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New Jersey Association of State
Colleges and Universities |
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150 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608 609-989-1100 609-989-7017 fax njascu@njascu.org
150 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608 609-989-1100 609-989-7017 fax njascu@njascu.org |
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NJ College Oversight More
Accountable, Welcoming Asbury Park Press My niece Andrea, when she hears a viewpoint she thinks is off the mark, often quips: "You can believe that - if you want to." Sometimes perceptions and assumptions are so juicy, folks want to believe they fit the facts, even though they may not. A case in point is the vague, but persistent, belief that revamping the state higher-education bureaucracy in 1994 has resulted in less public accountability and has contributed to the challenges facing higher education institutions in New Jersey today. It has now been more than 10 years since Gov. Christine Todd Whitman abolished the state Department of Higher Education, replacing it with a less bureaucratic, less regulatory, Commission on Higher Education and a Presidents' Council. This new configuration sought more strategic and collaborative vision at the state level, more self-determination at the campus level and more direct accountability to the public. The new structure more closely resembles higher education coordinating agencies in other states. There were opponents to restructuring. None of them seemed reflective about why other states were not itching to emulate the Jersey big-bureaucracy model, an approach proponents of restructuring felt had retarded innovation and accountability. Those against the move predicted chaos in higher education and dire effects on student diversity, opportunity and college affordability. While many concerns have since abated, it is time to answer some key questions still poised by some who wonder whether the 1994 restructuring did New Jersey any good. Is there accountability in higher education today? Indeed, there is. For example, there are now more meetings on higher education that the public can attend, including tuition hearings on each state college and university campus. Policy-setting meetings of both the Commission on Higher Education and the Presidents' Council are open to the public, as are institutional trustee board meetings. External accreditation by regional and national associations continues, as do independent audits. Has student opportunity and diversity increased over the past 10 years? Opponents' concerns about dashed opportunities for minorities have proven groundless. Minority enrollment, including that of black students, Hispanics and Asian Americans at the state colleges and universities, has risen markedly, echoing changes in the population. Along with increased diversity has come increased student achievement. Fortunately, for students of modest means, the state's commitment to student financial aid is as strong as it was in 1994. New types of aid programs are available as well. Colleges are also putting more dollars into student aid. The state colleges and universities are serving substantially more students than they did 10 years ago, including far more full-time students. Meanwhile, the institutions are earning high marks in college consumer guides as being among the best in this region of the United States. Is college in New Jersey more, or less, affordable as a result of the changes? There is no doubt tuition has gone up rapidly over the past decade. This has nothing to do, however, with whether there is a big higher education bureaucracy. Rather, it is because the state, facing economic challenges of all sorts, has reduced institutions' operations support and salary support, and has failed to invest enough in academic facilities. Institutions can and do trim their budgets to minimize the impact, but still the burden falls to students and parents in the form of increased tuition and fees. With 21st century economic woes to be found in all 50 states, large tuition increases are not unique to the Garden State. For the past two years, because of some cuts that didn't happen and modest increases, state college tuition increase percentages were below national averages. With more robust state funding, colleges could do an even better job of slowing fee increases. Was the old Department of Higher Education, a part of the governor's Cabinet, a more forceful advocate for change than what we have today? Not necessarily. No matter the structure, higher education prospers when the governor makes higher education a priority. And regardless of the structure, all governors who have placed a high priority on higher education have had a sage higher education policy adviser working in their office, independent of the higher education regulatory structure. Is there a coordinated plan for higher education? Yes. The old department was required by law to create a long-range plan and failed in this paramount responsibility. The Commission on Higher Education has a long-range plan, built with representatives from higher education, business and the public. There is also more cooperation than ever among institutions to facilitate student progress. More can be done. What the state and its public institutions do now and in the future to keep higher education accountable, accessible and affordable remains a justifiable concern of citizens, precisely because higher education is associated with both economic prosperity and living out the American Dream. Therefore, it is worth asking whether the major changes in statewide coordination of higher education, freeing public colleges from Trenton's stronghold, have reduced access, affordability or accountability, as some claim. To quote my niece, "You can believe that - if you want to." To the keen observer, the facts show otherwise. Paul R. Shelly is director of communications for the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, Trenton. |
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