(UNION) – Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) on Monday released the following statement after The Record reported Kean University spent $219,000 on a new table:
“The fact that Kean University spent $219,000 on a conference table shows how broken New Jersey’s higher education system has become.
“Kean charges about $11,000 for tuition and fees for in-state students, so consider that $219,000 would equate to full scholarships for about 20 New Jersey students. A fancy conference table should never be a higher priority for a university than educating students, but priorities are out-of-whack here. The university can’t even come up with a sensible explanation for its abusive spending.
“Whether or not this is legal, it’s certainly not ethical and it’s a waste of taxpayer money.
“The time to reform higher education in New Jersey is long past. I don’t need a study to know a university shouldn’t be spending up to $219,000 for a conference table. I already know it’s wrong. So do the students and families struggling to afford a higher education.
“I have asked the attorney general to review the bid process waivers used by Kean University.”