We, the undersigned members of the UNC Faculty Assembly, encourage you to adopt the Resolution Authorizing Tuition and the Resolution Authorizing Fees proposed by President Ross at your February meeting. Although members of the faculty of the University of North Carolina, we also are citizens of North Carolina, taxpayers, and, in many cases, proud graduates of our institutions of higher education as well as parents of graduates, current students, and future students. We understand first-hand the burden increased tuition represents to many families in these difficult economic times. Yet we believe in the mission of the University “to discover, create, transmit, and apply knowledge to address the needs of individuals and society” and know from our everyday experience on our campuses the challenges our state’s economic situation presents to our ability to carry out that directive. The plan proposed by President Ross for the next two years offers our University the opportunity to meet the needs of our students already enrolled and yet stays well below the tuition and fees of most of our peer institutions. It further maintains access for qualified students who might not otherwise be able to afford pursuit of their educational goals. Set-asides from campus initiated tuition increases serve as an essential component of the overall financial aid picture as federal and state financial aid decline. These dollars offer campuses the flexibility to package aid to many students from middle income families who demonstrate need, but do not always qualify for other forms of support. This plan provides a necessary step as we determine the future course of public higher education in North Carolina. Assuming some continued economic recovery, we can know our budget parameters for the next two years and plan within them. In such a financially constrained environment, however, we will continue the processes already underway to look critically and thoughtfully at who we are, what we do, and how we can be most effective and efficient in our mission. Working cooperatively with you, our campus leadership, our students and their families, the legislature, and the citizens of our state, we can forge a model of public higher education that remains focused on quality and preserving the best traditions of a university education, maintains affordability and access, as well as responds to the needs of our times and serves our state. Thank you for your consideration and for your work on behalf of the University of North Carolina.

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