Affordability U

 

NorthJersey.com

The Record

May 6, 2010

 

Governor Christie is reportedly assembling a commission on New Jersey's public colleges and universities, including their steep tuition costs and a controversial consolidation plan.

 

It's high time for such an effort.  The state needs to seriously consider the welfare of these institutions and the role they play in our financial future.

 

For years, the schools have been something of an afterthought in Trenton, with near-annual cuts in state funding and little oversight as they piled on debt and passed these costs on to students.  Or at least the students not lost to "brain drain," the Jersey trend named for those 25,000 freshmen who head out of state each year.  The proposed state budget for next year has more cuts, including the elimination of state-funded merit scholarships.

 

So we welcome a commission.  We hope the reports are true, and that former Gov. Tom Kean, who also served as president of Drew University in Madison, will be in charge.

 

New Jersey flunked the most recent report on affordability by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.  It costs upwards of $20,000 to live and study at most state colleges.  Even adjusting for financial aid, the national report estimated college costs would account for 20 percent of a middle-class family's income.  The study also noted that just 4 out of 100 adults without bachelor's degrees were enrolled in higher education.

 

The commission will reportedly also take up a twice-failed idea to consolidate UMDNJ and NJIT in Newark with Rutgers University.  We're not sure if this would cut costs or benefit students.  We are sure that it is politically explosive and could dominate the discussion.  We urge all officials, on any future commission or in the Legislature, to keep the focus on affordability for all students at all schools.

 

We need to widen the path to a college degree in New Jersey.  Our American dream tells us hard work and study lead to opportunity and prosperity.  This is no place for a toll road.

 

Source:  http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/92941514_Affordability_U.html