THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410130481
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
A new school for potential state leaders will help them change their focus from community issues to statewide problems for a $2,500 tuition fee, Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. and other program leaders said Wednesday.
Leadership North Carolina will hold six two-day seminars for 45 class members beginning in January 1995, Hunt said in announcing the program at the Capitol.
``I think we've had good leadership in our state in the past,'' said Hunt, who is the honorary chairman of the group. ``But there's never enough.''
The seminars will give local leaders a chance to discuss state problems with experts and political leaders. It will also give class members a chance to see the whole state, since seminars will be held in cities from Wilmington to Asheville.
``We're after people who have started to involve themselves in their local communities,'' said William Garrett, the retired president of AT&T and chairman of Leadership North Carolina.
For many of those kinds of local leaders, there's an obstacle in ``how you take the next step after serving the local community to get to statewide issues.''
Garrett said the goal would be to make local leaders more aware of state issues and give them the tools to help develop solutions. But he said the training would not necessarily mean putting those leaders in policy-making positions of the state.
The classes, Garrett said, would be chosen to reflect the geographic, racial and gender diversity of the state. A confidential panel chosen by Leadership North Carolina will pick the class from applications that are submitted.
While tuition for the program is $2,500, partial scholarships will be used to help those who could not otherwise afford to attend.
``It's an expensive class, but it's an expensive program to move around the state,'' said Chip Hagen, a Greensboro attorney who is the program committee chairman. by CNB