New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities committed to college opportunity for new jersey citizens

150 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608                       609-989-1100     609-989-7017 fax                   njascu@njascu.org

Group Calls for Steps to Increase College Opportunity, Affordability, Tuition Predictability

Darryl G. Greer, Executive Director
Paul R. Shelly, Director of Communications & Marketing

Release: January 15, 2008

Recognizing New Jerseyans' increasing demand for college opportunity and their concern over its cost, today the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (ASCU) announced immediate steps and policy principles needed to increase college opportunity and affordability in the Garden State.

The Association calls its project to increase college opportunity, crafted as the state confronts severe budgetary constraints, the "New Jersey College Promise."

ASCU advisors encourage the organization's nine member-institutions to accomplish the following, based on the ideas generated by a 21-member panel of national experts and New Jersey executives.

According to Henry A. Coleman, Chair of ASCU and panel member, "We have identified some workable solutions to the challenge of college affordability, including the need for more predictable increases in tuition, where such increases are warranted.  Affordability and expanded college opportunity are clearly what the public wants and what the state needs.  We are now ready to bring our ideas to the people in a number of ways, to encourage public feedback and support."

Opportunity, Affordability, Productivity Paramount.  ASCU's advisors stressed the need to focus on broadening opportunity and affordability for low-income and middle class families.  Yet, early in the deliberations, the group counseled that student aid policy changes would not be the key solution to the affordability challenge.  "Our focus is on steps that benefit all students and ensure greater cost predictability," says Stockton College President Herman J. Saatkamp, a panel member.

Productivity, Capacity Paradox.  The state colleges and universities in New Jersey are now recognized as number three among the states in bachelor's degree productivity relative to full-time students and dollars invested (see the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems [NCHEMS] 2005 study).  Unfortunately, because of state budget challenges - tuition and fees at state colleges have risen to among the highest in the nation.  New Jersey is also facing unprecedented and sustained high demand for higher education over the next decade (until at least 2017 according to the NCES).  The state currently has a huge net-loss of college bound high school graduates, unmatched by any other state: about 26,000 per year.  This adds to workforce and population loss concerns as many current workers retire and move out of state.  New Jersey also ranks last in the nation at providing places at four-year public colleges and universities for its high school graduates.

According to ASCU Executive Director/CEO, Darryl G. Greer, in 2007, the state college group decided that the institutions would take decisive action to achieve the promise of college opportunity and affordability.  "It is in the state's best interest to increase the number of graduates while maintaining high standards of excellence, increase affordability and commit to expand access, especially to low and middle-income students."  "We have the potential to lead the nation in institutional productivity, leveraging the schools' relatively high degree of governance autonomy."

According to panel member David Jones, partner at Deloitte & Touche, "We saw some of the biggest opportunities for affordability and productivity gains in examination and reform of the institutions' educational delivery model.  The challenge will be doing this without sacrificing state colleges' traditional strengths, educational quality and benefits to students."

Another panel member, Mitchell Hersh, who is president and CEO of Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, and a trustee of Montclair State University, says, "We identified a great deal of potential in new kinds of partnerships with private enterprise.  For example, partnership with major employers or professions, including those facing severe workforce shortages.  This would help the state colleges produce the graduates that New Jersey business, industry and service sectors need."

Phil Kirschner, president of New Jersey Business & Industry Association, says, "I applaud the state colleges and universities and their association for getting beyond a business-as-usual mindset and calling for fresh and strategic perspectives.  I expect that what will come out of New Jersey College Promise is something that will effectively serve both the public and the New Jersey economy."

More to come.  ASCU will take its plan to diverse public forums over the months ahead, solicit feedback and reconvene the advisory panel in the spring.

ASCU says it fully expects its members to be held accountable for fleshing out principles and achieving goals related to the steps outlined today.  In this regard, ASCU will build a stronger constituency for public higher education, including business leaders, alumni, parents and students.  ASCU will issue updates on a periodic basis through 2009 to report on progress.