To the Editor:

One of the greatest resources our state has is the University of North Carolina System with its 17 public universities and the N.C. Community College System with its network of 58 community colleges. The money invested in our public universities and colleges pays off with massive economic dividends as students graduate with the skills necessary to be leaders in our communities and compete in today’s economy.  

This March, the Connect NC Bond Initiative will be on the ballot and deserves our vote of approval. The bond Initiative will spend $980 million on improving the UNC system and $350 million on our community colleges in addition to many other great infrastructural needs.

These investments will allow our universities to remain among the best in the world and provide many opportunities for research and development that drive economic impact throughout our state. A great example in our mountain region is Western Carolina University’s Natural Sciences Building, standing in dire need of replacement. WCU cannot adequately accommodate workforce related majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an aging structure it has long since outgrown and which is in constant need of repairs that place further burdens upon the university’s budget. As chairman of WCU’s Board of Trustees, I have seen first-hand this critical need.

This bond will not require a tax increase and takes advantage of historically low interest rates to fund these projects that will benefit future generations in North Carolina. In addition, the bond enjoys wide support from members of both parties in our state legislature. I believe this is a result of the bond being a fiscally responsible investment in our future as a state. We must improve our universities and colleges in order to stay competitive in today’s economy, and this bond provides a way to do so while maintaining our historical commitment to orderly reducing our debt in the future. 

I sincerely ask my fellow Western North Carolinians to vote for the Connect NC Bond Initiative on March 15.

F. Ed Broadwell

Chairman/CEO Emeritus

HomeTrust Bank

Asheville