Cuts to the higher education budget imposed by the General Assembly have forced difficult decisions across the University of North Carolina system, including here in Greenville. East Carolina University’s Program Prioritization Committee is working to identify areas in which the school can save resources so they may be applied to other pressing needs.

The university community can join taxpayers in applauding any effort to eliminate waste and redundancy in the interest of efficiency and a more narrow focus on East Carolina’s core mission. However, the school — and the state — should be wary of any deeper funding cuts that threaten lasting harm to the UNC system and diminish its capacity for cultivating an attractive workforce in North Carolina.

Last week, East Carolina released the self-study report compiled by the Program Prioritization Committee that examined nine colleges, including 70 departments and schools, and the Brody School of Medicine. The goal was to determine which areas should be targeted for funding reductions, which deserved greater investment and which could continue without adjustment.

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