(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblywomen Pamela Lampitt and Gabriela Mosquera to establish the Council of Women in Higher Education in Department of State to study and promote women’s issues within institutions of higher education was given the ok to advance by an Assembly panel.
The sponsors said the intent of the Council is to foster and promote the advancement of women and women’s issues within institutions of higher education throughout New Jersey.
“By creating a panel of professional women with career experience in higher education, we can ensure other women have opportunity for professional growth and a voice in this field,” said Lampitt (D-Camden, Burlington).
Located in the Department of State, the council will consist of 38 members as follows: two women from each four-year public institution of higher education selected by the institution’s governing board; one woman from each independent institution of higher education selected by the institution’s governing board; and two women representing the county college sector selected by the New Jersey Council of County Colleges.
“Higher education is a vast field with ample opportunity for women to excel as executives, presidents, department heads and professors,” said Mosquera (D-Camden, Gloucester). “A panel of professionals dedicated to ensuring the success of women in these fields by discussing and addressing issues relevant to opportunity is a good place to begin.”
The bill requires the council to publish an annual report which will include a statement of the council’s long-term goals and objectives related to the advancement of women and women’s issues within institutions of higher education in the state; and the council’s accomplishments, initiatives, and areas of study during the reporting period.
The bill was release by the Assembly Women and Children Committee. The bill will return to the Assembly Speaker for further consideration.