The College of New Jersey has been awarded a $33 million capital facilities grant by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education of New Jersey as part of the joint solicitation of four revolving Capital Facilities Bond programs.
The awarded funds will be used for the college’s “Educating New Jersey’s Next Generation Health Workforce” plan, which will reimagine and renovate instructional and academic support space in Forcina Hall. Among the transformations will be the creation of a new home for the Department of Nursing, Department of Public Health, and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences offices.
The plan also will refurbish academic support spaces in Roscoe West Hall and enhance network services, connectivity, and access across the campus, while securing equipment to support state-of-the-art pedagogy and research across a number of TCNJ’s academic programs for students pursuing health-related fields in the Schools of the Arts and Communication, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Science.
“New Jersey remains committed to investing in our students so that more bright young people are motivated to pursue a higher education right here in our state,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “In many respects, that starts with campus facilities and resources. By funding capital improvement projects that both revitalize and expand campus offerings, we not only affirm our commitment to high-quality postsecondary education, but demonstrate a commitment to growing talent across the Garden State.”
“This award facilitates meeting the challenges of educating the next generation of a dynamic health professional workforce,” said Carole Kenner, dean of TCNJ’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Our plan for the funds is driven by the deep integration of high-impact experiences proven to positively affect graduation and employment placement rates for our students.”
The four revolving bond programs through which funding is being released are the Higher Education Capital Improvement Fund (CIF), the Higher Education Facilities Trust Fund (HEFT), the Higher Education Equipment Leasing Fund (ELF), and the Higher Education Technology Infrastructure Fund (HETI).
TCNJ’s dynamic and comprehensive project is the only one funded by the state that cuts across all four of the capital funding categories.
“Our institutions of higher education are critical economic engines and play an essential role in educating and training the next generation of New Jersey’s workforce,” said New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Brian K. Bridges. “Their success depends upon the ability to provide the 21st century learning environments that today’s students demand from a higher education experience. Through these grant awards, campuses will be able to fund repairs, enhance their physical locations, and build for the future.”
TCNJ’s “Educating New Jersey’s Next Generation Health Workforce” plan is one of 54 projects that earned awards to support the growing infrastructure and technology needs of New Jersey’s higher education sector to continue advancing access to high-quality postsecondary education.
— Luke Sacks