North Carolina Gov. Robert Scott launches an effort to restructure the state’s public higher education system. His efforts cause friction, particularly among leaders of the six-campus Consolidated University of North Carolina. Prominent figures like UNC President William C. Friday are resistant against the type of sweeping consolidation endorsed by Scott, saying the restructuring could reverse successes already achieved by UNC. But legislators welcome Scott’s proposal as an opportunity to alleviate the pressure of competing budgetary demands from remaining independent public colleges during a period of expansion and ambition. They also support consolidation as a means to develop a statewide plan for higher education, deal with inequities in funding, and eliminate duplication of higher education programs.