UNC system, Army to team up

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UNC to aid Special Ops

The UNC system will partner with the U.S. Army to provide academic expertise to the Fort Bragg unit that trains special operations soldiers.

The partnership, formalized by the UNC system's Board of Governors on Thursday, will give soldiers with the U.S. Army Special Operations Command easier access to education and training at UNC system campuses.

For years, some public universities have tailored programs to the needs of the state's military installations. The new partnership will expand the relationships and more easily connect soldiers with university programs.

In the Army now

The U.S. Army's Special Operations Command trains elite soldiers in the Green Berets, Rangers and other units that specialize in behind-enemy-lines combat.

Now, in agreement with the University of North Carolina system, those soldiers will have access to additional education at UNC campuses, particularly in the area of languages including Arabic, Pashtu, Urdu and others specific to the Middle East. That's an obvious benefit in these times, when the gathering of intelligence and simply dealing with citizens in the Middle East is all important.

The soldiers also will have available training in the medical field and technology. While some of this has been going on, formalizing the connections and making such training more accessible to these special troops is important. It should be a productive relationship, and the Army will be funding the effort.

New efforts beckon UNC

UNC campuses may embark on three corporate partnerships that have the potential to push the frontiers of technology and create hundreds of jobs in North Carolina -- but that also could carry a multimillion-dollar price tag for the state.

In addition to the already announced research campus in Kannapolis created by Dole Foods owner David Murdock, the UNC system is looking at a deal with IBM to develop what could be the world's largest supercomputer. And N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill have been approached by California entrepreneur Alfred Mann to start an institute that would design and produce medical devices.

The projects are still in the exploratory phase, and UNC officials said Friday they're not even sure they'll agree to all of the partnerships.

Partnership's awards honor educators

The Wake Education Partnership honored the late state Sen. Vernon Malone when it handed out its annual awards Thursday.

Malone, who died in April, was praised for his longtime work in integrating and strengthening the Wake County school system. The partnership gave its newly renamed Vernon Malone Friend of Education Award to Dargan and Blount Williams in recognition of their support of Wake's schools.

The Partnership also honored long-time educator and current UNC Board of Governors member Dudley Flood with its first Lifetime Achievement Award.

Oklahoma, New Hampshire soldiers killed

An Oklahoma soldier and a soldier from New Hampshire have died in Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that 39-year-old Army Capt. David Thompson and 19-year-old Spc. Marc Decoteau died Friday of injuries they sustained in Wardak province.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Command provided no specific information on how the men died. According to a news release, the deaths are under investigation.