UNC’s Board Of Politicians

This is Raleigh Mann.

What are the qualifications for someone whose job it is to control a university? How about a whole bunch of universities – say, 17 of them? Some experience in higher ed administration is essential, wouldn’t you say?

But members of our UNC System’s Board of Governors don’t bring that kind of experience to their job. No, these 32 board members are bankers, lawyers, real estate developers, corporate executives and business owners.

North Carolina’s university system is not a bank. It’s not a law firm, not a corporation or a real estate development company. These governors are predominantly white, male and oh yes, they share one other thing in common: 29 of the 32 are Republicans. Carefully chosen for their politics. And they’re demonstrating that they’re better at politics than education.

This UNC Board of Governors showed that clearly when they kicked out UNC President Tom Ross and shut down UNC’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, both cynical political acts.

The word “governor” has more than one meaning. We know that it means one who exercises authority or control over others. But the word also describes a device that is attached to an engine to control or limit its speed. If you have ever rented a large truck and tried to pass on a busy highway, you understand the frustration and danger a governor can impose.

Consider this group of governors, all similar in their pedigrees and their political allegiances, with the power to control an entire system of 17 universities. That must help their meetings run efficiently. Just rubber stamp all decisions that silence any un-Republican voices, regardless of the merit and validity of their messages.

We have seen many times what happens when politically active people try to control education, whether it’s K through 12, or at the university level. It’s not pretty.

These politicians are in control, and they hold the future of our state’s universities in their partisan hands. God help us.