by Bobby Hurst and Ann Provencher

Fayetteville is known as the home of Fort Bragg, a designation we wear with pride. As members of the Fayetteville community, we strive to support our active duty servicemen and women while they live and serve in our great state. But our gratitude to these men and women goes far beyond their active duty service. We are proud to support and uplift our veterans as they reenter civilian life.  I am Ann Provencher, US Army veteran and Secretary of the Cumberland County Veteran’s Council and believe all veterans should be given every opportunity to be successful after separation from active duty. I proudly support the College Transparency Act. And I am Bobby Hurst; former 5 term Fayetteville City Council member.  We are proud to be home to nearly 50,000 veterans residing in Fayetteville/Cumberland County and appreciate Senator Thom Tillis hard work for our military and especially fighting for accountability in higher education.

A key reentry point for millions of veterans annually is our nation’s postsecondary education system. After heroically serving our country, many veterans use funds from the GI Bill to make their dreams of higher education a reality.

With so much opportunity and hope ahead of them, veterans deserve to know that their investment, both time and money, into a degree or certificate program will pay off down the road. And 82% of North Carolina voters agree that higher education institutions need to be held more accountable for providing a quality education that result in a real return on investment to students. 

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that our schools have room to improve. Right now, the average school in North Carolina graduates only 50% of their students at four-year institutions and 42% at two-year institutions within eight years. These are important numbers for schools to consider when evaluating how to keep students engaged and on track to graduate. 

We can do better for our students, including veterans. The first step towards ensuring accountability is establishing greater transparency among our universities, colleges, and certificate programs. Before students enroll, they should have access to key information like enrollment numbers, completion rates, performance of students receiving financial aid, and post-graduate outcomes, such as income levels and ability to pay off student debt.

By making this information available, students will be armed with the information they need to select a postsecondary program that they feel will set up for success upon graduation. Not only would students benefit, but schools can use these measurements to reassess and set their performance goals, elevating their education offering so that they continue to compete for applicants. 

We are fortunate to have champions in Washington fighting to make higher education more accessible and fairer, including Senator Tillis. Through the College Transparency Act accountability measures from our postsecondary institutions would be mandatory, establishing a database that would hold schools to a higher standard. 

We want to thank Senator Tillis for championing these reforms and demonstrating his support of our state’s students, including many veterans. After giving so much of them in service to our great nation, it’s only fair that we give veterans the best chance at a bright future. 

Bobby Hurst is a former five-term member of the Fayetteville City Council. Ann Provencher is a U.S. Army Veteran and is Secretary of the Cumberland County Veteran’s Council