Bill Text: NJ A3862 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Makes supplemental appropriation of $1.5 million to provide tuition assistance for students enrolled at Thomas Edison State University.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [A3862 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A3862-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Makes supplemental appropriation of $1.5 million to provide tuition assistance for students enrolled at Thomas Edison State University.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Supplement to the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, P.L.2021, c.133.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.2021, c.133, the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, there is appropriated from the General Fund the following amount for the purpose specified:
74 DEPARTMENT OF STATE
30 Educational, Cultural, and Intellectual Development
36 Higher Educational Services
2405 Higher Education Student Assistance Authority
GRANTS-IN-AID
45-2405 Student Assistance Programs .............................. $1,500,000
Total Grants-in-Aid appropriation,
Higher Educational Services ........................... $1,500,000
Grants-in-Aid:
45 Tuition Assistance, Thomas Edison State University Students ($1,500,000)
Notwithstanding the provisions of any law or regulation to the contrary, the amount hereinabove appropriated for Tuition Assistance, Thomas Edison State University Students shall provide need-based financial aid awards to students who do not qualify for traditional forms of State tuition assistance, including Tuition Aid Grants. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, in consultation with Thomas Edison State University, shall set the need-based eligibility criteria and aid amounts for the financial aid awards.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill makes a Fiscal Year 2022 supplemental appropriation of $1.5 million from the State General Fund to the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority in the Department of State to provide tuition assistance for students enrolled at Thomas Edison State University.
Established in 1972, Thomas Edison State University (TESU) provides distinctive undergraduate and graduate education for self-directed adults through flexible, high-quality collegiate learning and assessment opportunities. TESU is one of New Jersey's senior public institutions of higher education and the only university in the State dedicated exclusively to adults.
For more than 45 years, TESU has pioneered the use of the latest technologies to develop and deliver academic programs that work around the unique needs of adult learners and has served as a national leader in the assessment of adult learning. The academic program revolves around the unique needs of adults, removing barriers that limit many adult students who cannot sacrifice their personal and professional responsibilities to pursue their education.
Students earn credit through a variety of methods designed exclusively for adult learners. These methods include online courses, guided independent study, examination programs, courses delivered via mobile devices, maximizing the transfer of credits earned from other regionally accredited institutions, earning credit for professional or military training, and by demonstrating college-level knowledge acquired outside of a traditional classroom.
Due to the unique nature of academic offerings provided by TESU, traditional forms of tuition assistance, including Tuition Aid Grants, are not always available to part-time associates degree and bachelor's degree-seeking students enrolled at the university. The lack of financial support, including the financial support provided by Tuition Aid Grants, is a critical reason many students stop attending or drop out entirely.
This bill would appropriate $1.5 million in supplemental funding for the establishment of a separate program that would be geared specifically toward non-traditional students enrolled at TESU. The tuition assistance would allow the university to establish the Grant Opportunity for TESU, or GO-TESU, which would enable the university to grow their mission and to open the doors for many individuals seeking to further their educational aspirations.
