UNC System President Margaret Spellings renewed a call for higher expectations for her constituent institutions at her official inaugural ceremony Thursday at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall.
“What if all of our citizens, at any age, could get the kind of education they need, when and where they need it, at a price they can afford?” Spellings said. “What would it mean for their lives and careers, their families, for their children?”
The ceremony opened with a student-produced video highlighting each of UNC’s member institutions, along with comments from two former United States presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who Spellings served under as Secretary of Education.
Spellings took office March 1 under tumultuous circumstances following the forced exit of former UNC-System President Tom Ross. Former Board of Governors Chairman John Fennebrusque faced harsh criticism for his clandestine search for a replacement which netted Spelllings’ appointment and his resignation.
Since taking office, Spellings made it a point to personally visit each university in the UNC System and is now navigating the fallout from House Bill 2 which removed anti-discrimination protection for transgender people across the state.
Spellings, now sworn in as the 18th president of the UNC System, called back to the ideas laid down in North Carolina’s state constitution in 1776 which said that “all useful learning shall be duly encouraged and promoted” by state universities.
“It was a monumental goal then, and an even bigger challenge to us now,” Spellings said.
She continued to say that overcoming this challenge requires treating quality higher education as “a new civil right.”
“Today we are leaving behind thousands of capable students who who never even apply to college because it doesn’t seem possible for them,” Spellings said. “Low-income students enroll in college at barely half the rate of their wealthier peers, even when test scores and academic performance are the same.”
NC State has seen a steady 40 percent decline in the enrollment of first-year African-American students over the last 10 years, according to NC State’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Spellings said that correcting these trends are going to be her focus going forward.
“Until the enrollments of this institution reflect the demographics of our state we will not be a fully realized state when it comes to investing in and maximizing human capital,” Spellings said. “We like every other state have a long way to go.”
After the ceremony, Spellings was asked to comment on debate over HB2 and the recent U.S. district court ruling which said that three plaintiffs were allowed to use the restrooms of their gender identity on UNC campuses. Spellings said that this ruling is a “hint” that the state is likely to lose this battle.
“Like I’ve said for many months now, the university is caught in the middle,” Spellings said. “We are good public servants who show up every day trying to follow state and federal laws and we find ourselves in conflict here and so we all wish for a speedy resolution through the courts.”
Board of Governors Chairman Louis Bissitte said that the fallout from HB2 has taken away from other things that UNC wants to accomplish.
“It’s been a difficult time for us and we hope that it will be over soon,” Bissette said. “We’re all working toward that goal.”
UNC System President Margaret Spellings sits for a performance at her official inaugural ceremony Thursday morning. Spellings took office in March following the forced exit of Tom Ross.
