One-Minute Summary April 27, 2007 Commission Meeting

The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education convened at the County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ on April 27, 2007. Chairman Laurence M. Downes presided. Highlights from the meeting include:

• Chairman’s Report: Mr. Downes commented on the ongoing work with the Presidents’ Council and the Council’s retreat scheduled for June 4.

• Executive Director’s Report: Ms. Oates commented on the Governor’s recuperation, campus security in light of the Virginia Tech incident, and the budget hearings.

• Presidents’ Council Report: Dr. Yaw summarized the April 23 Presidents’ Council meeting and commented on their upcoming retreat, the budget, and campus security.

• Long-Range Plan Update: Chairman Downes commented on the design layout for the 2007 long-range plan update and its use in guiding the work of the Commission.

• Special Needs Grant Awards: This item was tabled until next month.

• Saint Mary’s College of California Petition to Offer Courses: The Commissioners unanimously approved the licensure of Saint Mary’s College of California to offer courses in its Liberal Education for Arts Professional (LEAP) Program in Northern New Jersey.

• Ramapo College of New Jersey Petition to Exceed Mission: The Commissioners unanimously approved the petition of Ramapo College of New Jersey to exceed its programmatic mission to offer the Master in Nursing Program formerly offered as a joint program with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

• Equipment Leasing Fund Purchase – Burlington County College: The Commissioners unanimously approved a revised Equipment Leasing Fund project for Burlington County College.

• EOF, EFA, and HESAA Updates: Mr. Collins commented on EOF’s preparation for the summer orientation program; EFA’s recent successes and its long-range calendar and plans for the future; and HESAA’s recent conference call meeting.

• Comments from the Public:
  • Ms. Judith Dickerson, EOF Director, County College of Morris, commented on appreciation of the Commission’s support of EOF and transfer issue;
  • Ms. Katherine Jimenez, Program and Alliance of EOF Students of New Jersey (AESNJ), County College of Morris, commented on her gratefulness to and support of EOF;
  • Ms. Deborah Litvin, Program and Alliance of EOF Students of New Jersey (AESNJ), County College of Morris, commented on her appreciation of EOF and how it helped her grow in her leadership ability;
  • Mr. John Cusack, Executive Director, New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS), commented on environmental changes and asked for a resolution at the May meeting;
  • Dr. John Pace, President of the Association of NJ County College Faculty, commented on Commissioners’ commitment and the Virginia Tech situation;
  • Ms. Alexandrina Garcia-Verdin, student at County College of Morris, commented on her gratefulness for leadership opportunities and experiences at the college;
  • Mr. Shawn Aiken, student at County College of Morris, commented on his successes at County College of Morris as a non-traditional, older student;
  • Mr. Karsten Preiss, student at County College of Morris, commented on his view of and experiences at County College of Morris as an international student; and
  • Mr. Tamir Shavani, student at County College of Morris, commented on his experience at the college as an international student and his plans for the future.

• Guest speakers Carl Van Horn and Bob Franks – regarding the study of pharmaceutical careers and educational alignment
• Special Needs Grant awards
• Adopt form and content for institutional profiles
• College Bound Grant awards
• Education of Language Minority Students Grant awards
• College of Saint Elizabeth petition to exceed mission
• Adoption of meeting schedule for fiscal 2008