01-05-2025
Senators decry Governor Murphy's proposed higher ed cuts
Senators decried proposed cuts to higher education at a May 1 Budget Committee meeting, signaling they could move to restore some funding. (Daniella Heminghaus for New Jersey Monitor)
Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle signaled Thursday they would seek a reversal of cuts Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget would make to universities, colleges, and the financial assistance to attend them.
The governor's proposal would cut operational aid to the state's four-year public universities by $126 million, roll back a $20 million increase in operating aid for community colleges approved last year, and reduce or eliminate tuition assistance for certain students, among numerous other cuts.
'We understand that difficult decisions need to be made in the state budget each year, but we are truly concerned that each year higher education seems to bear a great brunt of these reductions,' said Michael Avaltroni, president of Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Outcomes-based allocation funding, another source of aid for public four-year universities, would fall by $70 million under Murphy's proposal, which would also cut $19.6 million in grants for community colleges and reduce aid to private and independent universities by $23.6 million.
Cuts at the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority would eliminate awards through College Opportunity Grants or the Garden State Guarantee for those with income greater than $65,000, though those in that income band who had previously received an award under either program could still receive assistance if they otherwise remained eligible.
The proposal would entirely eliminate a $20 million appropriation for summer tuition aid grants that would fund courses for students in the summer of 2026. Overall, financial aid grants for students would fall by $50.4 million under Murphy's proposal.
University and community college presidents called to testify before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Thursday decried the cuts, cautioning they would make higher education less affordable or lead to programmatic cuts as universities face inflation, rising benefit and utility costs, and widespread uncertainty at the federal level.
'The cut is real to us in pretty significant ways. Having that cut restored eases pressure on tuition,' said Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway. 'Tuition is over a quarter of our revenue stream at Rutgers, and we don't have much wiggle room in other places, to be quite honest, so having that assistance does go a long way.'
Officials warned community colleges, which are meant to be more accessible than their four-year peers, faced particular risks.
Community colleges account for about half of the state's undergraduate students and on average charge roughly a third of the tuition at public four-year universities, said Margaret McMenamin, president of Union County College.
That could make them especially vulnerable to changes in enrollment spurred by higher costs.
'We're not asking you for new investments. We're just asking you not to go backward,' she said.
Higher Education Secretary Brian Bridges, at times, appeared to support lawmakers' call for greater investment in higher education, noting that a recommendation to zero out $12 million in funding for a new veterinary school at Rowan University did not originate in his office.
'This is a difficult budget year, as I've mentioned before, and at this time, the budget is with you,' he said. 'As the secretary of higher education, I endorse supporting the investment in the sector that is needed to allow it to thrive, so I stand ready to provide any support that you might need in advocating for the reinstatement of those reductions.'
The proposed cuts reflect current fiscal circumstances more than a shift in priorities, Bridges added.
We understand that difficult decisions need to be made in the state budget each year, but we are truly concerned that each year higher education seems to bear a great brunt of these reductions.
– Michael Avaltroni, Fairleigh Dickinson University president
Strong performance in April revenues could help defray some cuts Murphy has proffered in his $58.1 billion budget proposal.
Sen. Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth) on Thursday said the Treasury had indicated April collections would come in strong, bringing as much as $1 billion more revenue than the agency's earlier projections.
'The good news that I think we can make this morning is that we've heard from treasury that it appears as if our revenues are going to pretty dramatically overperform,' O'Scanlon said. 'This should be music to all our ears given these cuts and things that need to absolutely be restored.'
How much of that money might be used to undo higher education cuts remains to be seen. Murphy's proposed budget includes a $1.2 billion deficit, meaning a $1 billion April surprise would still leave the state spending more than it takes in.
Other lawmakers signaled different priorities could take precedence.
'I warn all not to get giddy over the revenue projections of incoming revenue because one of the charges of this committee that we feel strongly about is to do away with over a billion dollars-worth of new taxes in the budget, so any new revenue is spoken for three times over,' said Sen. John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester).
Officials from Treasury and the Office of Legislative Services are due to deliver updated budget projections on May 14.
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