Assemblyman asks that Accountability Committee Examine Kean University Finances
Assemblyman Joseph Cryan on Wednesday called on the New Jersey Council of College Presidents to arrange a resolution publically condemning Kean University’s purchase of a $219,000 conference table at its December 8 meeting, which will be the first public meeting of the council since news of the egregious purchase has gone public.
“The Council of College Presidents should move to publically disapprove of the infamous conference table at Kean, which comes with a $219,000 price tag, as well as the bid waiver process from which it was unscrupulously acquired,” said Cryan (D-Union). “Middle class New Jersey families are struggling to pay for higher education and a public condemnation of such reckless spending would reassure students statewide and confirm confidence in the Council of College Presidents.”
Cryan noted that within the bylaws of the council lies an “Accountability Committee” headed by President Richard Levao of Bloomfield College. In the description of the Accountability Committee it states, “The committee will address higher education public relations issues and recommend positions on higher education public policy issues.”
Cryan’s hope is that since such a notorious public account has arisen, the committee will take on the task of deliberating what has become a national headline.