The University of North Carolina General Administration and North Carolina Central University recently completed a joint report on their efforts to address challenges stemming from an unauthorized satellite campus that NCCU ran in Lithonia, Ga.Here are some of the highlights:
The program was funded through tuition and fee charges and structured as a self-supporting activity. The majority of New Birth students used federal financial aid to meet their tuition and fee obligations. While state appropriations were not used to directly fund the New Birth Program, NCCU will reimburse the state for employee compensation and operating costs incurred in support of the New Birth Program by the NCCU Business Office, Registrar’s Office, and the Student Financial Aid Office.
State law stipulates that tuition rates for UNC institutions are to be set by the UNC Board of Governors, not inconsistent with action by the NC General Assembly. NCCU officials set a tuition rate that did not conform to state requirements and was not approved by the NCCU Board of Trustees, Board of Governors, or the General Assembly. For example, the 2007-08 tuition and fee rate charged to New Birth students was $296.10 per credit hour, whereas the approved tuition and fee rate for non-resident distance education students was $417.75 per credit hour.
Pending formal action by the SACS Commission on Colleges in December 2008, SACS President Belle Wheelan has also expressed her support for the teach-out plan submitted to SACS on September 19 and encouraged NCCU to move forward with its implementation.
The full report is available here.