Gov. Pat McCrory's comments about state money for higher education are getting a response at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

In a nationally broadcast radio interview, McCrory said funding for state colleges and universities should not be based on "butts in seats, but on how many of those butts can get jobs."

Students at UNC Charlotte who'd heard about McCrory's comments had mixed responses.

"How do you determine which classes will actually lead to jobs? And which classes will not?" asked one student.

Another, Jasmine Trosclair, a nursing student, said college should be more than job training.

"If you're interested in it then I think you should be able to study whatever you want. You shouldn't have to study something because it makes you money," she added.

Not surprisingly, there was a different view outside one of the school's engineering buildings.

"While learning about the symmetry of the Mona Lisa or something like that is interesting, I think that should be more optional," said Dylan Lewis, a freshman who said he went into civil engineering after studying the job market.

The university has not officially responded to McCrory's comments and the president of UNC Charlotte's faculty council said there has been plenty of talk among faculty about the remarks but he was not ready to respond for fellow faculty members.

While no one is worried yet that the budget ax may fall of some programs, the governor's comments have clearly fired up a debate that may well lead to changes down the road.