ASSEMBLY, No. 2069

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  CLINTON CALABRESE

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Directs State Auditor to conduct performance review audits of public institutions of higher education.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  


An Act directing the State Auditor to conduct performance review audits of the public institutions of higher education.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  The State Auditor is directed to conduct a performance review audit of each public institution of higher education.  For each institution, the performance review audit shall include, but need not be limited to:

     (1)   an analysis of the prevalence, cost, and quality of online courses offered by the institution;

     (2)   a review of the remedial courses offered by the institution and the effectiveness of those courses in preparing students for credit-bearing courses;

     (3)   a review of the fees charged by the institution, the appropriate level of those fees, and whether fees are being used by the institution as a mechanism to artificially deflate required tuition costs;

     (4)   an analysis of the market value of the degrees offered by the institution compared to the costs associated with earning that degree; and

     (5)   a review of the four-year and six-year graduation rates in the case of students enrolled in a four-year baccalaureate degree program, and of the two-year and three-year graduation rates for students enrolled in a two-year associate degree program, to determine the extent and causes of low graduation rates at the institution.

     b.    The institutions of higher education to receive a performance review audit shall be Rutgers, the State University; Rowan University; the New Jersey Institute of Technology; Montclair State University; the State colleges and universities established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes; and the county colleges.

 

     2.    Within one year of the effective date of this act, the State Auditor shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the results of the performance review audits conducted pursuant to section 1 of this act.

 

     3.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill directs the State Auditor to conduct a performance review audit of each New Jersey public institution of higher education.  The audit will include, but need not be limited to:

·        an analysis of the prevalence, cost, and quality of online courses offered by the institution;

·        a review of the remedial courses offered by the institution and the effectiveness of those courses in preparing students for credit-bearing courses;

·        a review of the fees charged by the institution, the appropriate level of those fees, and whether fees are being used by the institution as a mechanism to artificially deflate required tuition costs;

·        an analysis of the market value of degrees offered by the institution compared to the cost associated with earning that degree; and

·        a review of four-year and six-year graduation rates for students enrolled in a four-year baccalaureate degree program, and a review of two-year and three-year graduation rates for students enrolled in a two-year associate degree program, to determine the extent and causes of low graduation rates at the institution.

      The bill requires that the State Auditor prepare and submit a report of the findings of the audits to the Governor and the Legislature within one year of the bill’s effective date.