North Carolina’s Republican Gov. Pat McCrory may have softened his tone about the purpose of higher education in the state since he set off a firestorm by mocking gender studies last year, but his message remains the same: UNC and other universities need to “hone in” on the “changing market environment.”

“The educational elite have taken over our education where we’re offering courses that have no chance of getting people jobs.

“You want to take gender studies? That’s fine. Go to a private school and take it. But I don’t want to subsidize that it that’s not going to get someone a job.”

Those comments, made during an interview with conservative radio host and Reagan-era education secretary Bill Bennett on Jan. 29, 2013 did not endear the newly elected governor to the UNC community.

McCrory’s recent remarks during a jobs tour in Greensboro also did not help soften relations. He joked to reporters that North Carolina needs more truck drivers and tech workers, and less political science majors, sociologists, psychologists, and especially, journalists.

So it wasn’t a surprise that the governor’s Oct. 12 keynote address at Memorial Hall for University Day was not exactly packed to the rafters; nor that his speech got what could be described as a polite response.

The tone of his remarks was softer, and he even seemed to back off a little.

“Our universities must continue to be an environment where our students can exercise their brains and be free to think, explore, solve problems, adapt, and innovate, regardless of their major,” said McCrory. “We must teach knowledge that is essential for a free person to actively participate in civic, professional, and family life.

“This is the definition of liberal arts: history, language, literature, religion, philosophy, the sciences, mathematics, business and civics.”

But McCrory stuck to his repeated message, both in his speech and during an interview that day with Carolina Connection.

“I think the big change that UNC and all universities are going to have to make in the future is they’re going to have to adapt more quickly to the changing market environment, and to the job skills gaps that industry is facing at this point in time.”

During his address at Memorial Hall, McCrory mentioned an Employer Needs Survey of 800 public and private employers, conducted this year by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Of the 45 percent that reported trouble hiring employees, 40 percent of them cited lack of experience, technical skills and educational credentials as a big reason.

The governor did not mention that one in three employers reported an insufficient number of applicants; and that one in four reported unwillingness by job candidates to take the wages offered as a factor.

He also did not mention that a lack of “soft skills,” such as communication, enthusiasm, and interpersonal talents was reported as a factor by one in four employers; and that one in six employers said that criminal records prevented hiring. One in 10 applicants reportedly didn’t pass a drug screening.

The Associated Press reported in September 2013 that $20 million in state budget cuts across 58 community college campuses resulted in “fewer instructors, larger classes and reduced services for students seeking skills to build careers.”

The Commerce Department survey that McCrory cited also found that the North Carolina industry with the most hiring difficulty was educational services, at 62.5 percent.