In making the announcement on June 28, Governor Chris Christie said, “We have made an historic commitment to funding higher education in this State, which is continued today with the award of a second round of grant funding to ensure that New Jersey’s colleges and universities have some of the best facilities in the nation."
The projects were submitted to the Legislature for further consideration, and the list of recommended project grants can be found here.
“I am very pleased to recommend the approval of 35 excellent projects that will improve our campus facilities and enhance the education of many of the more than 400,000 students earning their degrees in New Jersey,” said Secretary Hendricks.
The award of $180 million uses the remaining $34 million in General Obligation (GO) bonds from the Building Our Future Act and adds $146 million from the Higher Education Capital Improvement Fund (CIF).
The Legislature has 60 days to consider the General Obligation bond projects and 45 days to consider the CIF projects. If the Legislature takes no action, the projects will be approved.
Secretary Hendricks announced the availability of a second round of funding in November 2015. Sixty-three applications were received from 32 institutions.
A team of experts from the Educational Facilities Authority, the Economic Development Authority, the Schools Development Authority and the Department of Treasury reviewed and recommended the approval of projects to Secretary Hendricks.
Selected projects targeted academic programs, especially science, technology, engineering and math. Institutions were required to detail how projects served students and aligned with New Jersey’s workforce needs.