Colleges must find ways to improve how they operate to continue serving the community in the wake of unprecedented budget cuts, and East Carolina is doing its part, University of North Carolina System President Tom Ross said in a visit to Greenville on Tuesday.

“The UNC campuses have to play a vital role, and they have to do that in new ways,” Ross told business leaders at the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce Power Luncheon at Brook Valley Country Club. “We’re going to figure out how to do business differently, and we’re doing that in this community right now.”

ECU and other system universities plan to raise tuition by an average of about 9 percent next year, but that only will regain a portion of the $400 million the system lost in state funding this year. Universities must become more efficient and seek support from alumni and local businesses, Ross said.

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