Raritan Valley Community College received $16.42 million, while Centenary College got $2.27 million and the Warren County Community College got $917,000.
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Warren County Community College received a $917,000 grant from the state.
Colleges in Warren and Hunterdon counties received $19.6 million Monday from the first round of higher education grants to be bestowed by the state of New Jersey.
Raritan Valley Community College received the most at $16.42 million, with Centenary College in Hackettstown getting $2.27 million and the Warren County Community College receiving $917,000.
The grants stem from a $750 million bond approved by voters in November for what state officials call the first concerted contribution to the New Jersey’s higher education infrastructure in decades.
“We’re absolutely thrilled and very thankful to the voters of New Jersey,” said Centenary College President Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite.
“This is very important in terms of helping keep down the cost of tuition, and it’ll make a real difference for the college,” she said.
Centenary College will use its grant money for improvements to its science laboratories at the Trevorrow Hall science building, plus the installation elevators in two college buildings.
The Warren County Community College will use the money for academic technology. College spokesman Dan Hirshberg could not provide more specifics, except to say it would be used for “a variety of different purposes.”
RVCC spokeswoman Donna Stolzer said the money will go toward a $6.9 million expansion of its Christine Todd Whitman Science Center. The 23,500-square-foot addition would add five science labs and eight classrooms.
Hunterdon and Somerset counties have to provide an additional $2.3 million in matching funds for that project, she said.
Raritan Valley will also use the grant money for $1.52 million in technology improvements and $8 million for the construction of a 30,000-square-foot Workforce Training Center, for help students in such career fields as automotive technology and advanced manufacturing.
WCCC officials previously said they expected to seek as much as $5 million to open a satellite campus next to the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center to focus on nursing, medical and dental courses.
Hirshberg said the college did not end up seeking grants for that project during this round because the satellite campus is not yet “shovel-ready,” but WCCC expects to seek grants for it during the next round.
Centenary College expects to match about $700,000 of the grant with its own money, said Todd Miller, Centenary’s associate vice president of operations.
The Centenary science laboratory renovations will include expanding use of the lab space, as well as the purchase of new technology and equipment and the installation of new floors, ceilings and lighting.
The college will also put an elevator in the Trevorrow Hall and the main administration building, which is called the Seay Building. Miller said neither building currently has an elevator.
Forty-six New Jersey colleges and universities received grant funds, and 176 projects were sent to the state Legislature for consideration.
WCCC’s grant was the smallest amount awarded in the state. Rutgers University received the most, totaling $357.2 million for all of its campuses.
“Today, we begin a new era of opportunity for New Jersey’s college and universities,” Gov. Chris Christie said in a statement.
“To keep more of our best students in the state and to make our colleges more attractive research partners for industries looking to bring good paying jobs and businesses here, we need modern facilities to remain competitive.”
Contact reporter Colin McEvoy at 610-258-7171 ex. 3631 or cmcevoy@express-times.com.
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