May 12
...serving up your daily dish.
Governor Corzine's proposed budget includes a $169 million funding cut for higher education, and Montclair State University will be among the institutions to feel the financial pinch. Their Office of Government Relations has released this statement looking for support of the University.
Call to Action: NJ Higher Education Budget Crisis
Governor Jon Corzine's proposed Fiscal Year 2007 budget proposes to cut funding to higher education by $169 million. The New Jersey Legislature will be reviewing the Governor's budget and undoubtedly making some modifications to it as it does every year. You are urged to contact your legislator to advise them that the proposed cuts would be extremely harmful to higher education in general and Montclair State in particular.
To assist you we have a sample letter you can send to your State Legislator. For your convenience the letter specific to your relationship with Montclair State is available in two formats. Click on any of the links below to view a sample letter:
| For Alumni | For Students | For Faculty/Staff | For Friends |
| Microsoft Word doc. | Microsoft Word doc. | Microsoft Word doc. | Microsoft Word doc. |
Who Is My Legislator?
Click Hereto view, listed by town/city, the name, U.S. address, phone number and email address link to your NJ State legislators.
Talk about it here, or whatever you like...And have a good weekend.
May 12, 2006 in The Daily Chat | Permalink
How unique is the information that comes out of UMD to that institute alone?
Shouldn't all state higher education facilities be audited before they receive any state aid?
After all, it's not free money, it's OUR money. IMHO, we should be assured it's going to where it should and not into some rat hole.
Posted by: Tonoose | May 12, 2006 5:16:38 PM
MSU's method of contacting legislators is too cumbersome. Here's an easier way to contact your legislators about restoring funding for higher education. Visit www.cnjscl.org and click on the top link which is prominetly displayed. Then click the TAKE ACTION button. It takes less than a minute to get your message out. You won't have to bother looking up your legislators because inputting your zip code will do this for you and email them your message. The message can be edited.
Posted by: Steve Young | May 13, 2006 7:01:04 PM
yeah, get rid of the state dept of education and let the towns and counties run their schools. the state has more administrators than teachers...how does that help our kids?
Posted by: Iceman | May 13, 2006 9:17:22 PM
Is anyone out there truly terribly upset that Montclair State (there is only one "MSU," the Michigan State Spartans) is facing state budget cuts?
Posted by: cathar | May 14, 2006 1:10:15 PM
it is not just Montclair State. Rutgers University is facing a $100 million cut. This could raise tuition by $2,000 next year, classes will be cut, already huge classes will double in size, professors without tenure will be laid off. Many people choose Rutgers because it is a great public university that is also affordable. A lot of students are paying their own way and taking out numerous loans to make their way through college. $2,000 doesn't come very easy to a 20 year old college student. And all of this is after Corzine came down and rallied on College Avenue in New Brunswick and asked all of us for support, we passed out fliers for him, registered voters for him, and believed every word he said. Then, one of the first things he does when he gets into office is announce a $169 million cut to higher education? Corzine is a crook and nothing more.
Posted by: Martha | May 15, 2006 1:27:36 PM
If the total cut to higher education is about 169 million and Rutgers is shouldering over 100 million of the cut, what is Montclair State's share? The school has been undergoing a huge building spree with new dorms, new parking garage and some other new building that I see going up right now. Instead of increases in tuition or firing of professors, maybe there can be a moratorium on construction for a few years.
Posted by: BeanCounter | May 15, 2006 1:45:52 PM
Beancounter - My understanding is that MSU is undergoing the new construction because enrollment is growing. Put a moratorium on construction, and you have to put a limit on the number of students who can go to an affordable college for their higher education. The number of high school graduates is growing (I can see that in my own town, Bloomfield, where four years ago about 325 students gradiated and next month there will be nearly 500), and the colleges need to expand to meet the demand.
This is the same reason why local school districts (Nutley, Bloomfield) are expanding their buildings - growing populations.
Steve Young - thank you for that link. It was MUCH easier.
Posted by: g | May 15, 2006 1:53:16 PM
Montclair State has 15,000 students and a $200mn current budget as of 2004. That works out to about $13,000 in expense per student. And, it has $250mn in bonded construction underway. That's another $16,000 per student.
About 60% of the faculty is tenured, although several depts are in the 90% - 100% tenured space.
If NJ offered each student a $29,000 scholarship, would they go elsewhere so the state could sell the place to Ploker?
http://www.montclair.edu/pages/vpbpit/fact_book.htm
Posted by: Paul from OB | May 15, 2006 3:41:24 PM
Currently the University is in the midst of an ambitious expansion program that will enable it to accommodate at least 18,000 students by 2008, the year of its centennial.
http://www.montclair.edu/welcome/intro.html
Posted by: g | May 15, 2006 5:22:17 PM
There was a great article in the Star Ledger on how 70% of college budgets is going to college administrators. I could be wrong but maybe the problem is the high salaries of college and university upper management?
Posted by: lasermike026 | May 15, 2006 5:34:04 PM
