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| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: May 18, 2000 |
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North Carolina Community College System Applauds Legislative Passage of Higher Education Facilities Bond Referendum
Community colleges would receive $600 million in capital support.
RALEIGH: "It is now up to the people of North Carolina," said North Carolina Community College System President H. Martin Lancaster after the North Carolina General Assembly today approved the $3.1 billion Higher Education Facilities Bond Referendum legislation. Lancaster added, "We are pleased that our lawmakers agree that the capital needs of our community college and public university campuses are critical. If the voters approve the referendum, the $600 million allocated for community colleges in the bond will provide $100 million more in capital support for community colleges in this one package than has been provided since 1963."
One aspect of the Higher Education Facilities Bond provides capital funding that otherwise would be required of local governments. The proposal approved by the lawmakers takes into account the low-wealth status of many counties where community colleges are located. The local governments there are unable to provide the matching support that customarily is required to receive state funding. But the community colleges located in those same counties are some in most need of the support.
The NCCCS and the University of North Carolina will work together to take the message to the people of North Carolina. "It is imperative that the public understands that this money is an investment in the future," said NCCCS Vice President for Business and Finance Kennon Briggs.
North Carolina’s community colleges are an integral part of the economic, educational and social fiber of the state. The 59 institutions of the NCCCS enroll between 750-thousand and 800-thousand North Carolinians every year. These students, most of them adults already in the work force, look to community colleges to provide them the education and training required for the future.
Today, the North Carolina Community College System is the third largest system of community colleges in the nation, and extremely accessible in terms of both cost and locations. The focused economic and workforce development programs play a vital role in preparing North Carolina’s world-class workforce and all of the community college programs, ranging from basic skills and literacy programs to associate degree programs provide exception educational opportunities for North Carolina residents. The funding the Higher Education Facilities Bond will provide could help ensure that the quality of these services is maintained.
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