Every morning, Morgan Jennings leaves her dormitory in Wolfe Hall at The College of New Jersey and drives to MCCC’s West Windsor campus. Her daily commute connects her college dorm experience with the associates degree she’s earning at Mercer.
She says, “I have that exact college experience without going to a four-year school and paying a lot of money.”
Jennings’ total room and board costs come to $8,000 per year. Her tuition at MCCC is covered because she receives an employee benefit through a parent.
For more than 5 years Mercer has been offering students housing options through formal university partnerships including Rider University as well as TCNJ.
In the official announcement of the TCNJ partnership President Michael Bernstein said, “We know our community will welcome [MCCC students] with open arms as these new residents enjoy what TCNJ has to offer.”
In addition to housing and dining services, Mercer students living on the TCNJ campus have access to their amenities, which include student organizations, recreational sports, the campus fitness center, and the R. Barbara Gitenstein Library.
Mercer president, Dr. Deborah Preston said via email, “At this point, the TCNJ and Rider housing still serves as a bit of an experiment to see how many of our students are really interested in campus housing.”
Both Dr. Preston and the college’s previous president, Dr. Jianping Wang have said that they have considered the possibility of building dorms on the West Windsor campus.
Dr. Wang told The VOICE in 2019 that part of the reason for needing dorms is that “the college has some very unique programs like Funeral Service and Aviation that draw students from outside the county who aren’t in a position to commute.”
MCCC Communications Professor Dr. Dylan Wolfe says “In general, I think students having the experience of dorm life can provide great opportunities for social and intellectual growth,” but added “The reason Mercer doesn’t and likely will never have dorms on campus is simply economics.”
Dr. Wolfe explains that in addition to the cost of building the dorms, “we would have new college costs including increased 24-hour security, resident advisers, health care facilities, dining facilities, and a monumental increase in our liability insurance.”
Jennings says she’s skeptical about building dorms directly on the West Windsor campus. She points out that the immediate area lacks the walkable commercial buildings, dining options, and public transit that are required to support a vibrant community.
While living on the TCNJ campus she is taking prerequisite courses so she can apply to MCCC’s nursing program She says her goal is to work as a Registered Nurse at RWJ Barnabas Health or Rutgers.
“I get the dorm experience, I get my degree, and I’m setting myself up for where I want to be,” Jennings says.
