Article IX, Section 9 of the North Carolina State Constitution contains one of the most visionary sentences ever drafted by an American state: “The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of the University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.”
That solemn promise is why our state attracts global enterprise. Companies don’t move to North Carolina for tax incentives alone; they come because our public universities generate world-class engineers, nurses, scientists, and civic leaders. Keeping tuition affordable isn’t charity—it is our state’s most lucrative long-term economic investment.
