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SOURCE: Associated Press & News14 Carolina
02.05.07
Bowles plans UNC listening tour around state
RALEIGH -- University of North Carolina President Erskine Bowles said Friday he will travel the state over the next 18 months with professors and system administrators for a listening tour to determine how the 16-campus system can best serve the state.
Closing a two-day education conference at North Carolina State University, Bowles said it was clear from the gathering that the global economy was changing rapidly and that higher education would have to keep up. He praised the state's community college system for being "demand driven" and responsive to local needs.
But, he said, "We at the universities are more supply driven - we do what we darn well please."
Bowles said he planned to visit every region of the state to try to determine how the system can best serve North Carolina over the next 20 to 30 years.
"Instead of talking, which we're good at, we're going to listen," he said.
The group will report its findings back to the system's own faculty experts for recommendations.
"We're not going to go out and hire some consultants," he said. "We're going to use our own great faculty."
