Jessi Rae Morton

News Editor

As Aidan Van Nynatten reported for The Carolinian in Sept. 2023, UNC Greensboro has been facing budgetary concerns following changes to the North Carolina Legislature’s funding model. As I published in a Nov. 2022 issue, the new funding model, approved in April 2022, “changes the way that state funds are distributed to universities. Under the new funding model, universities do not receive North Carolina state appropriations for any out-of-state students. Instead, student credit hours completed by in-state students are used to determine state appropriations.”

The funding model change means UNC Greensboro will receive less state funding even if enrollment numbers remain steady. As Greg Bell, Dean of Graduate Studies, stated in an email to students on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, “The [UNC Greensboro Tuition and Fees] committee’s decision to recommend a 3% increase in student fees and a 3% increase in non-resident tuition for both undergraduate and graduate students is based on two factors: declining state support and inflation.”

Bell also noted that “the Office of Finance and Administration estimates that a 3% increase in non-resident tuition will generate an additional $328,025 in tuition revenue next year. This is in contrast to the estimated decrease of $1.3 million to $2.5 million annually in state appropriations from the change in the funding model.” Bell provided a brief YouTube video summarizing the main points of his message and directed students to a “presentation with Vice Chancellor Bob Shea and his team on October 30…to learn the ins and outs of university budgets and finances.”

Students and faculty have challenged the need for such an increase in tuition and fees following the release of an independent report conducted by Howard Bunsis, a professor of economics at Eastern Michigan University. The UNC Greensboro chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) paid for the report.

The Bunsis report argues, “The financial strength of UNCG demonstrates that there is no need for any cuts to the core mission” and that “the only item that should be considered for cuts are administrative costs, which have increased much faster than instructional costs and much more than other non-instructional costs over time.” Though Bunsis compiled the report in large part due to ongoing Academic Program Review (APR) concerns, it has been frequently mentioned in budget, tuition, and fees publications and messaging as well.

In a statement on Oct. 18 and during a faculty forum that same day, UNC Greensboro Chancellor Franklin D. Giliam Jr. raised concerns about the validity of the Bunsis report. Gilliam further publicized his concerns in an op-ed published in the News & Record on Oct. 20, 2023, and in a “Message from the Chancellor” on Oct. 24, 2023. Gilliam wrote that “the analysis is rife with major and minor inaccuracies and misinformation,” arguing that “no responsible analysis of our finances would conclude that we can lose 2,500 students — a number equivalent to an entire first-year cohort — over four years and not have to consider substantial changes.” Chancellor Gilliam’s message also directs readers to “University budget information refuting the primary conclusions in the AAUP report.” 

A Yes! Weekly article by Ian McDowell, published on Oct. 25, 2023, responds to some of Gilliam’s criticisms of the Bunsis report, specifically his suggestion that Bunsis’ reports about other schools have been “identical” to his report about UNC Greensboro. These back-and-forth statements become increasingly complex as they incorporate additional information about the APR. The two issues are closely related, though not identical, and The Carolinian intends to cover the APR in a separate article next week. 

The proposed increases to tuition and fees are not yet finalized, but there is another meeting of the UNC Board of Governors in November at UNC Greensboro. The materials and agenda for that meeting have yet to be made available, but such materials are generally posted in advance on the Board Meetings and Materials webpage, and materials and minutes from past meetings are also posted online.