On April 14th, the 7th Annual Legislative Conference was held at the Mansion on the Georgian Court campus in Lakewood.
This annual event which began in 2015 brings together college presidents, state legislators and federal representatives, as well as their staffs, to discuss current and future issues affecting the students that attend our colleges and universities and issues facing the institutions.
The issues discussed this year focused on the ongoing challenges facing ICUNJ institutions and how the state and federal government can provide a partnership through increased support to the institutions and directly to students through programs such as Pell and TAG. Specific challenges discussed included current and future expected enrollment challenges, impact of inflation on institution budgets, student mental health and continued impact of transitioning from COVID. A copy of the presentation can be viewed here.
This year ICUNJ member institutions presidents and representatives were joined by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, Chairwoman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, Senator Sam Thompson, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy and Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger.
Other attendees in included staff from the following offices:
• Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald
• Chair of the Special Committee on Higher Education Senator Andrew Zwicker
• US Senator Cory Booker
• Assembly and Senate Majority offices
• Governor Murphy’s Office
• State Treasurer
• Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE)
• Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA)
• Educational Facilities Authority (EFA)
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The dialogue between the institution presidents and the legislators and staff was informative for all and there is clearly a better understanding of the independent colleges and universities in New Jersey and the students that are served and the importance of maintaining a viable independent sector for higher education to provide more choices for students to state in state to continue their education.
