New money: Stimulus funding welcome at ECU

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act may not have delivered the economic jump-start that was promised when it won Congressional approval in January, but the stimulus bill has delivered demonstrable benefit to communities across the nation. That includes Greenville, where East Carolina University is among the destinations for the government's funding.

The University of North Carolina system ranks among the state's most important resources, and sending money to its 16 campuses represents an investment in North Carolina's future. East Carolina can be grateful for the money received so far and should continue to pursue this avenue for additional funding.

Speaking to a congressional panel last week, Christina Romer, the chair of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, touted the impact of the stimulus package passed at the outset of Obama's term. Though she said the $787 billion spending bill has not facilitated a typical economic recovery, Romer testified it will save or create an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million jobs and has infused money to nearly all sectors of the American economy.

While those claims seem dubious, North Carolina can point to a tangible investment in higher education as one clear benefit of the package. Recent figures suggest that more than $445 million has been pledged or delivered to the state's public universities and community colleges so far, and many institutions are hopeful that requests for additional funds will be received favorably.

The UNC system will receive the lion's share of that funding — about $394 million — money that is sorely needed due to belt-tightening in a tricky state budget year. The largest recipients are UNC Chapel Hill and N.C. State, which have received $79 million and $23 million respectively. UNC Wilmington and UNC Charlotte also rank high on the list.

East Carolina has not been as fortunate as those schools, despite the size of its student population, but has been awarded nearly $4 million for a variety of needs, including health care programs and ongoing research. The school has applied for $78 million and still has requests pending for additional priorities.

Considering its ambitious goals, the money would help assure that East Carolina can continue to meet the needs of this community and region. The university's commitment to service is unwavering, and each dollar pledged toward that end is another positive step for eastern North Carolina.

The federal stimulus has its vocal detractors, and with good reason. Expect those voices to rise should job growth and economic progress fail to materialize. But an investment in higher education always reaps rewards, and North Carolina should see the benefit of this investment in the years to come.