Nine NJ Colleges Unite to Lobby Corzine for Support

 

Ana M. Alaya/The Star Ledger
Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tired of getting a cold shoulder from Trenton, nine of New Jersey's state colleges and universities are tapping into a massive network of alumni, businesses and the public to help put higher education high on Gov. Jon Corzine's radar.

The colleges, including Montclair State, Kean, and Rowan Universities, today launched a statewide campaign, "Nine Strong for a Stronger New Jersey" to highlight their critical role in the state's economy.

They also signed a pledge to expand academic programs, partner with private businesses and increase the number of degrees they award.

The massive lobbying effort comes on the heels of a 10 percent cut in state appropriations for each of the institutions for the new academic year, part of a longtime trend in state funding cuts the colleges claim could have "catastrophic" consequences.  The group, which also includes The College of New Jersey, New Jersey City University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Richard Stockton College, Thomas Edison State College and William Paterson University, serve over 95,000 students.  It does not include Rutgers University.

"Clearly what we have been doing over the past decade or two to get the state to recognize these nine institutions has not been working," said Montclair State University President Susan Cole at a press conference with other presidents in Trenton.  "What's new here is that we are standing together in an entirely different way.  We are saying it's time to reach out to half a million alumni, business leaders and all of whom agree with us.  We have never mobilized on a mass scale like this."  The group plans to send some 300,000 e-mails to alumni, parents, students and business leaders in the coming weeks seeking support.  The public can also sign on to send letters to the governor and state lawmakers seeking support for higher education.

"These nine colleges and universities are determined to elevate higher education to the top of the agenda in this state," said Ramapo President Peter Mercer.

The campaign has the backing of former Governor Thomas H. Kean.  But the colleges have come under increasing scrutiny from the state legislature in recent years and there are efforts by lawmakers to limit the college's autonomy and increase state oversight.

Last year a state probe uncovered wasteful spending at some colleges and as a result, some lawmakers have been unsympathetic to their cries for more state funding.

The colleges argue that the state's disinvestment in higher education facilities and programs puts it at risk of economic loss.  Full-time freshman seats at the nine colleges exceeds current capacity by more than 10,000 students.

With the lack of seats and soaring tuition rates, the state loses more of its high school graduates to out-of-state colleges than any other state in the country, a "brain drain" that has gone "unchecked" for decades, they argue.

That brain drain is bad for the state's businesses and economy because companies are looking for local skilled workers, said Christopher Emigholz, director of the Education & Workforce Development Policy for the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which supports the colleges' campaign.

Among several students at the press conference today was Ron Chicken, president of the student government at Montclair.  He said students are being forced to pay higher tuition and fees to pay for building new dormitories and academic buildings because the state does not fund capital projects.

"With the higher cost of tuition and fees in New Jersey, it cost almost the same to go to a public college out of state," Chicken said.  "We're losing more students, and that's bad for New Jersey's economy."