(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement following testimony from Rutgers University President Robert L. Barchi during today’s budget committee hearing on higher education:
“I appreciate President Barchi answering my questions today, but I remain very concerned that Rutgers has doled out so much money to ousted top officials.
“Consider that based on the in-state tuition and fees listed on the Rutgers website, for every $1 million spent on these deals, the university could have provided 76 students with a scholarship covering full tuition and fees for one year.
“Funding for higher education is precious, and to see it flittered away like this is disappointing and disturbing. And it’s very odd that some elected officials who are so vocal about spending are now so silent when it comes to this waste.
“Rutgers needs to do better. We will be looking more into this situation and we expect a plan to ensure this waste of money at our state university stops.”