Trenton - Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced the formation of a 12-member Task Force to examine the NJ STARS program. This popular education initiative offers New Jersey’s highest achieving students with free tuition and approved fees at their home county college.  

“Providing our students with greater opportunities to pursue their higher education remains a top priority of this Administration,” said Governor Corzine.  “Working collaboratively with policy and legislative leaders, we will now focus our attention on NJ STARS to map a strategy that considers how the program will be continued and sustained for the future.”

The Task force, which will meet during the summer, will discuss alternatives for ensuring the college-readiness of the prospective STAR scholars, managing the growth in the State budget, and controlling the costs to the senior public colleges and universities as the STARS I students move into STARS II.

The Task Force is comprised of: Michael Angulo, Higher Education Student Assistance Authority; Senator Christopher Bateman (R-Morris and Somerset); Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-Hudson); Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex and Union) Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. (D-Middlesex); Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt  (D-Camden); Assemblyman David W. Wolfe (R-Monmouth and Ocean); Harvey Kesselman, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey; Jon Larson, Ocean County College; Larry Nespoli, NJ Council of County Colleges; Jane Oates, NJ Commission on Higher Education; Nancy Winterbauer, Rutgers University

“The Task Force will provide the Governor and the Legislature with recommendations on improvements to the NJ Stars program that ensure the quality and sustainability of the program,” said  Jane Oates, Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.

NJ STARS has grown to nearly 5,000 students since inception in 2004. The scholarship award covers the cost of tuition and approved fees less any State and/or federal grants and scholarships for up to five semesters. The award covers these costs for up to 15 credit hours per semester. Students must be enrolled full time for a minimum of 12 college-level credits and may take up to 3 credits of remedial/developmental coursework per semester.

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Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page.