Budget cuts hurt higher education

Karen L. Bitner of Hamilton
    Ensuring that public higher education remains accessible and affordable is critical to the future of New Jersey. So, why have our legislators opted to cut higher education funding for the past seven years? This is not a new problem. We’ve been watching our legislators chop away at our public higher education budget even while other states were investing in theirs. But this latest round of cuts brings NJ back to 1997 levels. How can New Jersey’s citizens be expected to afford a college degree, with unemployment higher than 8 percent?
   Public higher education is the path to upward social mobility for low and moderate-income students. It is the path to career changes for our unemployed. It is the path to an active, engaged citizenry. It is an investment in the future of our state, in the future of our citizens, in the future of our Nation. What possible justification can there be for our elected officials to turn their backs on higher education?
Karen L. Bitner
Hamilton