UNC got a shout-out today from President Obama.

In a speech about higher education today at the University of Texas in Austin, Obama singled out UNC and the University of Maryland as two public  universities that have managed to remain affordable while retaining quality.

As I read it, it isn't actually clear whether Obama is citing UNC-Chapel Hill specifically or the entire University of North Carolina system.

Either way, he'd be right. By most national markers, UNC-CH and the state's university system provide a lot of bang for the tuition buck.

Here's what he said, in part:

Now, part of the responsibility for controlling these costs falls on our colleges and universities. And some of them are stepping up. Public institutions like the University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina, and private institutions like Cornell are finding ways to combat rising tuition without compromising quality. But too many others aren't doing enough, and I want to challenge them to get a handle on spiraling costs.

In-state students living on campus at Maryland's College Park campus this fall will pay just more than $21,000.

By comparison, UNC-CH's in-state undergrads living on campus this year will pay about $19,700.

Cornell, the private institution Obama cited, charges a bit more - nearly $40,000 a year.

When UNC Chapel Hill hired Bain & Company, a global consulting firm, to analyze the university's finances and administrative structures earlier this year, some folks were bothered in part because the firm had little experience with higher education.

Well, it appears Bain is branching out. The firm, which spent several months in Chapel Hill and produced a voluminous report on its findings, is now undertaking a similar exercise at Cornell University.

 According to this report in the Cornell Daily Sun, Bain has been hired to help administrators there find ways to become "leaner and stronger."