Thread: Charlotte Observer continues drumbeat for IAs

The Charlotte Observer Fishwrap continues its incessant drumbeat for Illegal Aliens in Community Colleges as it keeps refusing to print anything critical of the policy:


Lancaster stands tall on immigrant issue

In response to "Community colleges must keep door open" (Dec. 9 Viewpoint):

I commend Martin Lancaster, president of the N.C. community college system, for his public support of admitting undocumented students.

It is so important to have such respected leaders backing this policy, because not only do most immigrant communities not have a voice, but also the ones that do manage to speak up tend to be drowned out immediately by angry, scared politicians seeking to rile up their constituents.

I can only hope Mr. Lancaster's positive example will inspire others in our state to do the right thing.

It is also my hope that public support will allow these students to finally be seen for what they really are: not "illegal immigrants" but human beings.

Annie Wilson
Charlotte

lol keep it up! Each time they print something like this it anger the 90% opposed.

W

New NC Community Colleges Chancellor fully expected to continue the OPEN DOOR FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS POLICY. Of course, should we expect anything different. Hell no, that is a big reason why he was appointed!


EDITORIALS
`Transforming lives'

Community colleges head cites N.C. system's `little miracles'
Charlotte native Scott Ralls, the unanimous choice to be the seventh president of North Carolina's statewide community college system, doesn't really have a hometown, he says. He has lived all over North Carolina and understands its breadth, its complexity and its people.

"I know what it means to be West of the Balsams," Dr. Ralls said after his selection Thursday, "and I know what it means to be Down East."

Those words spoke volumes about the Board of Community Colleges' choice. In its search to replace outgoing President Martin Lancaster, the board resisted pressure to hire an aide to the governor. It also passed over two other finalists, including the well-regarded head of San Francisco's City College, to appoint a native North Carolinian with both academic and practical economic development credentials.

Dr. Ralls holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees from UNC Chapel Hill. He previously ran the Division of Employment and Training at the N.C. Department of Commerce and for five years has been president of Craven Community College. On April 1 he'll return to the system's administrative office, where he once was vice present for economic and workforce development. At 43, he is the system's youngest president.

If enthusiasm for the job is any indicator, Dr. Ralls is an excellent choice. He told the board he was humbled by his selection because "I see every day what role this system plays, what role our colleges play, in transforming lives." Those campuses, he added, produce "little miracles" every day training students for further education and for the world of work.

His selection comes at a critical time when community colleges must be ready to prepare more students for transfer into the UNC system, help more students make the transition from high school to higher ed and train and retrain hundreds of thousands of workers for our state's evolving economy. With more than 800,000 students, a quarter of them in degree programs, the 58-college system faces huge challenges.

The community colleges need not only more facilities but also more high-tech equipment. And at a time when policymakers are demanding more accountability, the system must be flexible enough to take advantage of potentially beneficial changes in its governance.

The brouhaha over whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend community colleges is a distraction from the role these schools must play in extending education services to everyone who seeks them. The secret to the system's success is its open enrollment and its ability to help North Carolina prepare for its future. It has done so increasingly well since its beginnings a half-century ago, and it must continue to accept all comers in the future. Scott Ralls appears to be an excellent choice to guide the system toward those goals.
http://www.charlotte.com/171/story/400273.html