Grateful for Saint Peter’s University President, Dr. Eugene J. Cornacchia’s testimony at today’s Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee hearing, advocating for the NJ Independent Colleges and Universities.
Below are a few notable quotes from Dr. Cornacchia’s testimony.
Our colleges and universities provide more than $1 billion in institutional grant aid to undergraduate students, which results in more than 15% of independent college students in New Jersey paying NOTHING and another 27% paying less than $10,000 in tuition and mandatory fees in 2018-19 due to federal, state and the institutional aid we provide to them.
We plan for a return to “normal” in the fall of 2021 so that our students are given the higher education experience that they have come to expect and deserve – one that encompasses both their educational and social development.
As the financial impact that this pandemic on our students and our families became clearer, all of our institutions stepped up with increased institutional aid and many have decided not to increase tuition for this academic year, and some are even continuing the freeze into the fall 2021 semester. Two universities have also announced price reductions of 20% to 25%.
As we move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, we look forward to partnering with Governor Murphy, Secretary Bridges and the Legislature on moving higher education in this state forward, including working to continue to implement the New Jersey State Plan for Higher Education – Where Opportunity Meets Innovation.
Our 14 nonprofit independent colleges and universities are an important component of the overall higher education system in the state and we look forward to continuing the partnerships to provide choices for students to stay in New Jersey, continue to develop the workforce and to grow our economy.
