However, the responsibility for community college facilities is an increasingly difficult one for county governments to bear on your own. Since our system was established in 1963, you as county officials have faced much larger financial responsibilities for many vital programs, including social programs such as public health and welfare, and for fast-growing public schools. In 1963, a fairly small percentage of North Carolinians attended college, and only a portion of those chose community colleges. The programs offered by the community colleges at that time were relatively inexpensive and very much local in focus, tailored just for your county. In 2000, the economy and education have been changed dramatically.
Many more jobs demand education beyond high school.
Our big industries are shifting to high-tech. Community college programs that educate and train our people for these good high-tech jobs are increasingly expensive and, as is the economy, increasingly regional in scope. You and your colleagues have worked diligently to try to keep up with these changing demands. But now you and we just can t keep up with the needs we already have, and we are looking increased enrollment just in community colleges of the equivalent of more than 58,000 students by the end of the decade. The bond payout extends over six years, which allows each institution time to plan and build.