Bill Text: NJ AR80 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges institutions of higher education to provide priority enrollment in courses to students who have dependent children.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [AR80 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-AR80-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Urges institutions of higher education to provide priority enrollment in courses to students who have dependent children.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging institutions of higher education to provide priority course enrollment to students who have dependent children.
Whereas, The number of college students who are parents of dependent children has risen to about 4.8 million students in 2011, representing 26 percent of all college undergraduates, as parents increasingly seek postsecondary credentials to improve the economic security of their families; and
Whereas, Student parents struggle to balance the competing obligations of parenthood, work, and academic pursuits; and
Whereas, Student parents are more likely to be low income and working full-time than their classmates who are not parents; and
Whereas, Parents with dependent children drop out of college at a higher rate than other students, with only 33 percent of students with children obtaining a degree or certificate within six years; and
Whereas, Institutions of higher education should take a proactive approach to ensuring that student parents have a variety of supports available that will aid them in achieving academic success; and
Whereas, Priority enrollment in college and university courses will assist student parents in creating schedules that accommodate their competing obligations by enabling parents to select courses at times when child care is available to them, and at times that are not incompatible with their work schedules; and
Whereas, Providing student parents with priority course enrollment offers institutions of higher education an opportunity to offer valuable support to their student parents at no cost to the institution; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The governing board of each institution of higher education in the State is urged to adopt a policy that provides priority enrollment in college and university courses to students who are parents of dependent children.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Secretary of Higher Education and to the president and governing board of each institution of higher education in the State.
STATEMENT
This Assembly resolution urges institutions of higher education to provide priority enrollment in college and university courses to students who have dependent children. Student parents represent about one in four college undergraduates. These students struggle to balance the often competing demands of parenthood, work, and academic pursuits. The provision of priority course enrollment to student parents comes at no cost to the institution of higher education, while giving student parents much needed support in creating schedules that will help them achieve academic success.
