It takes a village to raise a child, but who is the village today?

The saying, "it takes a village to raise a child" has been stated in thousands of speeches, brochures and publications over the years, but the words may no longer serve as the same powerful call to action. According to the following figures, there is a great deal of work going undone and the connection between the education system and our young black students is being lost - if it was ever made at all. According to one Scholar's report:

African American male students in North Carolina make up:

• 14% of all public school students
• 30% of special education students
• 8% of Honors students
• 22% of high school dropouts
• 9% of full-time undergraduate students, and
• A black male high school dropout will earn $620,000 less in his lifetime than a black male college graduate.

Where/who is the village today? Is this trend similar in all young men? What role should our campuses play to improve opportunities and increase the appeal of education for these students and others? What do these figures tell us about the future of our increasing Latino population? Where are we making positive strides?

The competition is getting ready...are we?

About 33% of North Carolina's college age students are enrolled in college - only 69% of the rate in Korea...
North Carolina also lags behind Greece, Finland, Belgium, Ireland and Poland.

What changes must be made to motivate our students to continue their education after high school? What are the implications of the current trends?

For more key facts and trends about North Carolina please read the Scholars Council Trends and Issues Briefs on our webpage!

They are doing WHAT...who knew!?! Campuses meet needs across the state.

During the late Spring - President Bowles, Board of Governors Chairman Jim Phillips and GA staff traveled to each University campus (including our newest campus North Carolina School of Science and Math). Each campus was given the opportunity to share their impact on their region/the state, sending the team away pleasantly surprised as to the level of impact made on the state. If we are surprised to hear about some of the projects and initiatives on our campuses, how can we expect citizens across the state to know what the campuses are doing for them? How can our campuses better tell their stories in your communities? Are you aware of services provided by the campus(es) closest to your community?

Please visit www.nctomorrow.org to read the campus visit report on the campus near you. Each report includes an institutional profile, list of needs being addressed by the campus, barriers and a list of potential opportunities.

Soft skills - who really needs them? And wait, what exactly are they?

"Soft skills" - you know, those skills not necessarily learned from the book that enable a new hire to adapt to the fast pace and challenges of the working world, are a hot topic in both education and the business sector worldwide. Academic departments are hearing more and more about the value of producing graduates that possess the following skills: teamwork, critical thinking and reasoning, oral and written communication, assembling and organizing information, innovative and creative thinking, facility with numbers and statistics, and foreign language proficiency (Hart 2006 study). Does this list capture the types of skills you expect your new hires to possess? Does the list capture the skills you believe you need upon graduating with your degree, in order to compete in this global economy? For those in continuing education, do you believe your coursework adequately covers these skills with an emphasis on today's needs?

If not, where is it deficient and how can it be addressed by the University?