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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