Raritan Valley Community College President Michael McDonough wants to build dorms on campus. Since The Record wanted to learn more about his plans, I interviewed him. Talking about his plans, he said, “Building Dorms in a New Jersey community college is new, but there are other community colleges out of state that have housing. We really need to understand why we would want to provide housing.”
McDonough states that there are multiple reasons as to why this is important, the growth of the college being one, “We need to recruit more international students to the campus, we cannot do it that well right now, but if we had housing or residents on campus, it would be easier and wonderful”. He also mentions that students from Somerset and Hunterdon county that come here for a college experience could also get a “Whole college experience” if we had residential options. Housing would not only help recruit students out of county and out of state but we also could grow and sustain the college and because of the extra tuition.
McDonough said, “Housing is a real issue too, we are also looking to solve the issue of housing and provide year round housing for the students at an affordable rate.”.
“The tuition and fees would remain separate from the housing cost, the tuition and fees would not change. The only additional cost would be the housing.” The housing on campus would impact the activities on campus in a good way, there would be more dining options and an increase in recreational activities to engage students. McDonough stated, “There would be a preference to give the dorms to students who are enrolled full time.”
The dorms are planned to be built in front of the campus, coming off 28, along the Starbucks lane. It would be a walkable distance for students and it would call more students in. “The Idea, if it works smoothly, would be to build it by 2026”.
Overall, President McDonough’s vision for building dormitories at the community college reflects an approach aimed at enhancing student recruitment, promoting affordability, fostering a sense of community, and positioning the institution for long-term success and sustainability.
