STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
Senator THOMAS H. KEAN, JR.
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Ruiz and Oroho
SYNOPSIS
Directs Secretary of Higher Education to establish communication campaign to encourage students to enroll in 30 credits per year and institutions to report to secretary on strategies and incentives to accomplish this goal.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning college degree completion and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with public and independent institutions of higher education, shall establish a Statewide “30 Credits Per Year to Finish” communication campaign. The purpose of the campaign shall be to raise awareness among students and their families that a student should take no less than 30 credits per year to graduate within two years in the case of an associate degree or within four years in the case of a baccalaureate degree. The communication campaign shall:
(1) make use of a variety of marketing media including billboards, brochures, and electronic resources; and
(2) reach students directly during course registration for the academic semester.
b. Each public and independent institution of higher education shall annually report to the secretary on the strategies employed and the incentives provided by the institution to encourage students to enroll in no less than 30 credits per year. The secretary shall share the information on the reported strategies and incentives among the institutions.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill directs the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with public and independent institutions of higher education, to establish a Statewide “30 Credits Per Year to Finish” communication campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness among students and their families that a student should take no less than 30 credits per year to graduate within two years in the case of an associate degree or within four years in the case of a baccalaureate degree.
The communication campaign will use a variety of marketing media including billboards, brochures, and electronic resources, and must reach students directly during course registration for the academic semester.
The bill also directs public and independent institutions of higher education to annually report to the secretary on the strategies employed and the incentives provided by the institution to encourage students to enroll in no less than 30 credits per year. The secretary will share the reported information among the institutions.
This bill implements a recommendation of the College Affordability Study Commission included in its September 2016 final report.