A fund for fast-growing colleges could be cut.

Since the late 1990s, the University of North Carolina system has built up a reserve fund for state universities that were growing at a rapid rate.

That included the five historically black colleges, Elizabeth City State University, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central, Fayetteville State and Winston-Salem State. Two others, UNC-Pembroke and Western Carolina, were also helped. 

"All had the capacity to grow at a rate greater then they would naturally," said UNC spokesman Rob Nelson. "The money was appropriated to accommodate the administrative costs of that — to help with infrastructure, administration and financial aid."

In all, Nelson said the fund had provided $30 million for the seven schools.

Gov. Beverly Perdue proposed cutting the annual $1.3 million appropriation in order to help balance next year's budget. 

Rep. Bill Owens says Elizabeth City State University should change its name.

The Pasquotank Democrat argued that the historically black college founded in 1891 would have better name recognition and get more funding if it had a different name, The Daily Advance reports.

He said the new name should show it is part of the University of North Carolina system. 

Thirteen years ago, Owens sponsored a bill changing Pembroke State University to UNC-Pembroke. Since then, he said the university's population has more than doubled, while Elizabeth City's population has only gone up by 50 percent.

"There are a lot of things to be proud of, but we need to be all that we can be here at this university," he said.

He noted that the school is now on its fourth name. 

Pamela Thorpe Young will chair the N.C. Industrial Commission.

Gov. Mike Easley named the Cary attorney head of the commission, which oversees workers' compensation claims, starting Oct. 1. The seven commissioners serve six-year terms.

Previously, Young served as deputy secretary and legal counsel to the state Department of Cultural Resources, and as a deputy commissioner of the Industrial Commission from 1996 to 2002. She worked in the Office of Planning under Gov. Jim Hunt.

Her father was the late Marion Thorpe, longtime chancellor of Elizabeth City State University.

She replaces Buck Lattimore, who is stepping down after seven years as chairman of the commission.