Politics & Government

Rider Among County Colleges to Receive State Aid

Mercer, Princeton, TCNJ, Rider, Thomas Edison and Princeton Theological Seminary will all receive funds.

 

The state will provide more than $95 million for construction projects at the six colleges and universities located in the county, the county announced.

The money is part of $1.3 billion in funding that the state is providing for 176 higher education capital construction projects, including $750 million from the Building Our Future Bond Act that New Jersey voters approved in November.  

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“This infusion of funds for construction projects on our local campuses is great news,” said Brian M. Hughes, Mercer County Executive. “Mercer County already has one of the most highly skilled and educated labor pools, and this funding will help the county draw in and retain the brightest of the bright. Collectively, Mercer’s colleges and universities cater to a wide range of students, and each institute not only adds to the quality of life in Mercer County but gives us an economic edge that helps keep our unemployment rate consistently lower than the state and national average.

“Few places can boast as many powerhouse universities and colleges as we can, and in turn they fuel our high-tech incubators and will continue to make us even more competitive into the future.”

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The proposed awards, which await final approval by the Legislature, include $57.5 million for The College of New Jersey in Ewing; $16.6 million for Thomas Edison State College in Trenton; $9.7 million for Mercer County Community College, which has campuses in West Windsor and Trenton; $6.5 million for Princeton University; $4.6 million for Rider University in Lawrence; and $645,323 for Princeton Theological Seminary.

In addition to last year’s bond authorization, funding for the statewide projects comes from four other higher education funding programs: the Higher Education Capital Improvement Fund, the Higher Education facilities Trust Fund, the Higher Education Technology Infrastructure Fund and the Higher Education Equipment Leasing Fund.

Colleges and universities submitted more than 250 applications for funding; projects that were selected targeted academic programs, especially science, technology, engineering and math, according to the Governor’s Office. Institutions were required to detail how projects served students and aligned with New Jersey’s workforce needs.

—Mercer County


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here