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July 2, 2025
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
As I’m sure you are aware, with the arrival of July, New Jersey has survived another budget cycle, and I am happy to report that so has William Paterson. While Governor Murphy’s final $58.8 billion spending package does not necessarily provide the path for our University that we sought, there is a way forward, given the key items below:
- We were awarded $3.25 million of the $7.5 million in requested workforce stabilization funding.
- We picked up a little more money via the Outcomes-Based Allocation, given the new funding formula.
- 75% Summer TAG (Tuition Aid Grant) made it back into the final State budget. We did not include this in our own budget because it was still not funded as of our last Board meeting, so we will make those modest adjustments to the proposed budget, which the Board will consider for approval in September.
- $250 million in State funding for deferred maintenance grants for public higher education will give us the opportunity to apply for and utilize a share of those monies, which will ease the pressure on our budget in other line items. While this will be a competitive process, I am very confident we will be able to present a compelling application.
I want to thank Local President Sue Tardi and the AFT for their advocacy in Trenton in support of the University, and to all of you who wrote or spoke to our legislative leaders on our behalf. I remain confident that with a successful deferred maintenance grant proposal and prudent fiscal management, next year’s budget will see modest improvement for William Paterson. Of course, we must all remain focused on enrollment and retention so that we can continue to hit the goals on which our budget primarily depends.
With the previously announced departure of Dr. Guillermo de Veyga, I also want to make you aware of some operational changes that were in his portfolio. Effective July 1, Institutional Effectiveness reports to the Provost’s Office. I have asked Vice President for Student Development Miki Cammarata, and Vice President for Marketing & Public Relations Stuart Goldstein to lead us in the final stages of our current Strategic Plan, which will conclude this January. I am working through leadership for the next plan and will share those developments when they are finalized.
Turning to enrollment and retention, as of July 1, total enrollment stands at 7,760 students, a 9.19% increase over last year. Main Campus enrollment is up 7.89%, though continuing undergraduate enrollment on the Main Campus is currently 3,530, which is -0.88% behind this time last year. Please continue supporting continuing students with fall and summer registration, especially those eligible for summer TAG awards.
For new students:
- FTFT domestic applications are up 4.7% (9,183 total), and we are 93.43% of the way to our application target.
- Acceptances are up 4.53%, and deposits are up 0.39% (1,024).
- Domestic transfer enrollment is up 5.3% (517), and graduate enrollment has increased 4.26% (980).
- Overall, new domestic student applications are up 5.58%, acceptances are up 3.97%, and enrollment is up 9.09% (2,485).
International enrollment indicators remain strong, with 3,149 FTFT applications and 112 deposits—a 63.64% increase over last year. We continue to monitor external factors such as visa revocations, appointment availability, and processing delays, which may impact final enrollment.
I am pleased to report that the Black Task Force Report is now complete and available on the website for review. As you may recall, this report was delayed due to some departures from the University that led to an incomplete assessment by the original Task Force. Chief Diversity Officer Jeanne Arnold subsequently held additional focus groups with Black faculty, staff, and students to better understand the data from the initial survey and developed a list of recommendations to which I have responded. We offered a meeting with the focus groups prior to publication, and the report with my responses were reviewed by the Council for Equity and Justice. Thank you to Dr. Arnold, all Task Force members, and everyone who participated in the process of producing this report.
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