NJASCU Comment on the State Plan for Higher Education

Governor Phil Murphy and Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis announced on March 26, 2019 the release of “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation: A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education.”

https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/stateplan.shtml

The New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (NJASCU), comprising nine New Jersey senior public higher education institutions, is most appreciative of the commitment from the Governor, the Secretary of Higher Education and the Executive Director of Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) to a vibrant, responsive, and high-quality higher education community in New Jersey.

With a focus on developing a student-centric state plan for higher education that will provide an affordable and accessible path to post-secondary education for all residents of New Jersey, the Secretary has engaged in a journey of listening to and gathering information from a wide swath of stakeholders. She and her team held hearings, made public presentations, conducted surveys, and participated in numerous meetings to obtain input from thousands of individuals, whose comments have been synthesized into the State Plan for Higher Education.

Pleased that the Plan acknowledges the value of a four-year education to the individual, New Jersey, and society as a whole, all the NJASCU institutions look forward to working with the Governor and the Secretary to continue our mission of providing a superior, cost-effective, attainable four-year education and beyond.  We are particularly gratified that two of our presidents – Stockton President Harvey Kesselman and Rowan University President Ali Houshmand – were asked to assume leadership roles in two (Student Success and Affordability, respectively) of the five working groups that will be tasked with coming up with strategies to achieve the goals of the Higher Education Vision.