CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION

New Jersey Business, Mar 01, 2004 by Prior, James T

The November election this year will have a referendum for a higher education bond issue to increase the physical capacity of our colleges and universities, say educators. This major, voter-approved facilities bond issue would enable the institutions to not only make room for the growing numbers of students, but to remain key partners in New Jersey's economic and professional workforce development.

The New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in New Jersey support the general obligation bond issue. The public has supported financing capital projects with bond issues and voted in favor of the last eight education bond issues. The last general obligation bond - the "Jobs, Education & Competitiveness Bond Act" - was passed in 1988.

Dr. Jeanne M. Oswald, deputy executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, says, "The state has authorized the issuance of over $1.5 billion in debt financed capital bonds ?or higher education over the past 20 years."

She says that the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, headed by Chairman Laurence M. Downes, released in November its "A Blueprint for Excellence" report on the state's long-range plan for higher education. This Stage I of a two-part plan sets forth six goals, one of which is to increase capacity. It states that between 2004 and 2010, New Jersey's colleges and universities seek to provide opportunities for between 406,000 to 411,000 students, an increase of 45,000 to 50,000 students.

(Stage 2, which is ongoing, will offer recommendations regarding research universities and economic development.)

The Commission looked at a recent capital planning survey completed by 42 of New Jersey's public and independent. colleges and universities. The campuses included over 15,000 acres, 2,000 buildings and 54 million total gross square feet of building space. The institutions reported spending $310 million for maintenance of those buildings. In fiscal 2001, the outstanding debt on which the institutions were required to make payments was about $1.6 billion. That does not count debt issued or paid for by state or county governments.

The state's public higher education institutions include three research universities, nine state colleges and universities and 19 community colleges, which served some 266,921 full- and part-time students. The 14 public-mission independent colleges and universities served an additional 57,586 students, with over 75 percent of their undergraduates from New Jersey.

The percentages of students at the

four higher education sectors are: community colleges, 38 percent; state colleges and comprehensive universities, 24 percent; independent institutions, 20 percent; and public research universities, 18 percent.

Downes said in his report, "The broad-based commitment to a highquality higher education system is critical to the state's economic competitiveness and wellbeing."

The report recommends increased investment for fiscal year 2005 and urges minimizing further reliance on student tuition and fees. The Blueprint calls for increased state investment in the public and private colleges and universities over the next several years to address the convergence of demographic trends, an expanding knowledge-based economy and growing workforce demand. it calls for more institutional operating aid and more student financial assistance programs.

The state's independent colleges and universities plan to increase their enrollment by more than 22 percent, which would mean admitting more than 17,000 students by 2010 than they do today. To accommodate those students, new construction and renovation of old facilities will cost $6.7 billion. Capital projects at the state's independent institutions total more than $1 billion.

The independent colleges report that they now have more than 20,000 high school students seeking fewer than 10,000 full-time student places.

As for community colleges, the original statute creating them called for the state to support 43 to 50 percent of operating costs. The state has been focused on trying to get county, student and state levels each to one-third. Tuition and fees accounted for 43.1 percent of community college budgets in fiscal 2002. While the percentage of

state funding has improved from 24.7 percent in fiscal 1994 to 28.6 percent in fiscal 2002, it has yet to reach onethird. The Blueprint says, "The goal of increasing the state share of funding for community colleges to approximately one-third by fiscal 2010 should be linked to a compact to address state priorities (such as increased capacity).

"Community college enrollments are growing at a rapid pace, with over 146,000 students enrolled in credit courses last fall," says Dr. Lawrence A. Nespoli, president of the New Jersey Council of County Colleges. "That's 20,000 more students since 2001. We also have over 100,000 students enrolled in non-credit programs and 50,000 students enrolled in workforce customized training programs.