Mercer County Leaders Launch New Higher Education Consortium

by

“By bringing these institutions together, we have an opportunity to break down barriers, strengthen and increase educational pathways, and ensure that more residents can access the skills, credentials, and degrees they need to succeed,” Mercer County Executive Dan Benson said. On October 27, Benson announced the establishment of the Higher Education Consortium, a collaborative agreement signed during a ceremony at the Mercer County Administration Building in Trenton that unites The College of New Jersey, Mercer County Community College, and Thomas Edison State University, towntopics.com reported.

The initiative arrives at a moment when Mercer County’s diverse student populations—ranging from traditional undergraduates to workforce training participants and graduate degree seekers—navigate three separate public institutions with overlapping but distinct strengths. By formalizing cooperation among the colleges, county officials aim to expand educational opportunities across the region and better connect academic programs with the evolving needs of the local workforce and economy.

Three Institutions with Deep Historical Roots in Mercer County

Each college anchoring the new consortium carries more than a century of history in the region, with missions that reflect different eras of American higher education. The College of New Jersey traces its origins to 1855, when it opened as a teacher training institution on Clinton Avenue in Trenton. Renamed Trenton State College in 1958 and later TCNJ in 1996, the institution moved to Ewing Township in the late 1920s. Today the college provides degrees in more than 50 liberal arts and professional programs, along with a unique seven-year combined Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine program for high school graduates in partnership with New Jersey Medical School.

Mercer County Community College began in 1890 as Trenton’s Evening Drawing School in a single room on North Broad Street. The college took its current name in 1966 when it relocated to its West Windsor campus, then returned to downtown Trenton in 1998 with the establishment of the James Kerney Center on North Broad Street, a site now known as the James Kerney Campus. Thomas Edison State University, the youngest of the three partners, was originally founded as Edison College and named after the famous inventor. Established with the specific goal of allowing students to pursue a baccalaureate or associate degree without formally attending campus, it operated from North Olden Avenue in Ewing Township before moving to the historic Kelsey Building on West State Street in Trenton, where it was granted university status in 2015.

Presidents Chart New Pathways from Education to Employment

TESU President Merodie A. Hancock characterized the consortium as a practical workforce development tool, saying that it offers “an opportunity to build stronger pathways from education to employment, support employers in developing a skilled workforce, and help more Mercer County residents advance their careers.” She noted that through collaboration, the institutions can reinforce the link between higher education and the workforce, ensuring that educational opportunities match the skills and credentials employers need to drive the region’s economic growth.

“Public institutions and municipalities are meant to serve the best interest of the public. Mercer County is incredibly fortunate to have these three distinct and outstanding public higher education institutions, and I’m honored to join the county executive and my fellow presidents in proactively working together to ensure we bring the greatest return on investment and educational landscape to central New Jersey.”

— Merodie A. Hancock, President of Thomas Edison State University

MCCC President Deborah E. Preston said her college is “proud to be part of the Mercer County higher education ecosystem” and looks forward to aligning programs and initiatives with those of its partner institutions. “When we work together, we create bigger and better opportunities for our students and our community,” she said. TCNJ President Michael A. Bernstein noted that while the three institutions maintain distinct missions, they share “a shared commitment to student success and the growth of our region economically, socially, and intellectually.”

Consortium Shifts Regional Education Toward Workforce-Aligned Planning

The deal changes how higher education is planned in the region, moving away from isolated decisions by each school toward a shared strategy. The consortium’s stated goals include exploring new academic partnerships, improving pathways to higher education, and better connecting educational programs with the evolving needs of Mercer County’s workforce and economy. This matters directly for the county’s working-age population, many of whom balance employment with education, and for local businesses seeking to hire skilled workers in a competitive labor market.

Benson emphasized the community-wide stakes of the collaboration. “Mercer County is fortunate to be home to three outstanding public institutions of higher education, each of which plays an essential role in the success of our residents and our local economy,” he said. “This innovative partnership reflects our belief that when our educational institutions work together, our entire community benefits.”

The collaboration could particularly benefit students who begin at MCCC’s West Windsor or Trenton campuses, transfer to TESU’s flexible programs, or pursue advanced degrees at TCNJ—creating smoother transitions that potentially reduce both the time and cost of earning credentials. For employers across central New Jersey, the alignment promises a more direct and reliable pipeline between classroom learning and specific job requirements, addressing gaps between available talent and open positions in the county’s evolving economy.

“By aligning our strengths, we can create clearer pathways to a college degree, expand access to educational opportunities, and strengthen our region’s workforce, all for the great good of Mercer County and its residents.”

— Michael A. Bernstein, President of The College of New Jersey

More on this

Read next