Ahead of an Oct. 15 conference on the future of the governance and funding of New Jersey’s state college and universities, community college leaders penned an op-ed in NJ.com spotlighting the vital role their institutions play in the state’s educational landscape.
“Committed to equity, our community colleges are driven by our unique role as anti-poverty, pro-economic mobility engines,” wrote New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) President Aaron Fichtner, NJCCC Chief Innovation & Policy Officer Maria Heidkamp, and NJCCC Board of Presidents Chair Michael Gorman in their Oct. 12 op-ed.
The state’s 18 community colleges power New Jersey’s key industries, ensuring that employers have access to a highly skilled workforce in both traditional and emerging sectors, such as health care, technology, infrastructure, AI, advanced manufacturing, film and television production, and renewable energy, the op-ed noted.
“Through our Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative, we have become the agile institutions best able to reflect the labor market priorities of our counties and regions, and to support our state’s overarching economic development goals,” the op-ed said.
The publication of the op-ed comes on the eve of a form sponsored by the Sweeney Center for Public Policy and Rowan College of Education on Tuesday, Oct. 15, “Restructuring Higher Education in New Jersey: Thirty Years of Change, Future Challenges.”
The conference, which includes breakfast and lunch, is free for both in-person and virtual attendees. To sign up, register here.
