NEW JERSEY'S COMMUNITY COLLEGES: AN EXPERIMENT IN "COORDINATED AUTONOMY"

Abstract

New Jersey dramatically restructured its higher education system in 1994 by abolishing the State Board of Higher Education . The state board had served as the statewide coordinating board for all of higher education in New Jersey for 30 years . What has this new structure meant for New Jersey's community colleges? First , the 19 community colleges now have much more autonomy at the campus level . This has enabled the colleges to respond more quickly and effectively to local needs . At the same time , community college presidents and trustees have seen a greater need for voluntary statewide coordination . In the political arena , for example , the colleges have joined together through their state association - the New Jersey Council of County Colleges - to vigorously pursue statewide funding and legislative objectives . These efforts have yielded unprecedented successes - a $120 million increase in capital funding for community colleges and a $48 million increase in direct state aid to community colleges . During the past 25 years , the development and growth of the community college system in New Jersey has been brisk and striking . The result , in the 1990s , is that New Jersey's community colleges have blossomed into a system of 19 colleges that enroll about half of the undergraduates attending college in the state . This mature system now faces new challenges . The New Jersey Higher Education Restructuring Act of 1994 dramatically altered the public policy framework for community colleges and all of higher education in the state . In short , it will mean less state regulation and much more campus autonomy . Although community colleges are embracing this newfound autonomy to meet local needs , they are also seeking to apply it in coordinated ways that serve the state's needs too . This new approach of coordinated autonomy holds great promise . However , its long - term success will ultimately depend on considerable discipline and cooperation among the 19 community colleges .