Report: Ramapo President Claims School Got Unfair Share of State Money

Last November, voters across the state approved a $750 million bond referendum to help fund construction projects on college campuses in New Jersey. Now, Ramapo College President Peter Mercer is claiming that the school did not receive a large enough portion of the taxpayer-funded grant money, NJ.com reported Wednesday.

According to the report, Gov. Chris Christie announced $1.3 billion in grants to state colleges last month, funded mostly by the bond. The state awarded grants to 176 building projects on 46 college campuses, the report said.

Ramapo had applied for $38 million, but received less than half of that – about $18.6 million, the report said.

Mercer told NJ.com he expects to meet with the state’s secretary of higher education soon to find out if the state will amend the school’s award, or allow Ramapo to apply for additional funding.

"The amount we received was proportionally significantly less than our peers," Mercer said in the report. "I, as president of Ramapo College, simply can’t accept that."

According to the report, the award announcements have received other objections too, including questioning on whether or not two religious training schools and a University Hospital should be on the list to receive funding.

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