RALEIGH -- Among the casualties of the state budget is the Governor's School of North Carolina
Started in 1963, it stands as the first state-supported summer program for gifted high school students in academics and the arts in the nation. The Governor's School has two campuses, currently at Salem College in Winston-Salem and Meredith College in Raleigh, with bright high-school students coming from all socio-economic backgrounds from across the state.
Along with the UNC School of the Arts and the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics (both of which continue), it served for decades as a beacon to other states attesting to our forward-looking leadership and statewide commitment to education. In fact, over 100 programs in 28 states have been modeled after this original Governor's School concept developed by former Gov. Terry Sanford for North Carolina.
I was a student at the Governor's School program in its early years (1967) and returned to teach for many summers, in part because of my deep commitment to the program's impact on students' lives.
The entire program focuses on contemporary thought - the kind that stretches the mind in courses ranging from genetics to string theory to experimental music. Information is not memorized for a test, but rather is the start of open inquiry engaging students and faculty in the search for knowledge.
This focus on contemporary ideas keeps the curriculum ever current and is a small part of North Carolina's nurturing of innovation. A recent Emerging Issues Forum held in Raleigh, a national event, focused on creativity and its key role in innovation - just the kind of thinking that has been explored with young scholars at the Governor's School for decades. Alumni often view the summer at Governor's School as a pivotal educational experience in spurring life-long inquiry.
After 49 sessions, this summer may be the last. In cutting the state budget, this year's General Assembly stripped out all future state funding for Governor's School, starting next year. (Last year, state budget cuts compelled the program, formerly free of cost to students and their parents, to charge tuition.)
School alumni and supporters are turning to the private sector, trying to make it possible for the program to continue to challenge and serve bright students from North Carolina regardless of background. The high-quality program has existed on a shoestring budget from the state (less than $850,000), but that is ending. Outside funding is crucial in keeping Governor's School alive for North Carolina, and the nonprofit N.C. Governor's School Foundation is working to find a solution.
Randolph Foy, a Governor's School alumnus and former faculty member, is a teaching professor of music at N.C. State University.
