Office of the President

R. Barbara Gitenstein, President of The College of New Jersey, has over 30 years of experience as a college professor and administrator in both the public and private sectors. She came to The College of New Jersey from Drake University, where she served as provost and executive vice president. She is the first woman President of The College in its 153-year history.
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New Jersey’s coastline, Staten Island, Manhattan, Queens, and many other areas throughout the Northeast were devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

During the last two weeks, the Republican and Democratic parties have held political conventions and released their platforms for the upcoming election. Each includes at least a bit of language on higher education policy, and, as the president of a 4-year public college, I am disheartened by some of their policy positions.

Recently, Vice President Joe Biden led a roundtable discussion with a group of college and university presidents from some of our nation’s largest institutions of higher education. The outcome of that meeting was an agreement by the leaders of 10 institutions or higher education systems to include a standardized “shopping sheet” in the financial aid packets sent to incoming students, beginning in the fall of 2013.

Absent Congressional action, the financial burden of attending college will escalate significantly on July 1. That is because the interest rate on Stafford loans — federal fixed-rate loans for undergraduate and graduate students attending college at least half-time — is set to climb from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

Absent Congressional action, the financial burden of attending college will escalate significantly on July 1. That is because the interest rate on Stafford loans — federal fixed-rate loans for undergraduate and graduate students attending college at least half-time — is set to climb from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

There is no question that public higher education is in crisis in the United States, but the causes of that crisis are neither the tax breaks for the private institutions, nor the rising sticker price at public institutions of higher education.

By any measure and at nearly every college or university, the price of tuition and the cost of attaining a degree can be daunting. The numbers vary from campus to campus, but most would agree our industry has a problem.