Nine Colleges Commit to a Stronger New Jersey
Trenton Times - October 17, 2008
Darryl G. Greer, Executive Director/CEO and Henry A. Coleman, Chairman - NJASCU
Last month, leaders from each of the nine state colleges and universities gathered for an unprecedented signing of a pledge to improve affordability, resourcefulness, productivity and capacity to serve more students.
Called "Nine Strong for a Stronger New Jersey," the public pledge offers clear evidence that these public colleges and universities will band closer together, share ideas, information and resources, and embark on new activities to promote college opportunity and the Garden State's prosperity.
The "Nine Strong" are: The College of New Jersey, Kean University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Rowan University, Thomas Edison State College, and William Paterson University.
The institutions, all members of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, serve about 97,000 students and confer about 15,000 bachelor's degrees each year. Over 90 percent of students are New Jersey residents.
The presidents will lead efforts to do the following:
| n | find new state and private resources to serve more students, offer more programs and graduate more students without diminishing the overall quality of education provided; |
| n | provide more residential housing to traditional-age students and more service to adult students with higher education goals; |
| n | ensure that degree programs are constituted to permit students to graduate in a timely manner and enter the workforce faster; |
| n | improve degree productivity (degrees granted divided by total dollars invested) even though already the institutions, collectively, rank number three among peers in the 50 states; |
| n | forge new partnerships with business for workforce and economic development; and, related to this goal; |
| n | report on graduates' employment status one year following graduation. |
On the same day, college leaders unveiled an effort to make a direct connection between citizens who care about the nine state colleges and universities and state leaders in a position to make improvements in higher education, including state elected officials. The connection will be facilitated by a new website.
In a way, mobilizing citizens to support higher education is in keeping with the state colleges' history, although early efforts did not involve electronic technology. For example, in the early 1850s, parents and teachers joined forces to address the need for improved teacher preparation and classroom learning. Two of the state's first teachers' colleges resulted from this cooperation. Similarly, local activism helped decide on the focus and location of other state colleges and universities, including New Jersey City University, which was founded in 1929, and is about to celebrate its 80th anniversary.
Today, state college and university leaders are eager to bridge the gap between citizens, who see an affordable state college education as the key to future success, and state officials in Trenton. We have experienced a decades-long disinvestment in our institutions, an unprecedented situation. It's not that state government policymakers don't care; they are, however, often distracted from the promise of higher education by a host of issues of varying importance, as well as ongoing financial woes.
Many states, even in a troubled economy, are investing more in public colleges as a priority - New York, Indiana, Virginia, and Michigan, for example.
Similarly, public higher education institutions in other states have felt a similar need to connect citizens and elected officials. Some examples are the California State University system, the University of Maine system, and the Minnesota state colleges and universities.
There is, of course, much at stake. Former Gov. Thomas H. Kean remarked on this recently, praising the "Nine Strong" on achieving so much over the past two decades. He observed, "If new Jersey is going to sustain high-quality public higher education into the future, if New Jersey is going to field a home-grown work force with the skills demanded by the future, then New Jersey families, government and business leaders must recognize the importance of our nine state colleges and universities and invest in them for the future."
In the face of the state's inattention to some very important higher education challenges, the nine institutions stand together, determined that they are eager to help meet them and to be accountable for doing so. They will succeed with the help of interested citizens, business leaders, alumni and a governor and Legislature willing to give new focus to state colleges' and universities' role in strengthening the Garden State. Hence, in our view, these institutions are sure to remain "Nine Strong for a Stronger New Jersey," the best hope for a bright and prosperous future here.
Henry A. Coleman is trustee of New Jersey City University and chairman of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, and Darryl G. Greer is executive director/CEO of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities.