Pictured from left to right: Donald A. Borden, President of Camden County College; Laura Overdeck, Founder of the Overdeck Family Foundation; Reginald Lewis Executive Director of NCLC; and Harvey Kesselman, President of Stockton University.
Executive Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) Reginald Lewis was named co-chair of one of five working groups to help the state implement its new higher education plan.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis unveiled the expansive statewide higher education plan at Rutgers University-Newark on March 26, 2019. Known as “Where Opportunity Meets Innovation: A Student-Centered Vision for New Jersey Higher Education,” the plan will ensure higher education meets student needs and galvanizes New Jersey’s innovation economy.
“My Administration has committed to growing New Jersey from the middle out and lifting communities from the bottom up. There’s no better way to achieve those goals than strengthening our state’s institutions of higher education. In a knowledge-based global economy, what New Jerseyans know will matter a lot more than who they know,” said Governor Murphy.
“New Jersey is the state of innovation. And higher education is where opportunity meets innovation,” said Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis. “The plan we release today seeks to ensure that every student, no matter their life circumstances, has the opportunity to obtain a high quality education that prepares them for life after college.”
Lewis will co-chair the working group on Student Success along with Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman.
“I am truly honored to be part of such a historic moment for New Jersey. It has always been our firm belief at NCLC that every student should have the adequate preparation, information, and resources needed to succeed in college or another post-high school option. I am excited to bring the expertise of NCLC and its partners to this important statewide initiative,” said Lewis.
The other four working groups are focused on (1) Creating On-ramps to College, (2) Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments, (3) Research, Innovation, and Talent, and (4) Making College Affordable, which will be co-chaired by Rutgers University-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor.
For more information on the statewide higher education plan, visit https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/stateplan.shtml.
For more information on NCLC, visit newarknclc.org.