Hundreds of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives are underway in New Jersey. The NJ STEM Pathways Network is a public-private alliance, established by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, to ensure our institutions work together to align STEM resources, support an education-to-workforce STEM pipeline, identify exemplary formal and informal learning opportunities, and promote STEM career pathway awareness.
Improvements in New Jersey higher education will reinforce our tradition of innovation, with one of the most highly-educated workforces in the nation. In the past two years, we invested $1.3 billion in 176 construction projects on 46 campuses. Rutgers, our flagship state university, now has a medical school and public health institutes. The impact of this restructuring was immediate. Rutgers rose 10 places in the prestigious Center for World University rankings and is now 33rd on the list of the top 1,000 universities in the world – higher than Ohio State, Purdue or Penn State.
We established Rowan University as a rapidly developing research institution, ready to double its student population and greatly enhance its economic impact in the southern end of the state.
We invested nearly $100 million in construction funds to help the New Jersey Institute of Technology solidify its position as a hub of innovation and technology, with an Innovation Institute and a new integrative life science and engineering laboratory.
Our 19 community colleges train thousands of workers every year through the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development. Since its inception in 2004, the Consortium has trained over 100,000 employees at over 5,000 companies throughout New Jersey.
Whatever your needs, higher education in New Jersey offers a richly diverse array of innovative and pragmatic resources.