Am I the only one who winced while reading about UNC’s new $4 billion capital fundraising campaign. It comes on the heels of a $2 billion capital campaign which wound down last December. My initial thoughts: Why now? And will anyone allow us to take a look at how UNC endowment money is spent?
Let’s be clear, I have no problem with private support for colleges. It’s a valuable source of support for many instiutions. And, individuals have the right to contribute money wherever they please. Still, I think something is wrong when certain public universities with hefty and ever-growing endowments require struggling taxpayers to finance multi-million dollar capital building projects with no voter input. The current budget includes $522 million in COPs-financed building projects for UNC — a significant financial investment. No, UNC should not be responsible for all capital costs. But, shouldn’t financially strong institutions be expected to contribute accordingly? The topic needs to be raised.
Only like $80 million of that $522m is for UNC-CH.
And that’s to expand the dental school.