Council for Higher Education in Newark

Started in 1971, the Council for Higher Education in Newark, CHEN, consists of four public institutions of higher learning in Newark, New Jersey including: New Jersey Medical School - Rutgers, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Rutgers–Newark, and Essex County College. The schools are all located in the city's University Heights neighborhood which borders downtown.

The institutions that make up CHEN are organized as an unincorporated association. CHEN was founded with two purposes[1] in mind, the first of which is to foster internal cooperation among the four institutions with regard to research and educational opportunities for their respective populations.[2] The second objective is to contribute to the ongoing revitalization of University Heights, and, more broadly, to the economic development of Newark,[3] and the northern New Jersey region in general.

The day-time population of the CHEN schools is close to 50,000, about 37,000 of whom are degree candidates.[4] Together, as of 2009, they occupy over 171 acres (69 ha) of land on which sits 12.1 million plus square-feet of usable space, along with 12,000 plus parking spaces.[4] The real estate held by the CHEN institutions was valued at 2.8 billion dollars under 2009 assessments.[4]

The CHEN institutions account for billions of dollars in annual expenditures, the bulk of which enters Newark's economy. With nearly 13,000 employees in total, they rank among the biggest employers in Essex County and in the state itself. Their collective payroll for 2009 was more than 780 million dollars, of which close to 10% went to the roughly 2000 employees who reside in Newark. Among these are 500 employees who live in University Heights. Collectively, these 500 employees earn approximately 18 million dollars annually.[4] The general purpose of CHEN is to use this considerable economic weight, first to advance the well being of the people in the region it presently serves, and second, to expand the region served.

CHEN's impact is ongoing and expanding. "University Heights Science Park"., a 50-acre development project involving research facilities, start-up incubators,[5] and community development initiatives, is perhaps their most visible project. Another important example is Science Park High School, an initiative that involved a broad collaboration with many partners, private and public, including Newark and its board of Education. Other examples of accomplishments, initiatives, and activities are described in the websites of the participating institutions. School liaison information is available at"chen-nj".