Newspapers / Chowan University Student Newspaper / Feb. 1, 1985, edition 1 / Page 6
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Legislators asked to "freeze tuition gap' between colleges Chowan College has appealed to area legislators to help “freeze” the “tuition gap”, the difference between the average tuition at in dependent colleges and state universities, through increased financial support from the General Assembly for North Carolina students attending the state’s private colleges. President Bruce E. Whitaker spoke recently in the President’s Dining Room in Thomas Cafeteria to a gathering of legislators, trustees, alumni, students, com munity leaders and other sup porters of the college. The meeting was sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Univer- “An ever-widening tuition gap caused by increasing state sub sidies threatens the future of affordable freedom in higher education for tens of thousands of North Carolina's young people." sities, representing the state’s 38 i private colleges. ^ Whitaker noted that high infla- ■ tion rates in the early 1980’s forced independent colleges and univer- ' sities to raise tuitions to meet the J rapidly rising costs of energy and • personnel. ; He said that as a result, a wide “tuition gap” developed, which continues to grow each year. “Despite increased state support in recent years for students atten ding in-state independent colleges and universities, this gap has widened from $972 in 1973 to $2,382 in 1984. And projections indicate that the gap could exceed $3,000 b> 1987,” noted Dr. Whitaker. The president added, “It is feared that, as the tuition gap grows, some North Carolina students may be forced to forego educational programs and the small-college atmosphere that may best suit their needs simply because of cost.” “Also, some of the highly regard ed independent colleges and universities may be forced to reduce their programs or raise tui tions to the level that they are af fordable for most North Caroli nians.” Whitaker said the tuition gap ex ists and continues to grow because taxpayers subsidize a substantial portion of the actual cost of public universities for all students, regardless of their ability to pay or state of residence. “The annual amount subsidized for students attending our public universities is $4,329 per student for in-state undergraduate students and $2,224 per student for out-of-state students,”he said. “On the other hand, the state ap propriates $1,050 per year for North Carolina students attending in-state independent colleges and universities. Each full-time stu dent receives $850 per year through the Legistative Tuition Grant program, and appropria tions of $200 per student are W. C. Meekins named to Board of Advisors William C. Meekins, Jr. of ^ Elizabeth City, community rela- i tions manager for the Carohna Telephone and Telegraph Com pany, has been appointed to the \ Chowan College Board of Advisors, i according to President Bruce E. ^ Whitaker. He previously held the positions of vice president and secretary- s treasurer of the Norfolk Carolina Telephone Company. Meekins attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce and is ; a member of the Pasquotank Coun ty Extension Advisory Council. He is a former president of both the Albemarle Area Development » Association and the Elizabeth City Junior Chamber of Commerce. He has served as community coor dinator for Junior Achievement. Meekins is an elder and member of the session at Cam. Memorial Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Carotel Club of the Indepen dent Telephone Pioneers. The new advisor received the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award. He is married to the former Mary Ellen Blades of Elizabeth City and they have three children. Dr. Whitaker said that he was pleased that Meekins had accepted the invitation to serve as a Chowan advisor. He said that among other duties advisors serve as inter preters of the college in their com munities. Whitaker said that despite a heavy demand on their time from their work and other civic and community service, Chowan advisors find time to devote their interest and energies to the college. He said their "sug gestions and ideas serve to strengthen all phases of the opera tions and programs of the college.” distributed in varied amounts bas ed on financial need,” Whitaker explained. Whitaker then sounded the alarm. “An ever-widening tuition gap caused by increasing state subsidies threatens the future of affordable freedom in higher education for tens of thousands of North Carolina’s young people.” The problem for the private col leges is compounded by the fact that since reaching a peak in 1979, "As the tuition gap grows, some North Carolina students may be forced to forego educational programs and the small-college atmosphere that may best suit their needs simply because of cost." “the number of North Carolinians graduating from our high schools has declined by nearly 10 percent,” Whitaker explained. “While projections indicate that this situation might improve slightly in the next few years, the decline in high school graduates is expected to accelerate in the 1990’s.” Whitaker said that “while our independent colleges and univer sities provide programs to meet the expanding higher education needs of our adult community, students aged 18 to 21 still repre sent the foundation of our institu tions. The era of growth in college enrollments has come to an end. “This, combined with the economic conditions beyond the control of independent colleges, threaten the diversity of educa tional opportunities upon which this state’s system of higher educa tion is founded,” Dr. Whitaker stated. The double pressures exerted by a declining number of high school graduates and rising tuitions has put a tremendous strain on in dependent colleges. Enrollment of undergraduate North Carolina students in our in dependent colleges and univer sities has declined every year since 1980 by more than 5 percent. ” Whitaker emphasized that the solution is to “freeze” the tuition gap. “There is an urgent need for the General Assembly to ap propriate the same per-student in crease for students in the indepen dent sector as was granted North Carolina undergraduates in the public universities last year-$325.” Whitaker said the Association of Independent Colleges and Univer sities, on behalf of the 24,000 North Carolina students in its 38 member institutions, has formally made this request of the Legislature. Attend special meeting President Whitaker is flanked by Bob Kolin.'left of Raleigh, and former State Senator Vernon White of Winterville at the recent meeting on "tuition gaps". Kolin is a staff member with the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. White, a trustee, served 16 years in the General Assembly before his recent retirement. The three men led in efforts to in crease financial support from the General Assembly for North Carolina students attending the state's privates colleges. “If approved, the total per- student allocation would be $1,375. This would be allocated according to the following formula; $1,100 per year for each student under the Legislature Tuition Grant pro gram and $275 per student to be distributed in varying amounts to students according to financial need under the State Contractual Scholarship Fund,” declared Dr. Whitaker. He stressed, “If the independent sector is to remain as a strong and viable choice for our college students, the tuition gap must not be allowed to widen. Anything short of full funding of the Associa tion’s request would result in a fur ther erosion of the independent sector’s ability to compete and sur vive in the higher education marketplace.” Scholarship guidelines set Preferences may be given to South Carolina residents, especia- ly from Horry, Chester, and Fair field Counties, by members of the Scholarship Committee when awarding the Herbert Hugh Lewis Memorial Scholarship which is worth $2,500 to the recipient for the 1985-86 term. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic ability, leader ship potential and financial need. Application forms for the Herbert Hugh Lewis Memorial Scholarship have been mailed to the Directors of Guidance in the high schools of South Carolina. For additional in formation on the scholarship, in terested persons are encouraged to contact Clifton S. Collins, Secretary of the Scholarship Com mittee, Former professor dies A former Chowan business pro fessor, Helen Gibbons Burgwyn, 64, died Dec. 11, 1984. She was a native of Hamlet and the widow of Henry King Burgwyn. Mrs. Burgwyn was a member of Murfreesboro United Methodist Church. She was secretary of the Murfreesboro Historical Associa tion. Survivors included her mother, Helen Weaver Gibbons of Durham; three sons, Henry King Burgwyn Jr. of Denver, Charles Buxton Burgwyn of Murfreesboro and William Hysolp Sumner Burgwyn of Charlotte; a brother Lemuel Gibbons of Wilson; and four grandchildren. The funeral' was conducted at Murfreesboro United Church by the Rev. Horace McLaurin. Burial was in Burgwyn Family Cemetery, Woodland. ■’■PAGE6 ^ The Chowanian,! February 1985
Chowan University Student Newspaper
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Feb. 1, 1985, edition 1
6
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