State task force calls University ‘jewel in the crown’ of higher education

The task force, assembled in May at the request of Gov. Chris Christie, most notably recommended that portions of the troubled University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey merge with Rutgers University, transforming the state’s system of medical education. UMDNJ has been marked by a number of complaints surrounding Medicaid fraud and abuse over the past decade.

Christie has drawn fire from education advocates for cutting aid for higher education in order to close the state’s $11 billion budget deficit. However, former Republican Gov. Tom Kean ’57, chair of the task force, said the state’s higher education system can improve even in light of its budgetary challenges.

“Our findings show that there is a way forward that takes into consideration the fiscal challenges our state is facing and can make New Jersey a leader in higher education,” Kean said in a statement.

Even though the 140-page report focuses primarily on New Jersey’s public universities, the panel still offered praise and advice for Princeton. The report referred to Princeton as a “jewel in the crown of New Jersey higher education” but added that University faculty should engage with state policymakers more frequently.

“Faculty experts in many fields should be more available to advise the governor and the legislature on matters of public policy broadly, including issues facing higher education,” the report said. It expressed disappointment that the University’s Policy Research Institute for the Region, which was affiliated with the Wilson School and addressed many of these issues, closed in July due to University budget constraints.

“The University remains active in state and regional policy issues, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss how the University engages in policy issues,” University spokeswoman Emily Aronson said in an e-mail in response to the task force’s recommendations. She cited University research on state policy issues and campus events “that bring together policymakers, stakeholders and academics,” such as the Wilson School’s policy forums, as examples of the University’s engagement.

Christie, who presented the report alongside Kean at a press conference in Trenton on Tuesday, said he would consider the task force’s proposals. He has signed two executive orders: one creating a five-member council on higher education and another establishing a second group to study the possibility of merging UMDNJ and Rutgers.

Other panel recommendations included lifting state university tuition caps and restructuring the state’s scholarship programs to retain top high school students in-state. The panel also recommended increasing state funding for higher education institutions, though recognizing that New Jersey “probably cannot afford, at this time, to fully increase funding for higher education at the levels that are needed.”