04/03/07

Following is a statement by NC Wesleyan College President Ian Newbould in response to a study conducted by the UNC System to determine if Wesleyan should become the 17 th member of the UNC System.  Chancellor James Leutze, UNC-Wilmington head, chaired the study commission.

NC Wesleyan response to the Leutze Commission Report

            For the past several months, North Carolina Wesleyan College has been involved with the study to determine if a UNC campus should be established in Rocky Mount. Chancellor Leutze's Report, made public earlier this week, has concluded that several issues prompt the Commission to recommend against that possibility. The Report concludes that the cost of establishing a UNC campus could not be justified when measured against what the Commission regards as an insufficient number of qualified high school graduates in the region. Moreover, the Commission determined that the recently-announced eighteen month study to determine how the UNC System could accommodate future growth, and what delivery models and locations might be required, should be completed before any recommendations could be made.
            Throughout all of this, NC Wesleyan has been prepared, and continues to be prepared, to continue to do what it has done during its first fifty years - to serve the educational needs and aspirations of eastern North Carolina. Our College is in a stronger position than it has ever been, and our plans for growth and development continue. Applications are twenty-five percent higher than last year. This summer, we plan to break ground on a major library expansion that will double the size of the Elizabeth Braswell Pearsall Library. An agreement with the Hyvinkaa-Riihimaki Educational Region of Finland should see our international student population grow beyond our current complement of students from over one dozen countries. The recent appointments of Mr. Malcolm Woodall, Vice President of Development, and of Dr. John Thornell, Vice President of Academic Affairs, set the stage for our next phase of economic and academic growth. The College enters its second half century with optimism and opportunity. We are proud of what has been achieved, and look forward to continued service to the citizens of eastern North Carolina and beyond.