One-Minute Summary September 26, 2008 Commission Meeting

The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education convened at the Mary G. Roebling Building in Trenton on September 26, 2008. Chairman Laurence Downes presided. Highlights from the meeting include:

• Chairman’s Report: Mr. Downes commented on reaching out to the Commissioners regarding the membership needs of the EOF, HESAA, and EFA Boards.

• Executive Director’s Report: Executive Director Oates commented on the Freehold School District cease and desist letters, Governor’s School for 2009, the signing of the HEA in August and its major changes to IPEDS, and the partnering of Jumpstart with Rutgers-Camden.

• Presidents’ Council Report: Rutgers University President Dr. Richard McCormick reported on the increasing enrollment and the diversity of the new student body at Rutgers. He also commented on the final approval of the Statewide Transfer Agreement and the settlement of the appeals process, the new ad-hoc committee on service learning, the Campus Safety and Security Task Force, and the meeting of the presidents with Governor Corzine on October 20.

• Overview of Summer of 2008 NJ Governor’s School Student Surveys: The students who attended the six Governor’s School programs completed pre- and post-surveys regarding their expectations and experiences. Ms. Angela Bethea, Assistant Director Special Projects, provided an overview of the survey results.

• NJ STARS Task Force Report: Executive Director Oates commented on the workings of the Task Force.

• College Spotlight – Cumberland County College: Dr. Kenneth Ender, President, spotlighted the college’s Strategic Plan 2006-2011: Access, Alignment, and Accountability.

• EOF and HESAA Updates: EOF Executive Director Glenn Lang commented on the approval of the noticing of the EOF regulations in the NJ Register, the across the board increase to all programs, small outcomes-based grants and small special projects RFPs for program improvement initiatives, and the fall conference for November. Ms. Rosy Matos, Vice Chair, HESAA, commented on the TAG program, the success of the NJ CLASS bond offering auction, and NJ Best.

• Comments from the Public: Ms. Kathy Malachowski, President, Association of NJ County College Faculty, commented on the elimination of the health requirement for county college students.

• Next Meeting: Monday, October 27, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., at the Mary G. Roebling Building in Trenton, New Jersey.