The governor said the capital investment will encourage New Jersey students to stay in-state for college
TRENTON -- With Thomas Edison State University's new nursing school as his backdrop, Gov. Chris Christie touted the state's investment in campus construction projects at its colleges and universities, saying it helps stem the tide of students leaving New Jersey for college.
"We need our colleges and universities to be responsive to the needs of the folks in our community if we want to keep them here," he said. "Because if we don't respond, they'll go to another state that is responding and they'll not only get their education there, but they'll work there and that brain drain for the state of New Jersey is not something that we want to happen."
In 2013, the state announced that it would provide financing to 176 projects at 46 institutions with the help of $1.3 billion in bond proceeds, including the $750 million Building Our Future Bond Act that was approved by voter referendum. It marked the first capital investment in higher education since 1988 under former Gov. Tom Kean.
"Now those projects that we started just a few years ago are cropping up on campuses all over the state of New Jersey and that's incredibly important," Christie said. "While I'm certainly not a fan of debt, I am a fan of investment in things that will pay off much beyond what we've invested. ... I hope that future governors will learn from this experience and that they won't wait another 25 years to invest capital money in our colleges and universities."
On Thursday, the governor toured the soon-to-be-finished nursing center at Thomas Edison. The 34,360-square-foot building will house the university's W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and include a state-of-the-art nursing simulation laboratory, lecture halls, conference rooms and a testing center.
About half of the $26.2 million in project costs came from the bond issue. Christie praised the school for turning what was once an eyesore -- the Glen Cairn Arms apartment complex -- into something the city could be proud of.
"It was depressing to me to see that for many people who were coming to the Capital Complex, the first thing they would see is that dilapidated, graffiti-filled building and it gave everyone such a bad first impression or continuing impression of our capital city," he said. "We're not going to fix the challenges that confront Trenton overnight, but I really believe that symbols make a big difference.
"The symbols of Thomas Edison ... transforming not only the landscape, but transforming the lives of the people who enter into this building is an extraordinary way to get going," he continued.
He said the school, which will now have the state's largest nursing program, is responding to a need at a time when there is a shortage of nurses. He highlighted its accelerated second-degree program, which allows those who have earned bachelor's in non-nursing majors to complete a degree in 12 months.
"Being able to streamline that process for people who already have a solid foundation of education is something that Thomas Edison is uniquely positioned to do to respond to that need," Christie said.
The governor said the state has another $180 million to dole out to colleges and universities, though he cautioned that there was about $700 million to $800 million in requests.
"People are going to hear a lot more no's than they are going to hear yes's as opposed to the last time, but for those projects that we are able to fund, we want to get that money out there and working," he said. "There's no reason for it to be sitting dormant in Trenton."
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.