Jonathan Koppell, President, Montclair State University
Jonathan Koppell, President of Montclair State University, spoke with Invest: about providing high-quality and accessible education to build stronger communities and economies. “There is no place in the United States that has been economically vibrant and prosperous that hasn’t included successful higher education. Universities make for more vibrant communities,” he said.
Reflecting on the past 12 months, what have been some key highlights or achievements for Montclair State University?
Our upward trajectory has continued during a challenging time for higher education. There are many demographic cliffs affecting enrollment. We are the second largest university in New Jersey in enrollment, and for the fourth consecutive year, we are setting an enrollment record due to a large incoming class and the largest returning student population in our history. We are proud to be a top university nationally in graduation rate. Our enrollment is strong and our efforts to build a university where students succeed are paying off, which separates us in New Jersey and nationally.
We are also an accessible university. Fifty percent of our students receive Pell Grants, and fifty percent are first-generation, underrepresented students. To meet the needs of our student body, we are building a new facility to train students in STEM and do research. This will help create a highly educated labor force that is reflective of the population. Carrying out this research will be the basis of innovation that helps the state thrive. This takes substantial investments, and the state is participating with us to supplement our own resources. This $120 million science facility will be part of New Jersey’s education and research infrastructure for many years. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded us $1 million to help fund our DreamScape immersive virtual reality learning lab to do innovative pedagogy in the sciences and train our students to create virtual environments. This will fit well with our gaming and animation programs, the growing industries of tomorrow.
New Jersey is also significantly focused on the media and entertainment industry, with multiple studios opening in the state. We have to train students to be ready for these jobs. Our school of communication and media is about to be set up as an independent college, and DreamScape will play a big role in that. It speaks to our commitment to creating a high-quality education and focusing on areas where there will be opportunities for our graduates to be successful.
What trends or demographic changes have led to the strategic decision to expand the university’s online presence?
One of the things we learned from COVID is that students are eager for choice in how they learn. In many ways, online learning can be as engaging and stimulating as learning in the classroom. It creates accessibility for people who may not have time to drive to the campus. The bread and butter of Montclair State University is making high-quality education accessible to everyone. It’s not just about identity; it’s about your lifestyle. We’ve launched mini-programs for adult learners and folks who started college but never finished. We want to accommodate all of our students’ needs to build a better university. When we built our new academic calendar, we created a summer term that was the same as the fall and spring terms. It’s reflective of the way people live their lives. Most of our students aren’t taking the summer off and they want to get their coursework done. Some students don’t want to wait longer to get their degrees.
With funding cuts in the research sector, how is MSU addressing these challenges to minimize consequences?
We have been affected by what is going on in Washington and have had some grants interrupted. This will be a new environment in the next several years. Not all federal funding has been interrupted, and a majority of our research portfolio is unaffected.
Support for research is critical, not just for the future of Montclair or New Jersey, but for the future of the country. The history and prosperity of the United States is linked to the research and innovation driven by the support for university research. For example, the pharmaceutical industry wouldn’t be possible without substantial investment in research, seen most recently in the development of the COVID vaccine. We need to diversify the basis for our research activity, including looking for philanthropic support and developing corporate sponsorships. Diversity is always a good strategy for business and higher education, and it will always be a component of our approach as we develop our research portfolio.
What incentives does Montclair State University offer to recent graduates to encourage them to stay and contribute to the growth of New Jersey’s workforce?
The business community should be supporting higher education because their success is tied to the success of universities. New Jersey is the No. 1 exporter of college students among all states. What is so great about Montclair is our students stay in New Jersey, go into the workforce, and start businesses here. It’s critical that schools like Montclair continue to improve to keep New Jersey talent in New Jersey. The state legislature is focused on this and is looking at different ways to make higher education affordable, like lower property taxes. We are always looking for relationships with corporate partners, and companies recognize the talent we are producing. The higher education sector, however, can do a better job preparing our students to enter the job market. Half of the students at Montclair are the first in their family to earn a degree, which means they don’t have a lot of mentorship and family experience to support them. We’re here to help with that, but it doesn’t mean we are job training sites. It means we need to talk to students about strategies to enter the job market, including how to interview and network. We are embracing workforce readiness as part of our responsibility, and it’s going to pay off in a big way for our students and employers. Higher education institutions can do more, and we can use our partnership with the private sector to prepare students. We want more internships and hands-on learning opportunities. If the students get the experience while they are in school, they will be more prepared when they graduate.
What is your outlook for the higher education sector over the next few years, and how is MSU positioning itself to stay ahead of the curve?
This is an uncertain time for higher education. Attending a college or university will still be of great interest to ambitious people who want to build a better future. Not everybody needs to go college, but it is the most reliable way to alter the trajectory of a person’s life. Students will be increasingly critical when making decisions about the type of institution they want to go to and whether it has a track record of producing successful graduates. Students don’t only care about salary; they also care about finding meaningful jobs. Students want to be in an accredited university that secures career success.
We like to think collaboratively instead of competitively. We can do a better job of articulating how we are adding value for both the individual graduates and the communities that we are a part of. Montclair is a community-engaged university, whether it’s the Charles J. Muth Museum of Hinchliffe Stadium we built in Paterson, the One Square Mile Project, or helping to train and support teachers in Newark. At Montclair, we created a unique partnership between the Montclair Township health department and our School of Public Health.
Universities are critical assets for the community, and we need everyone to do a better job of explaining ourselves to the public and helping people understand how much positive contribution comes from higher education. There is no place in the United States that has been economically vibrant and prosperous that hasn’t included successful higher education. That’s the way economic development works in this country. Businesses go to places where there are successful universities because they are turning out graduates who become their employees, and their employees want to go to a place where there’s a good university. Universities make for more vibrant communities.
