UNC system President Spellings wants more opportunities for low-income students

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — University of North Carolina system President Margaret Spellings was in Charlotte Monday to launch a “State of the University” address tour.

Accessibility and economic mobility issues were a big focus of her speech. It's the same topic Charlotte leaders have been trying to address in recent months.

Spellings speech was held at UNCC’s uptown campus, and it was clear that one of her biggest goals is to give more opportunities to low-income students.

UNCC is growing fast but there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially when it comes to making a college education accessible to everyone. The university is hoping to help that effort by rolling out a new plan to help 30 percent more low-income students graduate.

Research has shown that it is harder for someone to climb out of poverty in Charlotte than any other city in the South.

The university hopes to find a way to break that cycle by creating new ways to track students' economic mobility. They're going to make those results available for everyone to see, adding a layer of transparency and accountability.

Spellings wants to make UNCC a major research university by increasing research funding by 44 percent. She also hopes to increase graduation rates by 6 percent over the next four years.

Spellings also addressed other important issues, like a new plan to limit tuition increases and fees.

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