Watch Spellings’ State of the University Address

Watch a livestream of UNC System President Margaret Spellings delivering her State of the University address 8 a.m. Monday, June 4, at SAS Institute in Cary. The speech, one in a series she is giving around the state, will focus on the progress the system has made implementing the first year of a five-year strategic plan.

Chancellor Randy Woodson will attend the event and participate in a question-and-answer session with Spellings and other chancellors following the speech.

The system’s strategic plan, called Higher Expectations, aims to make higher education more accessible and affordable for North Carolina students while enhancing student success, community engagement and economic impact.

The plan is paying off. According to a snapshot of the State of the University:

• The system is enrolling and graduating more students from low-income backgrounds than ever before.
• On average, in-state undergraduate tuition and fees at UNC institutions are about 25 to 30 percent less than the national average.
• Last year, North Carolina’s public universities brought in $1.56 billion in sponsored research funding and licensing income, an all-time high for the system.

Spellings, who took the helm of the 17-institution UNC System in 2016, is an education thought leader and public policy expert who formerly served as U.S. Secretary of Education. She is an advocate of accountability and transparency in public education.