SUMMER/FALL 2020 NEWSLETTER

NCICU Navigates COVID-19 Challenges When the first COVID-19 case was reported in North Carolina on March 3, NCICU began gathering information from multiple national and state sources and facilitating virtual meetings with presidents about the status of the virus and contingency plans for students and academic delivery. As the Governor was crafting executive orders, NCICU moved quickly to propose language which would include educational institutions as essential businesses. This allowed many of our international, out-of-state, and homeless students to be able to stay on campus rather than being forced out when the Governor’s Shelter in Place order went into effect. NCICU also began working closely with state government leaders in the Governor’s office, the General Assembly, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Division of Emergency Management. We deeply appreciate the ongoing collaboration with, and support from those offices. Campus leaders discussed decisions they were considering during dozens of virtual meetings among administrative groups to share ideas and to clarify state and national policies and guidance. These meetings were critical examples of the benefits of sharing ideas with colleagues across the state to take advantage of the best approaches to protect the health and safety of campus communities. Working with North Carolina’s congressional delegation, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and the American Council on Education (ACE) allowed us to provide input based on the needs of NCICU campuses for national and state relief aid. NCICU president, Hope Williams, presented our sector’s request to the North Carolina General Assembly for support from funds coming to the State from the federal CARES Act. We were pleased that the General Assembly provided $20 million in NC COVID-19 Relief Funds for private colleges and universities to award to North Carolina students and families affected by COVID-19 and to help colleges with the costs of moving to remote learning. In addition, Governor Cooper approved NCICU’s request for support from his discretionary CARES Act funding, providing $4 million in state financial assistance for North Carolina students and, on its return to Raleigh, the General Assembly appropriated another $10 million. (See sidebar for additional funding details.) As campuses opened virtually and in-person this fall, administrative groups continued to meet virtually to talk about lessons learned and ongoing safety protocols. All our campuses have benefited from the experiences of others as they problem-solved the complex and unprecedented issues we face in this pandemic.

COVID-19 Support from General Assembly In May, using funds from the federal CARES ACT, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a funding bill for $1.57 billion for COVID-19 relief which included $20 million for North Carolina independent colleges and universities. The money was designated to help institutions transition to online education for students and to provide relief for students and families impacted by COVID-19. Earlier this month (September), the General Assembly approved an additional $5 million for state financial aid for North Carolina independent college and university students and for the cost of moving to remote learning, and $5 million for PPE for independent colleges and universities. All funds from the General Assembly must be used before December 30. Governor Roy Cooper has allotted $4 million in additional state financial aid from the discretionary CARES Act funding for NC independent college and university students “to provide emergency assistance to North Carolina students whose ability to complete their degree has been impacted by the pandemic.”

New Presidents at NCICU Campuses

St. Andrews University Interim President Dr. Ellen Bernhardt (June 2020) NC Wesleyan College's 8th president, Dr. Evan Duff (June 2020) Saint Augustine's 12th president Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail (July 15, 2020)

University of Mount Olive Interim President Dr. Edward Croom (Feb. 2020) Salem College Interim President, Dr. Susan Henking (June 1, 2020) Catawba College's 24th President Dr. David Nelson (July 1, 2020)

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences President Dr. Cam Cruickshank (March 16, 2020) Guilford College Interim President Dr. Carol A. Moore (Aug. 3, 2020) A number of NCICU Presidents and representatives attended the Feb. 10 celebration of myFutureNC with other education, business, foundation and government leaders to show support for state’s 2 million by 2030 education attainment goal.

NCICU Ethics Bowl The High Point University team was the champion of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities’ (NCICU) 9th Annual Ethics Bowl held in February. The team faced Belmont Abbey College in the final round. The theme this year was Ethics in the Agriculture, and the question for the finals was “What ethical responsibilities does the United States have to support the agricultural industry in securing the qualified workers that it needs?” High Point University had faced Salem College in the semifinals, as Belmont Abbey faced North Carolina Wesleyan College. The case for that round considered the ethics of producing genetically modified and/or gene-edited food. Read more

High Point University's Ethics Bowl Team accepts the trophy from NCICU President Hope Williams

ICFNC Annual Campaign The Independent College Fund of North Carolina (ICFNC), a division of NCICU, raised $2.4 million in 2019-20 for scholarships, programs, sponsorships, grants, and in-kind services during its annual campaign which ended in April 2020. “We are pleased about the strong finish to the 2019-20 campaign,” said ICFNC Director Colleen Kinser. “This campaign marked 66 years for ICFNC and we greatly appreciate the generosity of our partners in education.”

ICFNC welcomes new Advisory Board members Reagan Greene Pruitt, VP Marketing & Community Engagement at Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, and Brooks Raiford, President & CEO of NC Tech.

NCICU Welcomes New Business Affiliates!

NCICU to Hold Administrative Group Meetings Virtually this Fall Monday, October 12 - Student Affairs Deans Tuesday, October 13 - Directors of Non-Traditional/Online Learning Wednesday, October 14 - IT Directors Tuesday, October 20 - Chief Academic Officers Wednesday, October 21 - Directors of Academic Advising Thursday, October 22 - Directors of Human Resources Friday, October 23 - Institutional Research Directors Wednesday & Thursday, October 28 & 29 - CFOs Tuesday, December 1 - Registrars For information on any of these meetings, contact Rebecca Leggett at leggett@ncicu.org