One door opens as another closes at summer schools for gifted teens

Running on fiscal fumes for the last few years, the state's embattled Governor's Schools for gifted teens will see further changes next summer, with one college dropping out as a host and another giving the program a much-needed boost.

The six college-based residential programs for talented high school juniors have been barely breaking even since the state cut virtually all their funding in 2006, forcing shortened and scaled-back sessions last summer. In all, fewer than 400 students attended, down from a high of 600 before the cuts. One of the most seriously affected programs was the Governor's School of the Arts at the College of New Jersey, which has announced it won't hold the program this summer.
 

The arts school was held for a little more than a week last year, compared to a month in the past, and a college spokesman said the school may now pursue its own program. "It was really a shadow of its former self last year," said college spokesman Matthew Golden. "We hope we can come up with something that's a better fit for the institution and the students."  The state intends to start another arts-based Governor's School on another campus, but not in time for next summer, according to Jane Oates, director of the state's higher education commission. The required application timeline, including an audition, made it impossible, she said.

"I know I will get thousands of calls beating me up on this, but no way we could do it at another site with the auditions piece," Oates said.

The news was brighter for the Governor's School in the Sciences at Drew University, where Drew officials announced yesterday they will provide four-year scholarships to graduates of the science program who go on to attend their college.

Only a handful of those in the summer program have gone on to attend Drew in the last few years, but college leaders said they hope the tuition-free ride at their school would lure more. "Students in the Governor's School are among the best and the brightest in the state," Drew president Robert Weisbuch said in a statement. "We have always given them a great hands-on experience in the sciences as part of the summer program. Now we want them to seriously consider returning to Drew and spending their undergraduate career with us." Current tuition at Drew is about $36,000 a year. Qualifying students also would need to major in science, and meet a minimum grade point average that has yet to be determined, officials said.

Still, the long-term fate of the Drew program -- and that at four other college sites from Ramapo to Richard Stockton College -- re mains uncertain as the state continues to try to raise the necessary funds from private and corporate donors. Drew's program was three weeks last year, but there has been no decision about the length of the programs for next summer.

A decision has been made to postpone, at least for one year, charging students for the experience, and one member of the program's board of overseers said they are beginning to draw more donor interest, including from national sources. "We are finally starting to get on a roll," said Laura Overdeck, a Governor's School graduate who has helped lead the fundraising efforts. "It's at least promising enough that we wouldn't need to charge tuition next year."