyond our imagination as was with NASA. From research and knowledge gained with NASA is the world economy of today, computers, cell phones, GPS, internet, Weather Satellites. End the petty small minded thinking and support education and the pursuit of knowledge.
Comparing NASA to the UNC African Studies Center is a stretch.
Nice try, though. Thanks for playing.
A.Conservative
Was I wrong to read The NCGOP wants to reduce educational research by 20%?
Exactly what definitive viewpoint is it that the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation espouses that many believe that in reality the state should not support?
Usually the guy that is for higher taxes and more spending is the guy that pays no taxes and gets the benefits from the spending.Is that you Lonnie?
Larry, how about we debate public policy on the merits of investing in knowledge and political leadership with vision rather than small minded self serving plutocrats?
Lonnie,the biggest Plutocrats in this country are Lefties.Bill Gates,Warren Buffet,George Soros,John Kerry and many others.The rich and what they do does not affect my life.As a retired small businessman who made 100 thousand a year 20 years ago, I never took home more than 48 thousand.Then I came home after 14 hr. days and listened to people like you tell me business people didn’t pay their fair share.What would have been my fair share?
Larry, your misconception is that you were rich or that you were the target of claims of injustice. You’re not Art Pope, One of the Walton Family, Cheney, Koch Brothers, or the CEO of YUM Foods. Larry you were middle class just like my wife and I and we to owned businesses that paid higher fees to banks, insurance, utilities and taxes than the super rich do. You’re on the wrong side of your own best political interest.
Lonnie,I have no misconceptions about being rich.How is it you and I will be better off if Koch brothers are taxed more?I don’t get anything more if the rich pay more.I do however have a lot less ,when My taxes and yours are given to people that won’t work.It seems to me the last 6 years of wealth redistribution would have taught you how well that works.If you were a small business person I would be surprised.Why won’t you tell me what rich is and what my fair share is?No Democrat or communist wii answer that question.
A. Conservative is lacking an education, but perhaps if he did get an education, he could end up hating himself?
Larry, where do you get that the working poor don’t work? Many have two jobs but half an income to support their families? Many are veterans or active duty military. You ask “How is it you and I will be better off if Koch brothers are taxed more?” With higher taxes on the rich they may choose to pay their employees better wages rather than pay the government. With higher taxes they can pay for the government services that support allow their business to thrive like roads, police, courts, ports, banking regulators, clean water, educated workers, safe communities, markets,and US Coast Guard for safe shipping of products from Asia. One in five children in America live in poverty, that can only change with better education, better wages and better justice. Lets understand one thing, i’m not against rich people, I’m against rich people using that wealth to rig the political system for their additional enrichment at the expense of wage earning working citizens as Mr Pope does here. I’m against my tax dollars going to support the underpaid employees of greedy multi billion dollar businesses like Walmart, Yum Foods and Variety Wholesales so the owner can stuff more into his own pocket. I’m against my tax dollars going to lockup nearly 1% of our population because of an unhealthy society that we have in the USA. We have economic models around the world we can use to make improvements, the Netherland, Norway, Finland all have Free Market economies with lots of millionaires but they have universal health care, and very little poverty because wages for workers are higher, education levels are higher, less crime, fewer citizens in prison, nearly everyone is productive and paying into the system rather then draining the system. A healthy society invest in its citizens and does not exploit its citizens. Government in such a societies works for the interest of ordinary citizens not the corporations, not the banks and not the supper rich.
Just can’t tell me what income is rich can you Lonnie.Can’t tell me what per cent is fair for Gov. To take can you.?My daughter was a Social Worker and she had people that had 3 generations that had never had a job.Norway and Finland are failing just like all the rest of the countries that tried Communism.Odumbo has done what you want,so why are the poor getting poorer.We have spent Trillions since LBJ on war on poverty and we have more poor than ever.Do you not know that Obama changed the welfare rules so now they don’t have to even look for work.
Larry once a person can pay for all of lives basic needs, live in luxury five times that of the average family, owns a second or third home and drive new luxury autos without debt or concern for the cost of any of this I wold say they are the beginning of what I would define as rich. Now why is this question important to you? This debate is not about being rich it’s about exploiting hard working Americans, depriving the children of the poor of a world class education, its about Corporations like Duke Energy polluting NC rivers, its about the Koch Brothers buy unethical politicians to allow poison to be ejected into NC aquifers. Its about right to work laws which really means no rights at work. I’m afraid you’re poorly informed using the term “Odumbo” does not help your argument. LBJ’s war on Poverty included Medicare and has saved millions of elderly from bankruptcy. LBJ’s war on property included mental health programs that need expanding. The LBJ Food Stamp program prevents those one in five American children from having swelled bellies like in third world countries. the War On Poverty did not mandate a living wage for workers nor did it require workers be represented by a union to bargain on behalf of the workers insuring they to get a slice of free market prosperity. Poverty is rampant in America because of corporate greed and a rigged political system.
Larry, you said your daughter was a social worker, which means LBJ’s War on Poverty funding is paying your over worked daughter’s salary providing her with employment and food on the table of your grandchildren. I do not envy here job, Thank her for me.
It’s just a waste of time to argue with someone that believes somebody else should pay for all their needs.I let you get back to watching MSNBC so you can keep on finding out how wonderful things are going with our dictator.If you are watching them that will double their viewers.I lost several friends in Vietnam fighting Communists.Now,this country elects them because they call themselves Progressives.
Larry the wealth redistribution in American is real and measurable but it’s being redistributed from the middle class and the poor to the very wealthiest Americans.
You mention old cold war adversaries of Vietnam communists who now have a hybrid Communist Plutocracy Capitalist economy with restricted personal freedom much like the American conservatives want here where the wealthy few control government and personal freedom is reduced. Examples of that are the recent mischief of the NC GOP controlled General Assembly actions with arresting over 900 protesters, restricting voting rights, allowing tracking in NC, allowing Duke Energy to dump and pump tons of toxic material into NC waterways with little more than a token fine. American Plutocrats are right at home trading with the closed societies of China and Vietnam Walmart and Variety Wholesalers being major customers. The Countries of Norway, Finland, Canada are free and open societies with strong social safety nets and social justice where free markets are alive and well.
Lonnie,You seem to think Norway and Finland are Heaven.If I thought that I would move there.I will buy your ticket and I think I can raise enough money to send your occupy crowd.I will even buy the soap since that crowd is more interested in smoking dope than hygiene.Your great leader told a lot of lies but he told one truth.He said your energy bills would soar.Mine have over doubled.Your dumbest argument yet is having a I.D.to vote.Anyone can get an I.D. Very easily.I think it is as easy as signing up for welfare.Of course that would stop 2state voting and dead Democrats from voting.Why do conservatives not have a problem with this but Progressives do?Finally,you need a new word,you have worn out Plutocrats.
Larry this is the only case of voter fraud I know of in NC. If you or others know of actual cases of intentional dual voting or voting a dead person’s ballot, voting under someone else’s identity please post it here. To my knowledge there have only been 4 cases out of 12 million votes cast in the last decade.
This link should have been on the post above. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/congressman-mchenrys-campaign-aide-indicted/
Larry sorry if you think I’m over using the word plutocracy but here’s the definition of that word and it best describes what’s taking place not only in NC but across America.
plutocracy |plo͞oˈtäkrəsē|
noun (pl. plutocracies)
government by the wealthy.
• a country or society governed by the wealthy.
• an elite or ruling class of people whose power derives from their wealth.
Lonnie,I know what the word means.You Liberals have to have a bogey man.It is just not possible that someone did better than you did.Corporations are owned by millions of people ,not a few that you seem to think.I made 1.65 per hr.I saved my money and started a business that in time did 3 million a year in sales.I had 22 employees one of which just retired with over 400 thousand in his 401K.Now,I could have gotten a tent and laid around under bridges and whined about Plutocrats when I made 1.65 per hr.but I chose to get off my rear end and take care of my self.
Lonnie,If all the money is being redistributed to the rich tell me why.Your president ignores Congress and the law and does what he pleases.He is trying to turn us into Norway.So why is it not working.I can tell you why.As I said before,Marxism,communism,does not and will not ever work.
Larry do you understand there’s a difference between a communist system which tends to be historically totalitarian and a Democratic free market with a strong social safety net with a free market economy like Norway, Finland and Canada all with Capitalist system that puts the interest of citizens ahead of corporations. The people of Norway, Finland and Canada may have more personal freedom than the USA. Why do you have so much anger in the tone of your post, this is not personal but a discussion of public policy.
Lonnie,You never argue my points because you don’t have any answer for them.You just rehash that Norway garbage.You are right about one thing,we have a lot less freedoms since Hope and Change showed up.That’s going to change in November.92.5 million people out of work,17 Trillion in debt.People have had enough.
Larry this fall will be an important election and you’re correct the general public is tired of a bought but broken political system. People have had enough but we disagree on who to blame.
If you are among those who listen to AM talk ( hate radio ) or Fox News fear and hate being their message everything is the fault of our black, Muslim, socialist, marxist , Kenyan, death panel president whom I look forward to moving to western NC. In my circle People are tied of the extreme right wing extremism, know nothings, flat earthers, who refuses centuries of knowledge, refuse reality even when it comes from people they hire to give direction to their own politics. People are tired of political leadership without vision, without humanity, catering to the worst of humanity using hate, fear, bigotry and scapegoating as a political tool against those without wealth or political power. Larry the reality is there is not enough white old rich men who listen to Rush to be a majority in America.
Wanna bet Lonnie.We got rid of the commies that ran this state for over 100 years.The only way the commies in the Senate win is if Obama lets another 12 million walk over the border and sign them up to vote.Not enough of you low information voters that get a thrill up your leg to fool the people again.
Larry, I offer this for your optional reality and the others mislead by Fox news and Civitas Institute. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/12/1306571/-Is-Fox-News-Trying-To-Kill-The-Republican-Party-Or-Is-It-Just-A-Happy-Accident?detail=facebook#
Lonnie,the Dailey Kos,why didn’t you send me something from Fidel.You don’t refute my arguments because you can’t win.You know I can prove what I’ve said and all you can do is send me to a communist website.My old man was right.You can’t fix stupid so why argue with it.Have a nice life Lonnie.Keep taking those occupy pictures.You could go down to Raleigh and take pictures of those freaks beating on pots and pans.