Interview: Evan Duff, President North Carolina Wesleyan College

lion’s share of either institution’s revenue, other revenue streams — athletics, dining halls, dorms, student clubs, media rights, donor contributions, ticket sales — are also heavily dependent on in-person interactions and massive gatherings, both of which were hampered by the pandemic. In one example, the UNC System Board of Governors returned more than $188.9 million to students across the state in on-campus room and board payments once it went full remote, and that is only half of the 2020 semester.

Commonly referred to as auxiliary enterprises, these alternate revenue streams could represent a $340 million hit across the Triangle should they reflect a 50% reduction for the three landmark institutions, according to an American City Business Journals analysis cited in the Triangle Business Journal.

Despite the dire revenue news, schools went ahead with expansions even amid the COVID-19 crisis. Private Triangle independent school Thales Academy has school openings slated for Cary and Pittsboro for the 2021-22 academic year, as well as a Clayton campus slated for 2023. In parallel, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School is looking beyond the Raleigh-Durham region and setting up shop in Charlotte to offer its MBA program. At full capacity, the Charlotte location will extend over 3,000 square feet of office and classroom space. Evan Duff

President North Carolina Wesleyan College

In what ways is the school assisting transfer students?

Since 2011, we’ve had a big focus on ensuring that students who have previous college coursework from up to five different schools can have a seamless way to transfer their credits. There is no time limit on college credits so if a student took a course 20 years ago, that still counts, and we include that in their graduation plan.

We also recognize transfer courses that some other institutions may not. We used to only accept 60 hours of transfer from a community college but we now allow them to transfer an additional 15 hours of general education credit for a total of 75 hours of transfer credit.

Through research and best practices, the only way to meet state and federal attainment goals for undergraduates is to simplify the process and recognize all academic accomplishments. We consider military and law enforcement training and other viable learning experiences on a case-by-case basis.

What changes are you expecting in the new landscape and what is your near-term outlook?

With the new presidential administration, I anticipate a greater amount of funding for colleges in general but more so for minority serving colleges. There may be some changes in the community college system – perhaps not free tuition but perhaps some programs that leverage costs.

It’s too early to anticipate any regulation that would hinder what we do, and I don’t think that always comes from a federal level.

There is a lot of information out there about what colleges should be focusing on, from AI to better modes of delivery of education. I do think colleges will need to be more creative and part of this will be through the creation of partnerships. We have a partnership with a major firm known as the ActOne Group, which is a recruiting firm that will be on our campus working in partnership with our career services offices.

About 40 private primary and secondary schools in the Triangle received PPP loans of at least $150,000

Challenges As universities across the United States transitioned to remote-by-force, the seismic shift meant higher ed institutions were also tackling the challenge of providing paying students with continued added value in an online platform. With the removal of chance encounters, travel and exchange programs as well as the on-campus experience, COVID-19 hit home the importance of a costeffective education at a time when the student population is increasingly crippled with debt.

It also highlighted the critical aspect of producing employable professionals by offering a curriculum that directly responds to companies’ needs when it comes to specific, high-value skills in high demand in the labor market.

In the short-term, however, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke are leaning heavily toward offsetting the disadvantages of online learning by delivering prepandemic, near-normal on-campus activity, while still working out the kinks inherent to international program travels.

To support students in these trying times, Gov. Roy Cooper introduced a new financial aid program of $51.4 million. It includes the Longleaf Commitment program, a $31.5 million investment to ensure graduating highschool seniors from low- and middle-income families receive at least $2,800 in federal and state grants to direct toward tuition and most fees at any of North Carolina’s 58 community colleges.

In addition, Cooper recommended investing $350 million of the state’s $5.7 billion share of the American Rescue Plan in the NC Guarantee Scholarship. It will serve students from families making $60,000 a year or less by guaranteeing $6,000 per year to cover attendance costs in any UNC system institution or North Carolina community college.

As far as PPP loans go, close to 40 private primary and secondary educational institutions in the Triangle received loans of at least $150,000 to address the unforeseen expenditures of the pandemic. COVID-19 relief funds have also proven critical for higher ed institutions in the Triangle, as showcased by the Saint Augustine University success story. Strengthened by a solid enrollment run since 2018, the pandemic threatened to halt the university’s three years of consecutive enrollment hikes. The institution obtained a $20 million strikeout from its balance sheet via a loan forgiveness program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) that borrowed money through the federal government’s HBCU Capital Financing Program. The school was also approved for a $2.36 million PPP loan in April 2020. ( )