Message from Chancellor Cummings November 19, 2021:
BraveNation:
I am pleased to share with you today, the North Carolina General Assembly has passed a state budget, and the Governor has signed it into law. This will be the first time UNC Pembroke, the UNC System and the State of North Carolina have seen a state budget since 2018.
Our campus has navigated a global pandemic and a 34% increase in enrollment over the last four years without significant increases in state appropriations. It is well past time for us to collectively breathe a sigh of relief that key investments in our infrastructure can now move forward.
UNCP has much to celebrate in this biennial budget, and we are grateful for our campus and community leaders, elected officials and advocates on every level who see and understand the power our university has to shape lives. They know, as we all do, the return on investment in UNC Pembroke is immeasurable.
The unprecedented level of support for our university in this budget speaks volumes about the trust and confidence our state’s leaders have placed in our faculty, staff, administrators and students to positively impact our region and our state. This budget brings a great deal of welcomed news, beginning with the increased compensation for faculty and staff. The work you do is evidenced every day in the success of our students, and this historic level of funding clearly represents North Carolina’s commitment to ensuring UNC Pembroke continues to leave a lasting mark on our region.
I would like to share some key highlights in the biennial budget with you below.
UNC System Compensation:
- A 5% across-the-board salary increase, which will be broken down into a 2.5% increase for this fiscal year, and a 2.5% increase in the 2022-23 fiscal year. The 2.5% increase for the current fiscal year will be retroactive to July 1, 2021. The UNC System is expected to provide authorization to Chancellors on each campus to proceed with legislatively directly salary increases so this can impact employees as soon as possible, potentially as early as December or January.
- A $1,000 bonus for full-time State employees and local education employees, and an additional $500 bonus to employees in at least one of the following employee groups: 1) Employees with an annual salary of less than $75,000, 2) Law enforcement officers, 3) Employees in the Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, with job duties requiring frequent in-person contact, or 4) Employees of the Department of Health and Human Services in a position at a 24-hour residential or treatment facility.
- Retired state employees will not receive raises, but they will get 5% cost-of-living adjustment bonuses over two years: 2% this fiscal year and an additional 3% in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
- The budget provides $10 million to the UNC System faculty recruitment and retention fund over the next two years.
Enrollment Growth & NC Promise:
- This budget provides funds to the UNC Board of Governors to be used to fully fund enrollment growth at constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina.
- The budget provides additional funding requested for NC Promise at the designated campuses for the coming two years. The budget also adds Fayetteville State University as an NC Promise institution.
Capital Investment:
- This budget authorizes UNC Pembroke to begin work on the construction of a $91 million Health Science and STEM building.
Repairs and Renovation:
The budget allocates nearly $25 million in funding for UNC Pembroke’s repairs and renovation projects. The funding is legislatively directed for a specific purpose, listed below. Historically, the university has received between $100,000 and $1.5 million for R&R needs.
Funding will be provided for the following campus needs:
- $12.5 million for the Business Administration Renovation
- $1.25 million for Jacobs Hall demolition and site restoration
- $1.5 million for campus roof replacements
- $4.48 million for Campus Safety & Emergency Response Center
- $550,000 for campus gas line replacement
- $1.3 million for Jones pool HVAC replacement
- $424,500 for Livermore and Jones generators
- $250,000 for Honors College renovation
- $625,000 for Jones Auxiliary Gym dance floor and studio upgrades
- $110,000 for School of Education boiler replacement
- $390,000 for Chavis Center air handler replacement
- $190,000 for Moore and Chavis boiler replacement
- $465,000 for Lumbee Hall and Old Main elevator replacement
- $$682,000 for Jones, Livermore, Lumbee and Old Main FACP replacement
- $110,000 for Jones ceiling repaint
Additional Support:
- $500,000 in non-recurring funds for College of Health Sciences mobile clinic support
I am thankful for everyone who worked tirelessly to see this budget come to reality. Without question, it is transformative for our university.
Robin Gary Cummings, MD
Chancellor