NJ Governor wants to merge TESC into Rutgers

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I had a suspicion that TESC wouldn't be as excited as all of us were.
This college is closing or going private- this won't be good.

 

Eh, there seems to be strong support for the school, so it may just end up operating at a reduced budget with Rutgers taking over the State Museum and Library.

But what would a significantly reduced budget mean for the students? From what I understand, they can't cut anything out of the almost non-existant customer support department...

 

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LOL oh contraire mon frere, I can name 2 advisors and a financial aid officer who gotta go.

 

But then who would answer the phones? Think of the children!!!

 

Hehe on a thinly related note, I work in a building that has a college that offers nursing degrees and a few other assorted degrees. As I was just wandering back from my car, I stopped to listen to a conversation between two advisors for the school that were going on and on about some of their applicants (and not in a good way...) who apparently balked at the cost of the program. I looked it up, and I immediately understood why. $25k for a freakin associates degree program.

I may have hit some rough spots with my advisors at EC, but I've generally been pretty happy with them... I thank the Lord that I don't have to deal with people like that.

*Edit* After poking around, it turns out that they don't even offer true nursing degrees from what I can tell. They offer 'Medical Assistant' and 'Occupational Therapy Assistant' degrees. The OTA associates degree costs $36,000 + books.

 

I hear that in preparation for going private, they've written to Excelsior, requesting the names EC rejected....

 

Instead of turning TESC over to Rutgers, perhaps the State should consider cutting a deal with Excelsior.

Rutgers doesn't want TESC. Excelsior would.

Rutgers doesn't understand the degree completion business. Excelsior does.

Rutgers is already strapped for cash. Excelsior ran a $7 million surplus in 2007-08 (the most recent annual report available).

Rutgers and TESC largely serve different markets in different ways, so there would not be many cost savings from elimination of duplicated services. But Excelsior and TESC serve similar markets. A single combined Excelsior/TESC entity probably could serve the combined Excelsior/TESC communities with greater efficiency.

Rutgers is centrally located in NJ. Excelsior is located out of state. But does the physical location really matter for a DL institution?

Excelsior tuition probably costs more than TESC tuition. But Rutgers tuition probably does too.

It is arguably in the State's interest to subsidize degree completion programs for New Jersey residents (otherwise TESC never would have been established). But the State does not have to operate its own school in order to do this. Excelsior would be in a position to pay the state for TESC; the State could use the cash to establish a financial aid program for NJ residents who enroll in degree completion programs out of state.

 

I doubt the FEMA exams would continue to transfer.

 

Perhaps they can spin TESC off into a new institution called Rutgers University College University.

 

If TESC has 16,000 students as reported and if its annual state appropriation is going to be cut by $5.6 million, then all TESC would have to do to make it up would be to raise prices an average of $350/student/year. Given that TESC's average student is 40 and presumably is employed, and given what places like Phoenix get serving the same demographic, it seems like a no brainer.

TESC looks to me like one of the most cost-effective degree-grantors anywhere, given its cost to the state divided by students served and degrees granted. It would probably be foolish for the NJ state government to do something that threatens its continued existence.

 

A 2009 report indicates that TESC had 17,369 students. Of these, 9,201 (or 53%) were listed as "Active Duty Military" (Table II.C.5). Do such students get federal financial assistance to study with TESC? If so, would they even notice another $350/year?

Of the remaining non-military students, most (60%) are NJ residents, and are already paying low in-state tuition rates. The non-NJ, non-military students would probably be hurt most by a tuition increase, but they comprise a relatively small percentage (~ 19%) of the total enrollment.

 

The military students will notice it if it causes the tuition to exceed the current amount that their branch's tuition assistance covers.

 

It seems like the DOD might have $6 million lying around somewhere. Maintaining TESC seems to be in the national interest with so many GIs furthering their education there.

 

Outside of NJ the Rutgers Degree is really not that big of a deal at all, many people know it of course for its basketball team. I am in the Nursing online at TESC , it completes a RN to a BSN, for an out of state student we are paying quite a high price and it is really pretty good. It is not like Rutgers is Harvard, or Michigan or Pennsylvania State or something like that.

 

Seemingly no government entity is Trenton is ever closed down. It is the state capital and state offices are located in Trenton even if there is no logical reason to loacte them there. Thre is a strong culture in the NJ legislature to pump money into the depressed Trenton economy by keeping redundant state-funded offices, TESC included, open no matter what.

 

Big organization eyes Llittle organization, contemplating leveraging the Little organization's market niche, unique products and practices, etc.

Big organization acquires Little organization. Leaves it alone for awhile.

Big organization starts pushing out leaders of Little organization, replacing them with people from Big organization.

Big organization pushes its products and practices on Little organization (because it knows better--hah!).

Little organization's culture crumbles, experiences significant personnel turnover. Performance falters dramatically.

Big organization, seeing this, pulls Little organization closer and closer. Soon, Big organization fully merges Little organization, eliminating Little organization's identity, branding, etc.

Once-unique practices and products (and many people) from Little organization are gone. Bye-bye, Little organization. R.I.P.

Big organization looks around; wonders what happened to Little organization.

"It became necessary to destroy the town to save it." (Unsourced quote from Peter Arnett)

 

What??? Rutgers is not a basketball school. Yes, they are a Division 1 school but they might as well be Division 3, that's how much relevance they have in athletics. The top prospects in NJ go out of state to play basketball or football. Rutgers is comparable to Penn State as far as academics but would get blown out in football. Now, if you're talking about UPenn's academics then that's a different debate.

BTW my sister and her friend both Rutgers grads are also going for their BSN. My sister's friend got accepted to Columbia BSN, Ivy League but got rejected from the Rutgers BSN program which was her first choice. I'm not saying Rutgers is better than Columbia but the nursing program is harder to get into because SOOO many people want to go there because you get 1) name recognition and 2)way cheaper than Columbia or NYU.