The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education today announced the appointment of a Higher Education Marketing Leadership Team as part of its continuing work to implement the state’s long-range plan for higher education, A Blueprint for Excellence.

Comprised of business, higher education, and public sector leaders, the Marketing Leadership Team will develop a coordinated, multiyear public awareness campaign for New Jersey’s higher education system. The campaign will raise the visibility and augment the reputation of New Jersey’s colleges and universities, both within the state and across the nation.

“The image and reputation of the state’s higher education system directly affects how people and businesses view New Jersey as a place to live, work, and conduct business,” said Laurence M. Downes, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education and CEO of New Jersey Natural Resources Corporation. “The public awareness campaign is very important as we continue working to create a higher education system that is among the best in the world.”

The team will begin developing plans for the campaign at a retreat this spring. A first step will be a baseline public opinion/attitude survey against which the campaign’s progress over time will be measured.

A list of the team members follows:

NEW JERSEY HIGHER EDUCATION MARKETING LEADERSHIP TEAM

Dr. Herbert Flamer, Team Chair, former Chair, Educational Opportunity Fund Board
Ms. Maxine Ballen, Founder and President, New Jersey Technology Council
Ms. Jennifer Borg, Vice President/General Counsel, North Jersey Media Group
Ms. Elizabeth Christopherson, Executive Director& CEO, New Jersey Network
Mr. Kevin Collins, Esq., Commission on Higher Education member
Ms. Laura Conover, Conover Communications
Dr. Barbara Gitenstein, President, The College of New Jersey
Mr. Kenneth Hahn, Business Relationship Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate
Dr. Amy Handlin, Commission on Higher Education member and Monmouth University faculty
Dr. Henry Johnson, Commission on Higher Education member and President & CEO, City News Publishing Company
Mr. Kurt Landgraf, President, Educational Testing Service
Mr. Gualberto Medina, Director, Technology Enterprise Group, Cushman & Wakefield
of NJ, Inc.
Dr. Donald Murphy, Principal, Renewal Strategies, LLC
Mr. T. J. Nelligan, Founder, Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc.
Dr. Jeanne Oswald, Executive Director, Commission on Higher Education
Dr. Steven Rose, President, Passaic County Community College

The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, the state’s coordinating entity for higher education, is responsible for planning, policy development, and advocacy for the state’s system of colleges and universities. The system is comprised of 57 public and private colleges and universities enrolling over 370,000 students. For more information or a copy of A Blueprint for Excellence, visit www.state.nj.us/highereducation

# # #
(Click here for an Adobe PDF version of this release.)