(The Center Square) – Already championed as a military-friendly state, North Carolina’s public university system is a step closer to enhancing its alliance with students planning to serve or having already done so.
The Senate Rules Committee, when session reconvenes next week in Raleigh, will have opportunity to act on two proposals impacting the 16 institutions with more than a quarter-million students. The state is home to six major installations and an estimated 90,000 active-duty military personnel.
Military and Veterans Educational Promise Act, known also as House Bill 69, would create a five-year window where the high school graduate with college acceptance in hand could do active duty or, with a two-year window, join the Reserves/National Guard. Graduates of high schools in the state, or veterans stationed in the state for 90 days, or Purple Heart veterans would qualify for in-state tuition rates.
UNC Tuition Discounts for Certain Students, known also as House Bill 373, could drop the cost of college to zero for some students. It provides a discount for those with military or employer tuition assistance. The goal of the bill is to boost enrollment and post-graduation available workforce talent.
Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, was the only lawmaker opposing either measure. He cast a no vote on HB373.
The collegiate part of the UNC System includes Appalachian State, East Carolina, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Pembroke, UNC School of the Arts, UNC Wilmington, Western Carolina and Winston-Salem State. There is one high school level institution, the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.
The state’s six major military bases include the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, both in the southeastern part of the state; Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in eastern North Carolina; and U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River along the coast, not more than an hour’s drive from the more inland MCAS Cherry Point. There are also two U.S. Coast Guard bases along the northern coast at Elizabeth City; and the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point on the southern coast in Brunswick County.
No sessions are scheduled this week. The General Assembly convenes Monday of next week, with most action unlikely to happen before Tuesday. Crossover day is May 8.
