Strong Presence by New Jersey’s Community Colleges at Senate Budget Hearing in Newark Asking to Restore $20 Million in State Funding
Community College Students Say Cuts Will “Negatively Impact” Low Income Students
Newark, NJ, February 19, 2024 – Today, the president of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC), six New Jersey Community College leaders, and three Community College students testified before the Senate Budget Committee at NJIT in Newark about the critical role that community colleges play across New Jersey and to discuss the significant negative impact of a proposed cut of $20 million in state funding to these important institutions.
NJCCC President Aaron R. Fichtner, Ph.D said, “We would like to thank the legislature and this committee for increasing state operating aid to Community Colleges from $149 million to $169 million in last year’s budget. Our colleges have used that much needed investment of $20 million to strengthen services to students, to expand programs to prepare students to pursue family-supporting careers and to ensure that tuition is affordable. The proposed budget strips away that much needed increase and returns state funding to levels that are below where they were 22 years ago (in 2002). The proposed 12% cut in funding will force colleges to make difficult and disastrous decisions, including possibly raising tuition and cutting services and programs. We are here together to ask the legislature to restore the $20 million cut to the community colleges and to continue to invest in our colleges, their students, the state’s economy, and our common future.”
The Community College presidents who testified were: Augustine Boakye, Essex County College, Jon Connolly, Sussex County Community College, Eric Friedman, Bergen Community College, Tony Iacono, County College of Morris, and Steve Rose, Passaic County Community College. Marianne Van Deursen, the Vice President of Warren County Community College, also testified.
“I had the opportunity to testify before this committee 20 years ago, and at that point, my college was getting $6.4 million dollars in state aid. If this cut goes through, I will be getting $6.4 million dollars from the state,” testified President Rose, Passaic County Community College.
“New Jersey’s community colleges produce over half of the nurses, 90 percent of the radiography therapists, and 90 percent of the radiology therapist assistants as well,” said President Iacono, County College of Morris. “Recently, one of our hospital executives called and said, ‘We’re going to need more than 2,000 more nurses in the next few years. Can you do it?’ My answer was yes! Three days later, I found out that we are potentially facing a $20 million cut, now my answer would be no!”
The Community College students who testified were: Samira Scantling, Essex County College student, Kaylie Quezada, Bergen Community College student, and Shemia Superville, Hudson County Community College.
Superville, a nursing student, said, “Today I stand before you, or sit before you, representing students who are disadvantaged, student parents, students like myself who have to pay their own tuition to go to school. My story is not very different from other students at Hudson County Community College. I pay my own tuition and feel like this cut will cause other students to have to pay much more that they should to experience the benefits that community colleges have to offer. The clothes I have on today come from Hudson County Community College’s Career Closet, the food that I eat on most days is from the food pantry that my college has. I feel that this cut would cause so many things to affect students negatively.”
New Jersey’s community colleges also had a strong showing at the Assembly Budget Committee Hearings on March 11, 2024, in Trenton. The following community college presidents testified: Lovell Pugh Bassett, Camden County College, Michael Cioce, Rowan College at Burlington County, and Pamela Monaco, Ocean County College. Five community college students also testified: Ibrihim Goodman, Atlantic Cape Community College, Korey Hagamin, Camden County College, Andrew Frederick, County College of Morris, Hunter Mantz, Ocean County College, and Abby Crawley, Rowan College at Burlington County.
Governed by the presidents and trustees of the state’s 18 community colleges and enshrined in state law, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) supports New Jersey’s community colleges and the more than 230,000 students they serve annually across 49 locations by fostering collaboration and developing solutions that expand access to college, promote equity and student success, and create a skilled workforce to drive economic growth.
NJCCC brings together the state’s community colleges to build a world-class, flexible higher education and workforce development system that can respond to the needs of local communities and employers while having statewide reach and impact. NJCCC promotes innovation and policy changes to help New Jersey’s community colleges in their efforts to achieve academic, social, and economic mobility for all residents. The Council’s New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development builds statewide industry, education, and labor partnerships that align education and training with the needs of a changing economy.
Strong Presence NJ Community Colleges at Senate Budget Hearing
About the New Jersey Council of County Colleges
Governed by the presidents and trustees of the state’s 18 Community Colleges and enshrined in state law, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) supports New Jersey’s Community Colleges and the more than 230,000 students they serve annually across 49 locations by fostering collaboration and developing solutions that expand access to college, promote equity and student success, and create a skilled workforce to drive economic growth.
NJCCC brings together the state’s Community Colleges to build a world-class, flexible higher education and workforce development system that can respond to the needs of local communities and employers while having statewide reach and impact. NJCCC promotes innovation and policy changes to help New Jersey’s Community Colleges in their efforts to achieve academic, social, and economic mobility for all residents. The Council’s New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development builds statewide industry, education, and labor partnerships that align education and training with the needs of a changing economy.
To learn more about NJCCC and New Jersey’s Community Colleges, go to www.njcommunitycolleges.org. Follow us @NJCommColleges on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to learn more about our latest programs and initiatives.
