Asheville is known nationally for its food scene, so it’s no surprise UNC Asheville Professor Sally Wasileski is a devoted and creative cook. More surprising is that the accomplished chemistry professor created an entire course that turns the chem lab into an experimental kitchen, allowing students to roast, reduce and bake their way through analytical… READ MORE
‘Stagnant’ salaries: Time to invest in human capital
RALEIGH – We agreed last week to invest in physical capital for North Carolina’s public universities and community colleges, approving $2 billion in bonds by a 2-to-1 margin. Now it’s time to invest in human capital as well. When state legislators return to Raleigh next month for their session to adjust the state budget, they… READ MORE
A popular math teacher?
PEMBROKE – Math teachers don’t often win popularity contests. Across the UNC system, mathematics is among the most challenging disciplines, with courses in calculus and statistics reporting some of the highest failure rates. So it’s striking to read a flood of glowing student comments about Dr. Steven Bourquin, chair of UNC Pembroke’s Department of Mathematics… READ MORE
NC universities lag peers in faculty pay
FAYETTEVILLE (March 4, 2016) – With North Carolina’s public universities lagging their peers in faculty compensation, the UNC Board of Governors has decided to make competitive pay a top priority in the upcoming legislative session. “Our chancellors have to be able to recruit and retain the very best in the country,” said Harry Smith, chairman… READ MORE
Lagging university benefits: “That’s real money”
CHAPEL HILL – Stagnant pay for University faculty and staff remains a major problem in North Carolina, hampering the state’s ability to hire and keep top-tier teachers and researchers. State lawmakers have offered a single 1.2% raise in the past seven years, even as other states have recruited aggressively to poach talent. But it’s more… READ MORE
UNCG Chancellor: “That’s who you want in the classroom.”
GREENSBORO – Though he’s new to campus, Chancellor Frank Gilliam of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro knows UNCG lost a star health economist to the University of Virginia. “If faculty salaries stagnate, you will have retention problems,” Gilliam says in the accompanying video. “Our faculty, the best ones, are as good as anybody… READ MORE
BOG: Faculty pay on the agenda
CHAPEL HILL – Long-stagnant pay for university teachers and researchers will be at the top of the agenda when the University of North Carolina Board of Governors convenes Dec. 11. During a special meeting of the board last week, members spoke of their growing worry about the impact of lackluster pay and benefits for faculty… READ MORE
What about us?
When the Board of Governors that oversees North Carolina’s public universities granted raises recently to 12 chancellors, it prompted faculty across the system to ask: What about us? There is no doubt that faculty – who’ve gone seven years with just one insignificant raise – are long overdue for a raise. This year University faculty… READ MORE
VIDEO: Reynolds CEO: Great faculty help students find their passion
Great faculty are “pivotal” to higher education, Reynolds American President and CEO Susan Cameron says in the accompanying video. “Everybody can talk about one professor where the light bulb went on,” says Cameron, herself a trustee at the University of Florida. “Great faculty can help students to find their passion – and if they find… READ MORE
Faculty Assembly Chair: Trouble at all levels with recruitment, retention
Dr. Stephen Leonard, professor of political science at UNC Chapel Hill, is serving his second year as chair of the UNC System’s Faculty Assembly. He represents more than 16,000 professors across North Carolina’s public universities. Leonard sat down with the Higher Education Works Foundation to talk about the importance of recruiting and retaining high-quality faculty…. READ MORE