State leaders are increasingly signaling that New Jersey must rethink how higher education functions — not only as an academic enterprise, but as a core driver of workforce readiness, economic competitiveness, and talent retention.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, speaking recently during Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s 21-county ‘Save You Time and Money’ Tour, said the state needs to do a better job aligning education with employment, pointing to persistent disconnects among K-12 schools, colleges, vocational programs and employers. The goal, he said, is a more seamless system that prepares students earlier and more efficiently for the workforce.
That is a message that higher-education leaders say they’ve been waiting to hear.
After the recent event at COMET, an advanced manufacturing center run by the New Jersey Innovation Institute in Landing, NJIT President Teik Lim and County College of Morris President Tony Iacono shared their perspectives on the future of higher education with BINJE.
Taken together, their comments offer a candid snapshot of what is working — and what must change — in New Jersey higher education.
Lim and Iacono, recently named the top county college president in the state, see a system that already contains the pieces of a strong higher-ed-to-workforce pipeline, but lacks the statewide design to make it function at scale. Without that alignment, they warn, New Jersey will continue educating students for other states’ economies.
Here are 11 things we learned … because we always go to 11.
11. Higher education must be viewed as a K–16 system
Lim emphasized that workforce preparation cannot start at college. NJIT already brings middle- and high-school students to campus through dual-credit and early-college programs, allowing them to earn math and science credits before enrolling full-time.
10. Students who start earlier finish stronger
According to Lim, students who earn college credits in high school arrive better prepared and complete degrees more efficiently — saving time, tuition dollars, and accelerating entry into the labor market.
9. Community colleges are the backbone of workforce pathways
Iacono said community colleges already serve as the primary bridge between students and high-demand fields such as engineering, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing—especially for first-generation and price-sensitive students.
8. Successful transfer pipelines don’t happen by accident
Roughly 80% of CCM students pursuing engineering transfer directly to NJIT, Iacono said. That level of alignment required intentional program design, regular communication, and trust between institutions.
7. Collaboration exists — but it’s too informal
Iacono pushed back on the idea that higher education is deeply siloed, but acknowledged that most cooperation is relationship-based rather than system-driven. Without statewide structures, progress depends heavily on individual leaders.
6. New Jersey’s transfer system costs students time and credits
Lim criticized the state’s reliance on course-by-course transfer, saying it virtually guarantees credit loss. He contrasted that with states like Texas, where completed associate degrees transfer wholesale into bachelor’s programs.
5. Degree-based transfer would save money and students
Lim argued that if an associate degree automatically counted as the first two years of a bachelor’s program, students would graduate faster, incur less debt, and be less likely to drop out or leave the state.
4. New Jersey is losing too many students — because of faulty design
Both leaders described New Jersey as the nation’s top “exit state” for high-school graduates. Iacono said the lack of a clear, affordable in-state pathway pushes students elsewhere immediately after graduation.
3. International students are part of the solution, not the problem
Lim said international students help stabilize public institutions by paying higher tuition and receiving fewer scholarships. Those dollars, he said, support domestic students rather than displacing them.
2. Enrollment losses hurt the workforce more than colleges
While declining enrollment strains institutional finances, Iacono said the greater damage is to employers. Healthcare systems, life sciences firms, and manufacturers rely on New Jersey colleges to supply talent—and too often come up short.
1. Workforce development is no longer optional for higher education
Lim said nearly every conversation he has with state leaders now centers on workforce outcomes — even discussions about advanced infrastructure like the state’s planned AI supercomputer. Institutions are increasingly expected to justify programs and investments based on how they prepare students for jobs.
