Greensboro's Health Care System Exploiting University/ College Students / in Greensboro and Taxpayers ?

Greensboro's Health Care System

"University facilities downtown were proposed in Cooper Carry’s 2002 Center City Plan and the 2008 High Point Road and West Lee St Plan, and have been discussed in forums including the Higher Education Working Group and the EPA University Roundtable. Selection of programs for downtown location should be based on capacity to generate economic growth. Programs should be prioritized for downtown locations based on their potential to attract outside funding, generate spin off companies, and/or support related businesses. Programs should also have a critical mass of students that spend most of their academic time in the building. Potential subject areas that meet these criteria include pharmacy and health, design and architecture, business and entrepreneurship, and teaching."
"The proposed campus is designed to drive economic and workforce development for a knowledge based, global economy" [9]
Union Square Campus, Inc. (USCI)  is building a $37 million, 100,000 square-foot facility to focus on health care education in downtown Greensboro. The facility is intended to focus on healthcare professionals and will house expansion of the Universities’ programs in nursing, and Greensboro’s healthcare system, Cone Health, will use the facility to train staff.  The building would include office space, laboratory space, and healthcare education space, including a simulation labNCA&TSU is expected to lease 25,000 square feet, GTCC is expected to lease 25,000 square feet and UNCG is expected to lease 33,000 square feet, for 10 years at $18 to $23.50 per square foot per year.  Debt Service covered by lease payments from tenants $24/$18 million for the 37 million dollar facility. [ 5]  Greensboro's healthcare System, for which I have yet to find a legal entity, without Health Care Programs in the facility,  without  making lease payments, will use the facility to train staff.
 

Bleeding Out Students & Taxpayers

   
Program Enrollment Leased Space Fixed Space Shared Space

Lease #

lease/enrollment
NC A & T 105 25,000 3,000 SF 22,000 Sq. Ft. $587,500 $6,000 each
UNCG 282 33,000 12,000 SF 21,000 Sq. Ft. $775,500 $2,800/$9,500*
GTCC 140 25,000 6,000 SF 19,000 Sq. Ft. $587,500 $4,200 each
Cone Health 2,800 20,000 500 SF 19,500 Sq. Ft. $470,000 $168 each
Total

103, 000 Sq. Ft.

21,000 SF

81,500 Sq. Ft.
*UNC-G DNP enrollment 232 overstates enrollment figure of 32 in Request to Establish DNP by 200 students.
# Lease Maximum Cost
Combining Union square public record information and figures in the public domain, based on maximum lease costs, lease will cost NC A&T $6000 , GTCC $$4, 200 and UNCG $ 9,500 per enrollee but will only cost Cone Health 168 per enrollee. Cone Health 2,800 enrollees is seven times the Public University enrollment whose lease fee of $470,000 is the least lease fee for a token 500 sq. ft. of fixed space. A&T will receive only 3000 sq. ft. while
GTCC will receive 6,000 sq. ft. of fixed space for the same Lease fee. UNC-G enrollment of 232 is two hundred enrollee greater than the 32 students projected in their request to establish DNP degree which also said the university could house the program for three years using existing facilities. Furthermore UNC Board of Governors 2015-16 & 2016-17 Strategic Capital Priorities call for spending 124,765,400 for UNCG Nursing and Instructional Building. 
 
Are Chancellors UNC-G Brady and A&T Martin Recruiters/ Agents/ spokesperson's for Opportunity Greensboro - Are they getting paid - does the Board of Governors Know?

 

"Harold Martin and Linda Brady are huge proponents of this and they are not here tonight, because there is a reason, that is they are in Wilmington, NC actually talking "Some within higher education complain that the region's universities and colleges at times seem to just another arm of the Chamber of Commerce. " [4]
to public and private college through out the state of North Carolina about Opportunity Greensboro the cooperation between business and higher education institution here and this very project, that's what they are doing tonight and that's why they couldn't be here" Ed Kitchen Video: 340 720
Opportunity Greensboro is a working group comprised of top executives from local businesses along with the leaders of Greensboro’s seven colleges and universities and the Center for Creative Leadership. Formed in November of 2009, Opportunity Greensboro is working to more fully leverage the intellectual capital at Greensboro’s higher education institutions as a resource to drive business growth and economic development. [4] "Per the request of the Business and Community leaders of Greensboro and Guilford County, we have been asked to contribute more significantly to helping to strengthen the economic competitiveness of the Triad Region" said Martin allege A&T documents. [2]
 
Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&T SU and UNCG is non-compliant with UNC Regulations for Acquisition and Disposition of Real Property by Lease and Regulations for New Campuses, Branch Campuses and other Off-site Educational Use of Facilities -"How are we able to sign the lease before the building is built, without prior inspections?"[8]
Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG was presented to UNC BOG Committee on Budget and Finance April 10, 2014 which says in part:
Union Square Campus, Inc., a non-profit entity formed for this collaboration is building a $37 million, 100,000 square-foot facility to focus on health care education in downtown Greensboro. The space would house expansion of the university nursing programs, community college nursing programs, and training facilities for Cone Health. The building would include office space, laboratory space, and health care education space, including a simulation lab. NCA&TSU is expected to lease 25,000 square feet, and UNCG is expected to lease 33,000 square feet, both for 10 years at $18 to $23.50 per square foot per year. The proposed leases are for 10 years and require Board of Governors approval because they are over $500,000. Committee on Budget and Finance April 10, 2014 Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG .....Jonathan Womer. 
 
Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG: NCA&TSU is expected to lease 25,000 square feet, and UNCG is expected to lease 33,000 square feet, for 10 years space in downtown Greensboro that would house expansion of the university nursing programs.   Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG invoke  UNC Board of Governors  Regulations for New Campuses, Branch Campuses and other Off-site Educational Use of Facilities 400.1.2[R] Adopted 05/06/09 and Regulations for Acquisition and Disposition of Real Property by Lease [ Amended 01/07/14] requiring  recommendation by BOG Committee of Educational Planning to relocation of  nursing programs downtown and  recommendation by BOG Committee on Budget and Finance  to lease space for  nursing programs downtown, and Board of Governors approval for both recommendations.
The Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs ... shall receive the advice and recommendations of the president and make recommendations to the board in all areas pertaining to the development of a coordinated system of higher education in North Carolina, including;.... (c) the provision of supportive services, facilities, and other resources for the instructional, research, and public-service programs of the constituent institutions; (d) review of policies affecting educational programs and academic affairs [UNC Board of Governors The Code 100.1, 301 C. ]  Notwithstanding the JURISDICTION of Committee on Educational Planning to the development of a coordinated system of higher education I have not located a recommendation by Committee on Educational Planning nor Board of Governors approval NCA&TSU and UNCG  locating university nursing programs at the Union Square facility  in downtown Greensboro prior to Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG being considered by Committee on Budget and finance April 2014. Furthermore,  April 2014  Committee on Educational Planning recommended and Board of Governors  approved a motion that new admissions to the nursing program be suspended after 2014 and  a panel convened within 60 days to review possible program elimination, 
Unambiguous suspending and possible elimination of  NC A&T Nursing program and examining costs of the nursing program  affect both needed space in a downtown facility as well as justification of the cost of the Lease.  NC A&T Chancellor Martin responds to Ed. Planning committee member question what happen?  See NC A&T Nursing Program maybe eliminated.
 
Prior to  NC GS § 116-31.12.  requirement the Board of Governors shall establish a policy for acquiring and disposing of an interest in real property for the use of The University of North Carolina and its constituent institutions by lease. NC GS § 143-341(4)(f). in effect says the Department of Administration with the approval of the Governor and Council of State, to sublease land or buildings leased by the State or by any State agency from another owner, [ Lease of Joint Millennial Campus – North Carolina A&T State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The lease of the land will be accomplished within the guidelines, procedures, and policies of the North Carolina Department of Administration and must be approved by the Council of State. May 2006]
UNC-G Board of Trustees December 6, 2013 Action Item: Authorization for Lease of Space in the Downtown University Campus authorized the Administration to seek approvals from the President\Board of Governors and work with the State Property Office as required under State law and Board of Governors regulations to lease space in the Downtown University Campus, as need at any time in the future. 
Union Square Campus document Intent to Lease Square Campus dated February 18, 2014 to NC A&T Chancellor Martin says in part "We are pleased to submit the following non-bonding Letter of Intent to you to lease space in the planned facility referred to as University Center, to be located at property south of the intersection of South Elm Street and Lee Street in Greensboro, North Carolina, which is expected to be the first building constructed in connection with the Union Square Campus project." "We anticipate that North Carolina A&T State University ("NC A&T " or Tenant") would seek approval from the NCA&T Board of Trustees, UNC Board of Governors, and the North Carolina Council of State to occupy a certain amount of exclusive and shared space in the Facility for NCA&T programs to be later agreed upon by the parties." To date, we have completed the preliminary programs  for the exclusive space and the shared space described above..." 
Email dated March 18, 2014 from Michael Byers UNC-GA Jonathan Pruitt ; Kevin MacNaughton says As you know, NCA&T and UNCG desire to present an item for action to the BOG, seek authority to work with DOA and Council of State to enter a lease for space for our nursing programs.  Attached draft of presentation says" The lease of this space will be accomplished within the guidelines, procedures, and policies of the North Carolina Department of Administration and the Council of State. It is recommended that the following resolution be approved and the request of The Universities be transmitted to the Council of State for final action.  Unambiguous Union Square and  Universities proposed path to downtown facility leases approval was the University Boards of Trustees, UNC Board of Governors, and the North Carolina Council of State; Not through the required clearance required in UNC Board of Governors Policy 600.1.3.1.
 
Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG says The proposed leases are for 10 years and require Board of Governors approval because they are over $500,000. .....Jonathan Womer.  Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG was recommended by Committee on Budget and Finance and approved on the consent agenda by the Board of Governors April 10, 2014.
 
   
Acquisition of Space by Lease - NCA&TSU and UNCG was submitted to the State Property office where John Webb Property Leasing Manager asked that the UNC-GA delegated authority for acquisition by lease be use to obtain the lease (s) for UNCG and NCA&T for the Union Square Campus initiative rather than sending it through State Property and Council of State..

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Images: (A&T) 03 BOT February 2013 Meeting_Academic Affairs Committee_DOWNTOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER.pdf
[1] Universities to sigh Research Agreement Tim Thornton Greensboro News & Record Wednesday May 19, 1999
[2] North Carolina A&T State University Homecoming 2009 Affirmation Service Keynote Address November 1, 2009
[3] Downtown Area Consolidated Plan [ December 2010 DRAFT] p.68
[4] The Pursuit of Knowledge-2022: A vision of Technology and education, Taft Wireback, Greensboro News & Record Saturday, June 8, 2002
[5] [BOG] 10 Acquisition of Space by Lease_NCAT_UNCG.pdf, April 2014
[7]
Public Record Image (s)
[8]
Public Recorf Office of Facilities NC A&T Space Committee Support Staffer 12.03.14
[9]UNC-G Board of Trustees December 6, 2013 Action Item: Authorization for Lease of Space in the Downtown University Campus