Wondering why Erskine Bowles signed on as co-chair of a new federal panel tasked with making sense of the federal budget deficit?

To simplify things a bit it has something to do with the fact that when the president calls, you answer.

At least, that was one of the reasons Bowles gave when he wrote to members of the UNC system's Board of Governors last week to tell them the news. I've posted his letter here so you can read it yourself.

Also - I asked Bowles last week about the time he'll spend on this task in this, his final year as the president of the UNC system.

He told me, in part : "I'm going to get my job done here. That's my commitment 100 percent. I'm not going to allow this to infringe on it. But at the same time - there's good argument this is part of my job. Public service is part of our three-part mission, to do things for the state and nation. President Friday certainly did. President Frank Porter Graham certainly did. I'm going to make sure I do a good job on both of these. I'm going to finish strong. I have a significant capacity to work and I believe I can do it. Do I think I'll have a lot of free time? No. "

 And on a side note: Jay Schalin with the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy - a conservative thinktank in Raleigh, has penned a long appreciation of Bowles, a Democrat. Gasp!

Here's Bowles' letter to the Board of Governors.

In Elizabeth City, a local legislator wants the local state university to change its name.

State. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, told trustees at Elizabeth City State University that their institution's name limits its name recognition and ability to raise private funds.

He'd prefer UNC-Elizabeth City, similar changes some other state universities, like UNC-Pembroke, have made.

Trustees didn't commit to anything but said they'd think about it. 

If you slogged through my story in today's paper about the UNC system's proposed budget cuts and were confused by the ending, good job: You were paying attention.

Here's what the last two lines read, as you saw it in the paper today:

 "On campuses, department heads have long relied on vacant positions for savings. A good example: the state's last economic downturn came several years ago in the years following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2003-04, the UNC system faced permanent cuts of 3 percent, leading to the elimination of 378 jobs across the state."

What was cut from the story was the following line, which made all of that make sense. What it said was that of those 378 jobs eliminated four years ago, only 11 were filled at the time. Meaning, while the university system lost funding for 378 positions, most of those were vacant at the time so only 11 people were actually out of work.

Sorry for the confusion.

Way down on the 26th page of a 27-page explanation of the UNC system's proposed operating budget for the next two years is this:

10. Efficient Use of Available Resources - Continue Efforts to Establish Accountability & Performance Measures. $3 million in 2009-10, and $2 million in 2010-2011.

I know what you're thinking. Blah, blah, blah, boring.

True.

But priority 10 on the university's list of 10 budget priorities got some spirited discussion Thursday at a committee meeting of the UNC system's Board of Governors.

Here's why: This item is the UNC system asking the state for $5 million over the next two years to essentially get its financial house in order. The state is moving nine UNC system campuses off the state's payroll system to be managed by the university.

The campuses are essentially the state's smallest: Elizabeth City, Fayetteville State, N.C. Central, N.C. A&T, UNC-Asheville, UNC Pembroke, UNC School of the Arts, Winston-Salem State and Western Carolina.

The move is being done because some campuses, like Fayetteville State, N.C. A
& T and N.C. Central University, have run into serious financial or
bookkeeping problems either discovered or widely revealed by state
audits in recent years. So the university system is setting up a new management office to oversee the standardization of business processes among its campuses.

During a Thursday meeting, board member Frank Daniels Jr. argued that this budget item, while dry, is significant and should be a higher priority.

"It's one of the few items designed to save money and protect our assets," he said. "It has no sex appeal but is absolutely necessary. It goes to our credibility."

UNC President Erskine Bowles agreed that it was an important initiative that needed funding but was reluctant to give it a higher priority than budget items that will fund initiatives on campuses. The money would fund a program managed within Bowles' UNC system office.

"I think it's really critical," he said. "But to me, the campuses are always more important in times like these than we are."

Jim Phillips, the board's former chair, said a higher priority might send a clearer message about the university's intentions.

"It speaks volumes to say we're committed to getting our house in order," he said.

The item was not reprioritized. A motion to move it up six spots to number 4 on the university's budget priority list failed, 4-3, but members pledged to lobby hard for the funding with legislators.

If you're dying to thumb through UNC's entire proposed budget for the next two years, click on the attachment to this blog entry.

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