In 1985, a commission was established by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICUNJ) and its sister organization, the Independent College Fund of New Jersey (ICFNJ), to study the future of independent higher education in New Jersey. Completed in 1987, Excellence for Service, A Report by the Commission on the Future of Independent Higher Education in New Jersey, helped identify and explore the major challenges then facing independent higher education in the state. Click here to read more about the commission report.

As a follow-up to its report, a new study has been recommended to assess the findings of the original report and propose the agenda for independent higher education over the next decade. The Commission on the Future of New Jersey and Independent Higher Education was chaired by Robert Campbell, Chairman of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The group's executive director was Dr. Francis J. Mertz, president emeritus of Fairleigh Dickinson University (right).

The group's charge was to provide a thoughtful and comprehensive assessment of the future of independent higher education in New Jersey. The Commission commenced in March 2001 and concluded with the presentation of the report, "Serving a Public Purpose" to Governor James E. McGreevey on June 6, 2002 (above right).

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