New Jersey Cuts Funding for Community College Students - Rebecca Foerg-Spittel, Campus Progress

Gov. Chris Christie wants to cut a program that grants free tuition to middle-income students at community colleges. Ultimately, it will be the students who end up paying the price. BCC was feeling the effects of budget cuts even before this year's debate heated up. For a college population of 17,000, and with a growth of 25 percent over the past couple years, BCC has still not been able to add any positions to the overwhelmed departments that handle admissions, financial aid, tuition billing and registration in at least five years. Jeremiah Ryan, BCC's president, was hoping to make some much-needed budget increases this year. But even though Ryan was hoping for such badly needed increases, the proposed 2010-2011 budget recommended incredible cuts to education statewide.