Changing financial aid

March 20, 2007 at 9:53 pm | In education, fundraising, innovation, north carolina, trends, unc | Leave a Comment

Davidson College today announced plans to alter radically the way it distributes financial aid. Instead of providing need-based loans, the university will offer students grants and work-study programs:

Annual tuition and fees run about $30,000 at the college, 20 miles north of Charlotte. About a third of the school’s 1,667 students receive need-based aid, officials said. Right now, Davidson’s need-based aid includes about $1.9 million in loans.

The cost of eliminating need-based loans in the future is expected to reach $3.5 million a year as the number of high school graduates from low-income families increases.

UNC-CH made big news two years when it created the Carolina Covenant — which allows its most needy students to graduate debt-free — and since then, large private schools like Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, and Yale have announced similar measures. That said, it is often hard for small, private schools to fund such programs. But by taking this step, Davidson is setting an important example for other liberal arts colleges.

– mvc

Finding RTP

March 20, 2007 at 8:40 pm | In business, government, history, infrastructure, north carolina | Leave a Comment

There was a really neat oral history in the News & Observer on Sunday about the founding of the Research Triangle Park. Definitely worth a read, and if you have time, you should listen to the audio clip.

– mvc

Historic Hillsborough

March 20, 2007 at 7:16 am | In community, culture, history, north carolina, tourism | Leave a Comment

My hometown of Hillsborough was named one of 12 “Distinctive Destinations for 2007″ by The National Trust for Historic Preservation yesterday:

The centerpiece of old Hillsborough is Churton St., a picturesque and charming southern byway with a number of inviting restaurants, shops and galleries. The town is a favorite of both Revolutionary War re-enactors and barbecue lovers, who descend each June for the annual Hog Day celebration, and is also the home of the Occoneechee Speedway, one of the first two NASCAR tracks and the only one remaining from the inaugural 1949 season. Outdoor enthusiasts won’t want to miss hiking Occoneechee Mountain State Park, the highest point in the area, or the 1-mile Poet’s Walk at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Partner Place, Ayr Mount, an 1815 Federal-era plantation house, magnificently restored and furnished with period antiques and fine art.

For these reasons, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country’s largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, today named Hillsborough, N.C., to its 2007 list of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. Hillsborough was selected from 63 destinations in 27 states that were nominated by individuals, preservation organizations and local communities.

Obviously, I’m biased — my roots go pretty deep in that town. (And personally, I really recommend Poet’s Walk at Ayr Mount — if you visit, check out the footbridge I built on the trail back in high school). But it’s great to see North Carolina destinations getting recognition for their unique cultural attributes.

– mvc

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