Do we need a UNC-Hickory?

Do we need an UNC-Hickory?
(Previously Unpublished - Submitted to the Hickory Daily Record on 9/30/2007)

What I am writing, in this letter, is my opinion of the politics of the idea of a 4-year university in the Greater Hickory area. My name is James Thomas Shell and I would like to preface what I am about to say by letting you know that I have a degree in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Culinary Arts degree from Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte

I value my education and am proud of the university system that I am a product of. I also am very proud of the community college system that was developed by our state. I really think that the higher education system in this state is one of (if not) the best in the world.

That being said, I really cannot understand the need for a freestanding UNC-Hickory. I think a satellite campus for Appalachian State (or UNC-Charlotte) is an excellent idea with these classes taking place at our local community colleges, but where is the money to create the infrastructure needed for a freestanding 4-year university supposed to come from?

It is understandable why the existing higher educational institutions in this area are questioning the need for an UNC-Hickory. Such an institution would most certainly have a huge impact on their annual budgets. The State of North Carolina is not going to over extend itself in the amount of money allocated to this area's educational needs and local enterprises cannot support another institution without cutting back on their contributions to existing institutions.

The article from September 29th sadly shows local government leadership getting way ahead of itself on an issue that is nowhere near a priority for our present economic circumstances. We can surely see that local business and educational leaders are not on the same page as the government when it comes to this issue and it looks like someone is attempting to embarrass certain people for having a differing opinion on the matter.

Certain issues must be hitting close to home when Mayor Wright states, "I think political means public service. The only agenda I have is more and better education achievement of the people of this region. That will mean better jobs, more money, and an enhanced standard of living. I will do anything in my power to promote that agenda."

Mr. Mayor, education means nothing if there aren't jobs waiting for the graduates of said institution. The problems of this area do not stem from a lack of education, the problems of this area stem from a lack of employment opportunities for the people of the Hickory area.

It would be years before such an institution could be built and our economic problems are in the here and now. Are we supposed to wait several years for such a pie in the sky plan to develop?

It is time that you quit passing the buck to the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council. You should be using your "power" to bring major industry back to the area.

It is not my goal in life to be your adversary. I would love to be proud of my hometown's mayor. I supported you in the beginning because you presented yourself as a fiscally conservative Republican. Now six years later you tell us that you are unaffiliated and results show that you support out of control, redundant, big government bureaucracy.

You have continually delegated all initiatives to committees, agencies, and commissions -- and you tell us about power? It seems like this delegation makes you think you are absolved of any responsibility for the lack of results of the last several years. Think of the great, powerful leaders of history, is that what they did?

Being Mayor means a lot more than the ceremonial role of eating free food and cutting ribbons. You have no control, because you have put all of your eggs in the "Big Government" basket. During these trying economic times, we desperately need to be streamlining our local government's chain of command.

Instead of going on retreats to big cities to play follow the leader and get their manual on "How to get Government involved in every facet of Individual's lives," maybe you should be spending the citizens of Hickory's hard earned tax dollars finding out what major industry needs to relocate to this area.

The mayor and city council should be doing this. This task should not be passed off to others who cannot be held accountable, because they are not elected officials. All you are doing is creating another layer of bureaucracy and the red tape that comes with it.

In the end, it is Mayor Wright and the council that should be held accountable for the lack of economic growth in Hickory. It is not because the citizens are uneducated or lack necessary skill sets. There were thousands of people that were retrained a few years ago, after the fiber-optic bust. Did it make any sense to retrain these people and not develop the industry needed to support that retraining?

We have a big problem with underemployment in Hickory. How many people in this area have college degrees that are unable to find work in their field of expertise? How many people are working in jobs in which they are vastly overqualified and/or underpaid? How is a 4-year university going to solve any of this?

Let's get to the heart of the matter. The lack of economic growth in this area boils down to the fact that the jobs just aren't there. Once again we have our local government leaders putting the cart before the horse, a local government that is out of touch with the needs of its citizenry. The only thing that they should be focusing on is the one issue that they try to avoid like the plague. We need major industry to come back to this area.

Our local government is in a malaise. They just can't seem to get out of their own way. To many of us, they appear to be lost. If our local officials can't deliver on the jobs issue, then they need to get out of the way and let people with fresh ideas and creativity in. That would be in all of our best interest and that is what a true public servant would do.

James Thomas Shell