As a trustee, an alumnus and parent of three alumni of Duke University, let me encourage today's students, faculty and staff to give their full support to the North Carolina Higher Education Bonds when you vote Nov. 7.
If approved, the bonds will be issued over the next six years and will provide a total of $2.5 billion for upgrading and adding classrooms, research and instructional laboratories, technology and infrastructure facilities at the state's 16 public universities, as well as $600 million for additional classrooms and training facilities at the state's 59 community colleges. Approximately $1.2 billion of the bonds will be spent in the Triangle.
The cost for paying off the bonds would average less than 1 percent of the state's revenues, which is one reason the state will not have to raise taxes to pay off the bonds. As a member of the General Assembly, I joined with an overwhelming majority of Democrats and Republicans in supporting this referendum.
The reason for the bonds is that North Carolina's rapid population growth and the additional education and skills demanded by new technologies in every profession are about to overrun the higher education system in the state. Consider these examples:
At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 500 qualified community college transfers were turned away for lack of space.
At East Carolina University, badly needed nursing student applicants are being told to come back later because of the lack of facilities.
At North Carolina Central University, the "best" science building has no distilled water or gas and their fume hoods barely work, creating a health and safety risk.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one out of every five non-health buildings was constructed more than 70 years ago.
In the community colleges, thousands of students can't get the computer training they need because there aren't enough classrooms. Those students-primarily working adults-are being forced to put their career advancement on hold.
These examples of quality and quantity deficiencies persist. The challenges are only going to become greater. Full-time enrollment in the state's public universities and community colleges is expected to increase by 30 percent, or 100,000 students, during the next 10 years. The number of high school graduates in North Carolina is now the fourth fastest growing in the country. The high school class of 2010 will number about 79,000-an increase of 26 percent from last year.
But you are at Duke, so why should you care? It's simple. First, in many different ways, being at Duke is about learning to be involved in the greater community beyond the campus borders. Voting for these bonds is a way for you to help provide educational opportunities that would not otherwise be available for literally tens of thousands of North Carolinians.
But voting for the bonds is more than a civic exercise. Passage of the bonds is also good for the futures of those at Duke in several ways.
First, a quality public higher education system has been a driving force in the success North Carolina has had in attracting diversified industrial and business investment. For example, as important as Duke has been to the success of Research Triangle Park, there would be no Park if we didn't have top-quality public universities in this area.
In turn, the presence of those companies attracted here by higher education has created thousands of jobs for Duke graduates working and living in the Triangle. Those companies have also created numerous research opportunities for Duke faculty and students.
Another benefit from these bonds will be that the facilities are important to collaborations between Duke and its neighboring institutions. President Nan Keohane pointed out earlier this year that as a result of a gift from Julian and Josie Robertson, Duke is inaugurating a new program of student exchanges with UNC-Chapel Hill. Duke also benefits from exchanges with North Carolina State University and NCCU. When Duke Hospital needs to retrain workers, it turns to Durham Technical Community College. Taking steps to strengthen regional excellence is a great motivator for each area institution to excel, including Duke.
There are similar collaborations and shared benefits between other private colleges and public universities in North Carolina, which is why the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities is endorsing the higher education bond referendum.
For all these reasons and more, I make a personal request of my fellow Blue Devils to vote for the Higher Education Bonds on Nov. 7. There is nothing you can do that will be of more help to more people in providing educational and economic opportunities.
Dan Blue, Law '73, is a current member and former speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He also serves on the Board of Trustees.
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