By Tara Nurin
Issue seen as referendum on academic reach and mission of county colleges now heads to Secretary of Higher Education
New Jersey community colleges seeking to offer four-year degree programs suffered a significant setback yesterday when an advisory board comprised primarily of the state’s public college and university presidents voted against the proposal by a margin of one vote.
The presidents of Union and Passaic community colleges had asked the New Jersey Presidents’ Council for permission to expand their nursing degree programs to meet a pressing need for nurses with bachelor’s degrees and higher.
But the council split – two-year schools versus four-year schools – with baccalaureate-granting institutions narrowly outvoting their county-college counterparts. The matter now heads to state Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks for her approval without a recommendation from the council.
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