We dreamed of a future in public health for NC. Trump’s funding cuts threaten that | Opinion

North Carolina’s public institutions are drivers of economic, social and political stability. We are home to the first public university in the United States with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. North Carolina also led world-changing efforts to end poverty through the public-private partnership known as the North Carolina Fund, which later inspired President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” — the start of Medicare, Medicaid and Head Start. North Carolinian efforts for the public good are at the core of our culture.

Public health is no exception. An estimated 21,314 public health organizations and health research centers are based in our state. These organizations employ 454,000 people and have annual revenues of $58 billion. Of this, the subset of global health contributes $3.4 billion in annual economic impact, with each global project in our state leading to safer and healthier lives here at home. North Carolina’s agriculture industry, a backbone of our state economy, had an economic impact of $111.1 billion in 2024.

This firm grounding in public health means North Carolina has been an attractive home base to do business, pursue an education and build a life. As young people pursuing education, staying in North Carolina and contributing to its economy and vibrant civic life was exactly our plan.

However, recent actions from President Donald Trump’s executive branch threaten our goals as early career professionals. Schemes to erode our universities are taking shape through funding cuts that will cost NC taxpayers $500 million annually. Our universities have been threatened with losing funding if they fail to “comply” with executive orders even though inclusion and equity are constitutionally legal and critical aspects of individual and communal health. As students in public health and the next generation to drive our state, we can tell you what this will mean for our generation and for our ability to contribute to North Carolina.

Federal funding cuts already have direct consequences on our ability, as young people, to complete our education and enter into the workforce. We have taken out loans, set aside income, dedicated our time to graduate degrees at North Carolina’s esteemed universities. And yet, potential employers are now freezing new hires. Organizations who once committed to student hires for in-field experience are pulling out of campus-community partnerships or closing their doors entirely. Alumni who are now mid-career have lost their jobs and anticipate a market flooded with well-prepared professionals whom no one is able to hire.

These concerns are not limited to universities in the Triangle. Recently, UNC Charlotte and East Carolina University received R1 status, designating them as elite research institutions. This should be a sign that they are well-positioned to improve our state. Now, they and other large research universities will face unprecedented challenges and may struggle to survive at all. Our entire state is under threat for jobs and university education.

For North Carolina residents, this means a worse economy. It also means fewer doctors, nurses and effective treatments. This will disproportionately affect low-income and rural populations. As untreated illnesses lead to more emergency room visits, higher Medicaid costs, and increased insurance premiums, we will witness firsthand the destruction of a North Carolina that used to be rooted in public health.

So what can we do?

Now is a time for targeted action to defend public health. As North Carolina students, we plan to stand up for the economic, health and social well-being of all state residents. We owe it to ourselves, and the commitment we made to take on graduate education in public health. We also owe it to the legacy of students like the Greensboro Four from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State, who sparked the national civil rights movement by sitting peacefully at a lunch counter.

We urgently need to remind ourselves of not only our power as students, but our responsibility. We can learn from techniques like civil rights and more recent student-led peaceful protests.

We are in a unique position as early professionals, with our entire careers ahead of us to make demands and ensure the older generation is held accountable. And we will do just that.

We cannot be silent in the face of this adversity - our entire lives, careers and state are worth too much to remain neutral.

This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 9:20 AM.