North Carolina's business lobby kicked off this year's legislative session with an ambitious to-do list in a Republican-controlled statehouse.

The N.C. Chamber feted its members Tuesday at the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh with speakers, legislators and hors d' oeuvres.

The group hopes to achieve goals that were out-of-reach in past years when Democrats controlled both houses of the General Assembly.

"It's a new era," said Lew Ebert, the chamber's president and CEO. Ebert said the chamber will be pushing for a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda.

State legislators will be focusing on the issue of diversity in public schools in light of the controversy taking place in Wake County.

As noted in today's article, the General Assembly approved the creation of a legislative study commission on diversity in public schools. The commission could recommend school districts adopt diversity policies and maybe even suggest changing the way the state funds schools to encourage those kind of busing efforts.

The reason for the state attention, backers acknowledge, is all the talk about the Wake school board scrapping the socioeconomic diversity policy.

House Speaker Joe Hackney will participate in a panel discussion Monday as part of a UNC Chapel Hill class.

Hackney will be joined by UNC-CH trustee Roger Perry. The duo will speak to about 60 students enrolled in the Role of the University in American Life class, which tackles the making of laws, policies and rules that govern a university.

The class meets at 11 a.m. Monday in room 039 of the old Graham Memorial Building, now home to the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

Hackney received his bachelor's degree from UNC-CH in 1967 and his law degree in 1970.