Q: Gov. Christie has signed legislation that will restructure the state’s higher education system. But will we see real improvement without a concrete commitment to both merger expenses and ongoing operating costs? And can we afford that?
GOV. BYRNE: I’m not sure we need to afford it. I don’t think a merger necessarily requires a lot of expenses. And there’s no great emotional resistance, like there is with local schools.
GOV. KEAN: This will make Rutgers one of the great national schools. It’s been a long time coming, and we should pause for a moment and think about Roy Vagelos, who chaired the original report. Can we afford it? We have to. This is how you ultimately create jobs.
BYRNE: And why resist supporting something we can’t afford? As long as we can afford bond issues, I’m not nervous.
KEAN: But there’s a difference between spending and investing. This is about the future, without which the state cannot succeed.
BYRNE: Tom, that’s the philosophy that’s gotten us to where we owe more money than we can even service.
KEAN: We’ve defunded higher education for the past dozen years.
BYRNE: That’s because we have no courage to tell them what we want.
KEAN: There was a lot of overspending, but not on higher education. Because of state neglect, we have a backlog of building maintenance and high tuitions.
BYRNE: Why don’t you add to that comment that these should be done and paid for?
KEAN: Fine. But bonds are for projects that are at least 20 years out in the future.
BYRNE: But you’re supposed to pay for them.
KEAN: Sure, but higher education has had cuts and no bond issues since 1988.
BYRNE: We haven’t paid for the higher education bonds Gov. Hughes issued.
KEAN: I’d be surprised if we haven’t paid for them by now. Look, without college and university graduates, no company will be willing to locate in New Jersey. I don’t know of any other progressive state that hasn’t invested in its higher education.
BYRNE: Make me a proposal for paying for them. I’m the guy who wants to pay for them.
KEAN: Go ahead. I don’t think we disagree on higher education.
BYRNE: This is very important issue, Tom. We’ve got to start paying off the bonds we’re issuing.
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