Colleges in New Jersey

On June 29th, 2011 New Jersey's governor, Chris Christy, issued a reorganization plan that abolished the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. This was in response to a 2010 task force that studied the situation of New Jersey colleges. The task force noted the need to streamline the system of colleges in New Jersey by transferring the powers, functions and duties to the Secretary of Higher Education. This act also strengthened the powers and independence of all boards of trustees. A new governor's Higher Education Council was established to provide advice and assistance to the Secretary of Higher Education and to better serve New Jersey schools of higher education.

The system of schools in New Jersey for obtaining a post-secondary education include 31 public and 35 private institutions and enrolls more that 440,000 full and part time degree-seeking students across the state.

The State University, the Institute of Technology, the University of Medicine and Dentistry, Rutgers, five state universities, four state colleges and 19 community colleges comprise the system of public colleges in New Jersey. Private schools in New Jersey include 14 senior colleges and universities, 13 theological seminaries and rabbinical schools, two associates religious colleges and seven proprietary institutions that have the authority to grant degrees.

The best way to rank New Jersey colleges and universities is by using the average SAT scores of newly enrolled students. This is because New Jersey is a "SAT state," meaning that more students take the SAT exam than the ACT exam. All major New Jersey colleges and universities report SAT scores, and they are the standard for elite New Jersey schools. For example, 96 percent of Princeton students submitted SAT scores while only 25 percent gave their ACT scores.

Using this SAT criteria, the following New Jersey schools and their locations are the top ten in the state.

1. Princeton University, Princeton

2.The College of New Jersey, Ewing

3.Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken

4. Rutgers University, New Brunswick

5. Drew University, Madison

6. Ramapo College, Mahwah

7. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark

8. Monmouth University, West Long Branch

9. Rutgers University, Camden

10. Caldwell College, Caldwell

Economy

In 2010, the Bureau of Economic Analysis estimated the gross state product(GSP) of New Jersey at $487 billion. The per capita GSP was reported as $54,699 in 2008. Per capita income was $51,358, the nation's third highest. It ranks 2nd for the number of places with per capita income that beats the national average, and nine counties in the state are among the wealthiest 100 counties in the United States. It has a higher percentage of millionaire households than any other state.

The last few decades of the 19th century saw New Jersey as a state with many smaller factories producing the necessary components for a multitude of other larger manufacturers. Oil refineries along the Hudson waterfront greatly expanded employment. Manufacturing was highly diversified, pottery firms flourished and insurance companies grew powerful.

Early in the 20th century, wars provided stimulation for the state's industries. During the years of the first world war, giant shipyards at Camden, Kearny and Newark led the nation in shipbuilding. Middlesex County refined 75 percent of all copper in the nation. Seventy-five percent of the nation's shells were loaded in New Jersey.

The munitions and shipbuilding industries were also important during World War II. After the banning of German chemicals in World War I, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing showed much growth during the second world war. Paterson, a company that had formerly built locomotives become the nation's leading builder of airplane engines.

The US Census Bureau had declared New Jersey as an urban state in 1880 since the population was over one million for the first time. After World War II, urbanization intensified as people from older cities and other northern states left to buy homes in the country. Towns like Cherry Hill, Clifton, Middletown, and Woodbridge boomed. The populations in these towns grew sixfold in the following decades. The need for schools, police and fire departments and road maintenance grew. Voters approved a new state constitution in 1947 that streamlined state government and mandated equal rights for all citizens.The state's armed forces were immediately integrated.

After 1950, multi-million-dollar bond issues were passed to rebuild or establish state colleges in New Jersey. Funds were also allocated for the development of new parks, forest lands, reservoirs, highways and rapid transit systems. At the beginning of the 21st century, state legislature approved the spending of $12 billion to improve the overcrowded and deteriorating school system. The funds were dispersed to both inner city and suburban schools.

Although the state had experienced a recession during the latter part of the 20th century because of the loss of manufacturing jobs, the economy had rebounded by 1999 due in part due to biotechnology, electronics, pharmaceutical and other high-tech firms that were drawn to the state's skilled workforce.

New Jersey is likely to continue this trend well into the 21st century.