TCNJ President Makes Case for Funding Higher Education

 

Times of Trenton

April 15, 2010

 

Faced with the possibility of another round of painful cuts, colleges and universities throughout the state must be given better tools to weather the loss of state funding, The College of New Jersey president R. Barbara Gitenstein testified at an Assembly budget hearing yesterday.

 

"While we recognize that higher education is one of the many sectors that will suffer as a result of the actions necessary to resolve the state's budget problems, the time has come for a frank conversation about how, in the absence of state resources, we can enable New Jersey's colleges and universities to operate more nimbly," she said, according to a copy of her prepared remarks.

 

While lamenting the trend of state disinvestment in higher education, Gitenstein said now is the time to explore what creative solutions exist for state colleges.

 

In New York, she said, changes have been introduced that would provide state colleges with opportunities to lease their land and examine more public-private partnerships, while student organizations in Florida and Montana have lobbied against tuition caps.

 

"Our state may not be capable of providing the fiscal support its colleges and universities desire at this time, but that makes it ever more imperative that we stop seeking simplistic solutions to complex problems," she said.  "Our institutions of higher education should be given the tools necessary to pursue their missions efficiently, responsibly and thoughtfully."

 

At the hearing, New Jersey's college presidents predicted a devastating decline in services, from fewer courses to a higher dropout rate, if proposed cuts in Gov. Chris Christie's budget are enacted.

 

"This hit will be a profound one," Richard Levao, Bloomfield College's president said.  "What we have found is that this proposal may be particularly harmful to the neediest students."

 

Christie recommended a $173 million cut to state aid to higher education, a nearly 8 percent reduction.  He also suggested cuts to most of the state's financial aid programs as well as a 4 percent cap on tuition increases.

 

The last proposal came under particular criticism from the gaggle of university leaders before the panel.

 

"This is really stepping on our air hose, and in New Jersey, it's not necessary," said Richard McCormick, president of Rutgers University.  He added double-digit tuition hikes were unlikely in the state.

 

George A. Pruitt, the president of Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, pleaded with legislators not to pass Christie's proposal to merge the institution with Rutgers University.  He said he had not been consulted before the measure was announced.

 

"I was informed of it at 9:30 on the day of (Christie's) budget address," Pruitt said.

 

Marguerite Beardsley, the acting executive director of the Commission on Higher Education, said the reductions were unavoidable in the face of record budget deficits.

 

"The proposed cuts to higher education are a reflection solely of the extreme fiscal difficulty of the state and not a comment on the value of higher educational services to the state and the state's economy," she said.

 

The university presidents pitched a range of counter-proposals, urging legislators to encourage public-private partnerships and increase their autonomy.

 

But a number of panel members, ruled out a tax hike to raise more funds.

 

"I don't know if a millionaire's tax will solve Rutgers' problems," said Assemblyman David Wolfe (R-Ocean and Monmouth).

 

Times reporter Erin Duffy contributed to this report.