State reviewing whether proposed $645K award to Princeton Theological Seminary is illegal

[rug]

May 07, 2013 at 6:45 AM, updated May 07, 2013 at 7:59 AM
By Kelly Heyboer and Jarrett Renshaw/ The Star-Ledger

TRENTON — Did the state violate its own laws when it proposed awarding more than $645,000 in state funds for construction projects at Princeton Theological Seminary?

Lawmakers raised that question at a tense hearing in Trenton today at which state Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks was asked to explain how the state decided which proposals qualified for more than $1.3 billion in proposed funding for construction projects at colleges and universities.

The list of 176 projects at 46 colleges and universities includes money for two religious training institutions: $10.6 million for Beth Medrash Govoha, an all-male Orthodox Jewish rabbinical school in Lakewood, and $645,313 for Princeton Theological Seminary, a 200-year-old school that trains male and female Christian ministers.

State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) questioned whether the award to Princeton Theological Seminary is legal. The money for the seminary is scheduled to come from the state’s Higher Education Technology Infrastructure Fund, even though the legislation for the fund says such awards can only go to state-funded institutions, Sarlo said.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/state_reviewing_whether_propos.html

[Jim__]

1. It sounds like it depends on how the bond question was worded on the ballot.

New Jersey voters approved a historic $750 million higher education bond question on the November ballot that was designed to fund major building projects at the state’s colleges and universities and help spur the state’s economy. That money was combined with other state technology and infrastructure funds for a $1.3 billion pool of money.

I'm taking it that state's colleges and universities means colleges and universities in the state and not necessarily run and financed by the state.

[goldent]

2. Exactly

if private schools were part of the program, then religious affiliation should not be relevant.

Edit: The following is the criteria:

All four-year public institutions of higher education, all county colleges and
private nonprofit institutions of higher education authorized to grant degrees,
organized under the New Jersey nonprofit corporation law and having an
endowment valued at less than $1 billion are eligible for this Program.

So I don't see why the religious schools would be excluded. I assume the $1 billion endowment clause was specifically to exclude Princeton.