Editor’s note: Gene McLaurin is chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
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RALEIGH – It is no secret that North Carolina is the best state to do business. In 2022, North Carolina welcomed 151 business recruitment, development, and expansion projects, for 28,690 new jobs and more than $19 billion in capital investment. Two of those were the biggest economic development projects the state has ever seen. Vietnamese electric vehicle and battery company VinFast announced 7,500 jobs with a $4 billion investment in Chatham County, making it the largest economic development project in the state’s history. Home-grown semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed announced 1,800 jobs with a $5 billion investment in Siler City, North Carolina, making it the largest capital investment for an economic development project in the state’s history.
One factor stands out when it comes to what made these and the other 149 companies decide to come to North Carolina – our highly educated and diverse workforce.
North Carolina is home to 52 public and private colleges and universities, which enroll more than 330,000 students each year, and more students are enrolled at North Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities than in any other state in the nation. All of these students represent potential employees of one of the beforementioned companies or those looking at our state now.
Our University of North Carolina system boasts 16 university campuses across the state and is consistently rated among the best values in higher education nationwide. And two of those North Carolina system schools are Tier-1 research universities, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State. To train the workforce of the future, our schools need to adapt and evolve with their students and be reflective of the diversity of those student bodies, and it starts at the top.
Why North Carolina set records for business recruitment in 2022 – in Gov. Cooper’s own words
The UNC System is governed by the Board of Governors (BOG) with each member of the board appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly’s Republican leadership. The Board of Trustees at each of the Universities is also appointed by the General Assembly and their appointees on the BOG, giving the General Assembly full control of these institutions’ board appointments and governance. It wasn’t always this way. Until 2016, the Governor also had appointments to the various campus Boards of Trustees, but that was taken away by the General Assembly when Governor Cooper was elected.
There is healthy disagreement to be had about what impacts these decisions have had on the performance of the university system, but what should not be in dispute is that the boards are less diverse and more partisan. There is only one Democrat serving on the BOG, and women make up only 25% of the board, despite making up a majority of the student body population.
In November 2022, Governor Cooper convened the Commission on the Governance of Public Universities in North Carolina to review and make recommendations about best practices for public university governance in the state. The commission’s first order of business is to assess the current appointment system of the University of North Carolina system, and how it can be strengthened and enhanced.
For our universities to provide the best possible education for their students and the state’s workforce, the BOG must be more bipartisan and reflect greater geographic, gender, and racial diversity. Bipartisanship allows for more voices at the table, and diversity in thought and ideas. And we’ve seen bipartisanship work in our state. Take our recent economic development wins. In addition to remarking our highly educated workforce as being a main attractor, companies also noted our state’s bipartisanship and how the Governor and members of the General Assembly work together to seal the deal on projects that will improve the economic well-being and quality of life for North Carolinians for decades to come. Last year we were named the number one state in America to do business, and bipartisanship played a large part in making those happen.
Bipartisanship and diversity work on the board that I’m privileged to chair for the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. I’m a Democrat, but I am fortunate to serve with Republicans and Independents from across the state focused on a shared goal of improving the economic prospects and outcomes for our neighbors.
Bipartisanship has worked for economic development, and it can work for education, but the public needs to play a large role in getting us there.
The Commission on the Governance of Public Universities in North Carolina is holding a series of forums for the public to have their voices heard regarding the UNC System’s governance structure. There are two more chances to attend and speak, on April 4 in Greensboro and April 11 in Durham, and I urge you to attend. Bipartisanship is an important piece of what makes North Carolina the greatest state in the nation. Having representation from all parties, whether in our day-to-day interactions or on a board such as the BOG, allows us as a community, and as a state, to be the best and the strongest we can be. We can continue to provide that world-class education to our students, who will continue to strengthen our state’s economic development potential and provide an excellent quality of life for our residents.
Individuals interested in attending one of the Forums and speaking should contact Minda Watkins at minda.watkins@nc.gov at least two days prior to the Forum. Individuals can also submit written testimony to this email if they are unable to attend an in-person meeting.
About the author
Gene McLaurin is the president of Swink-Quality Oil Company and chair of the Board of Directors of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. He is a former NC State Senator (2013-2014) and former Mayor of Rockingham (1997-2012).
