The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:
Dear Editor,
Convicted Felon Peter F. Burnham, the former President of Brookdale Community College (Monmouth County) has now been released to serve out the remainder of his five-year sentence for felony official misconduct and theft by deception, for stealing college funds, under parole supervision.
Regardless of where Burnham is now, the county college has been faced with some pretty serious financial problems that likely would not be there had Burnham managed the public monies entrusted to his oversight properly, as he was well paid to do. The college is now facing a massive restructuring that would result in 210 employee positions being slashed.
Former Brookdale Board of Trustees Chairman, Howard Birdsall, who served 20 years on the Brookdale Board, is currently awaiting trial on criminal charges for violating the state’s pay-to-play laws in his role as CEO of Birdsall Engineering, a firm with major public contracts all over New Jersey.
The college’s building Larrison Hall is named after a Monmouth County Freeholder who died under indictment for taking bribes.
Brookdale suspiciously had a campus in Guayaquil, Ecuador during the 1980s and 1990s. Ecaudor is a country with a U.S. dollar banking system that has little anti-money laundering oversight and a massive amount of cocaine trafficking taking place within it's borders. Why a county-funded New Jersey Community College would seek to locate a campus there is highly suspect.
Brookdale is currently facing massive faculty and staff layoffs. The students and educators are the real victims of Burnham-Birdsall mismanagement that is typical New Jersey fraud and corruption.
Brookdale cannot be saved. Brookdale's executive staff should be fired and the institution merged into Ocean County College.
Eric Hafner
Toms River NJ,
9 comments:
A campus in Ecuador??????
This writer must be off his meds and delusional.
Mike, can you verify those statements and the possibility of fact or truth to a Brookdale campus in Ecuador ???
Anon 8:02,
I'm not sure if Brookdale actually has a campus in Ecuador. I do know that Brookdale has a study abroad option in Ecuador for students that wish study outside the country for a semester.
economics meets reality, love it
utterly ridiculous for a CC to have an off campus program like that.
Most colleges partner with foreign institutions to provide study abroad programs. I would look more into whether it was a partnership or an actual campus. I doubt it holds any truth. Brookdale had some major internal problems, but they have turned the corner and have moved on. Maybe its time the Monmouth Dems move on too.
And the day care center is being thrown under the bus ?? Have the administration,the board of directors and the freeholders ALL LOST THEIR MINDS????
Somebody has their priorities placed under their butts !!
It doesn't matter if they partner or have a campus off site, CCs were created to service a local need. Most of these kids are just extending high school and few than 1/3 will graduate with a 4 year degree. As for the daycare center, not the taxpayer problem. I harken for the era of accountability to return
Why does a CC have a day care center to begin with???
How does having study abroad programs not service the residents of the county? I highly doubt that that is the real source of the fiscal problem. If you measure the health of the college by the amount of people who go on to earn a 4 year degree, then you should institute a entrance test to keep the "undesirables" out. The idea of a community college is to get education beyond HS, not necessarily a 4 year degree. Brookdale is the best CC in NJ and one of the top in the country, even during the time corrupt Burnham was at the helm. There is no denying that, its a FACT! I think that the trustees there now have a good grasp on how to proceed, even if you don't agree.
Anon 9:12,
The children's day care center was open to the public at large at competitive cost and offered a safe and affordable place for caring for the children of teachers,students and local residents. It has been highly regarded by those who have patronized that facility.....that's good reason for it's existence....that's why it has existed !!!...also why it should continue to exist !!!
like I said, economics meets reality and that reality, based on some follow up comments, seems to difficult to grasp for some.
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