S 3788 — Creates Task Force on Higher Education Governance and Funding; appropriates $200,000.

S3788 1R [First Reprint] SENATE, No.

CRYAN District 20 (Union)  Senator   SHIRLEY  K.   SYNOPSIS      Creates Task Force on Higher Education Governance and Funding;

TURNER District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)   Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Diegnan and McKnight         SYNOPSIS      Creates Task Force on Higher Education Governance and Funding;

  CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT      As introduced.reported by the Senate Higher Education Committee on March 16, 2026, with amendments.

and1[and]1 the president of the Council of New Jersey State College Locals, or a designee.designee 1;

and a representative of the New Jersey Education Association1.

        7.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education the sum of $200,000 for the needs of the task force.  The secretary may, upon the recommendation of the task force, use these funds to hire, contract, or partner with subject matter experts as may be necessary and appropriate.

    STATEMENT        This bill establishes the Task Force on Higher Education Governance and Funding, and makes an appropriation.  Under the bill, the purpose of the task force is to examine the State’s system of higher education, including its organization, governance, and funding mechanisms.       The task force is to consist of 13 members as follows:

     (1)   the Secretary of Higher Education, ex officio, or a designee;

     (2)   the Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, ex officio, or a designee;

     (3) two public members appointed by the President of the Senate, both of whom with substantive experience in higher education administration, public policy, or educational research relating to higher education governance and funding;

     (4)   two public members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, both of whom shall have demonstrated expertise in institutional accountability, fiscal management of institutions of higher education,  student access and equity in higher education, or industry and workforce development in higher education;

and      (5) seven members appointed by the Governor, including:

the president of a public research university, or a designee;

the president of a State college or university that is a member of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, or a designee;

the president of a county college, or a designee;

the president of an independent institution of higher education, or a designee;

the president of the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, or a designee;

and the president of the Council of New Jersey State College Locals, or a designee.

     The bill provides that the task force is to organize no later than  60 days following the bill’s effective date and is required to meet regardless of whether all members have been appointed as of that date.  The task force is to hold at least one public hearing no later than six months after the organization of the task force.

     The bill permits the task force to utilize the assistance of an external consultant to meet its research needs.

In conducting its work, the task force is to assess the system’s ability to meet the current challenges facing institutions of higher education through:

·        an in-depth examination of the organizational structure of each institution of higher education in the State, including an analysis of the role and impact of their governing boards;

·        an analysis of the role and impact of State entities that provide oversight, guidance, and support  to the State’s institutions of higher education;

·        the identification and evaluation of State statutory and regulatory requirements, including any required submissions of data and reports,  imposed upon institutions of higher education, degree-granting proprietary institutions, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority;

·        an analysis of the funding made available by the State to fulfill State statutory and regulatory requirements and the amount of funding which institutions of higher education and degree-granting proprietary institutions expend to fulfill those requirements;

·        an analysis of the institutions’ funding mechanisms and the impact of funding mechanisms on tuition and student and institution outcomes;

·        the development of a master calendar that identifies the dates or timelines of all major reporting requirements for institutions of higher education within State and federal regulations;

·        an analysis of the mission statements of the State’s institutions of higher education;

·        a review of the relationships between county colleges and other institutions of higher education;

·        an assessment of the extent to which institutions of higher education are meeting the State’s workforce needs;

·        an analysis of the effects of the change in higher education governance structure in the State since the abolishment of the Department of Higher Education in 1994;

and ·         the identification and recommendation of best practices utilized in New Jersey and other states in the areas of higher education governance and funding.

      The bill includes an appropriation from the General Fund to the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education in the sum of $200,000 for the needs of the task force.  The secretary may, upon the recommendation of the task force, use these funds to hire, contract, or partner with subject matter experts as may be necessary and appropriate.