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Ewing – The NJPC Executive Board approved the Comprehensive State-wide Transfer Agreement by unanimous vote at its December 3, 2007, meeting at The College of New Jersey. The document now goes to the Commission on Higher Education.
Jane Oates, Executive Director of the Commission, noted that the Commission had opportunity to provide input into the Transfer Agreement and she looked forward to reviewing the final document.
The Transfer Agreement was developed in response to recent legislation which focuses on county colleges and public institutions. Independent and proprietary colleges have expressed their desire to enter into a similar agreement with the county colleges.
The Executive Board also endorsed by unanimous vote a FY 2009 Joint Budget Policy Statement, developed in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education. President Susan Cole, who worked on blending comments and concerns of both the NJPC and the Commission into the joint statement, said the document will now be sent to the Commission for its additional review.
Elizabeth Christopherson, executive director and COO of NJN, told the presidents that the network had received a grant for a feasibility study to develop a “campus channel” in New Jersey. She said such a tv channel would allow the public to tap into the vast resources of New Jersey colleges and universities and help make the public more aware of the importance of the state’s institutions of higher education. Presidents Richard McCormick, Susan Cole and Paul Gaffney are members of the advisory committee which is guiding the feasibility study. A report is expected in first quarter 2008, and a beta test of the new channel is planned for the 2008-2009 time frame.
President Steve Rose reported that a special advertisement on the benefits of attending college in New Jersey had appeared in NJNext magazine. The special publication was produced by NJBiz magazine and made available to high school juniors throughout the state. The ad copy was an initiative of the Advocacy Committee.
NJPC Treasurer Cole said that members had contributed $52,000 to NJTransfer, using funds originally earmarked for an NJPC communications escrow fund. She also presented four proposals for changing how institutions are assessed for their NJPC dues. After discussion, presidents requested that additional proposals be developed, using size of operating budgets as the basis for determining differential assessments among schools.
In other action, the Executive Board approved new academic programs for Berkeley College (B.S. in Interior Design Management), Burlington County College (A.A.S. in Culinary Arts), County College of Morris (A.A. in Communications), and Salem Community College (A.A.S. in Energy Utility Technology).
The presidents voted to forward to the Commission on Higher Education a request from Somerset Christian College to modify academic programs since the request exceeded the mission of the school. Somerset has requested to change its B.A. in Biblical Studies with Concentration in Christian Counseling to a B.A. in Christian Counseling; and to change its B.A. in Biblical Studies with Concentration in Creative Leadership to a B.A. in Organizational Leadership.
Sister Rosemary Jeffries, chair of the Liaison Committee to NJEDge.Net, reported that work on changes to bylaws is ongoing.
Marguerite Beardsley, from the Commission on Higher Education, reported that work on proposed modifications to language in the Licensure Regulations continues and she thanked presidents for comments and suggestions they had forwarded thus far. She indicated that the proposed modifications would be forwarded to Commissioners in January.
Executive Director Oates told the presidents that every state agency had been asked to consider a 24% budget cut in putting together their FY 2009 budget proposals. She said that if a reduction of that magnitude holds, it would require cuts in every program her office now supports. She said she understood that no meetings would be scheduled between the Treasurer’s office and the various higher education sectors before the FY 2009 budget is framed.
The next meeting of the NJPC is scheduled for February 19, 2008, at 10 AM in Winants Hall, Rutgers University.