Repollet Leaving NJ Education Post To Become Kean President
TRENTON, NJ — Lamont Repollet, the New Jersey Commissioner of Education, is leaving that post to become the president of Kean University.
Repollet, who has served as the state's education commissioner since 2018, was unanimously appointed by Kean's board of trustees on May 11 to succeed Dawood Farahi, who was president for 17 years. Farahi is stepping down at the end of June. Repollet is anticipated to begin working for Kean July 1, according to an NJ Spotlight report.
Gov. Phil Murphy, who appointed Repollet to his Cabinet in 2018, on Saturday said the appointment was "a richly deserved acknowledgement that he's a terrific leader."
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Repollet managed the expansion of pre-K across New Jersey, grew STEM opportunities for thousands of students, and facilitated changes to statewide testing, Murphy said, and during the coronavirus crisis "has helped our educators and students navigate the challenges of transitioning to remote learning and worked diligently to ensure that our school communities continue to receive the supports they need."
"I want to salute his extraordinary work as the commissioner of the Department of Education," Murphy said. "We're going to miss him enormously."
New Jersey's schools achieved the No. 1 ranking for education in the country in the Education Week Quality Counts 2019 report.
"When I sought this office, I said my commissioner of education would fully understand the challenges students and educators face in their classrooms, because I would choose someone who came from the classroom," Murphy said. "Dr. Repollet has provided that leadership. I wish Lamont and his family nothing but the best in his next endeavor, and know Kean University is in good hands with him at the helm."
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"Dr. Repollet has consistently demonstrated a concern about children and their education," said Lawrence S. Feinsod, executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association. "As commissioner of education, he has guided the conversation about public education toward the critical issues of equity and students’ emotional well-being."
"I am both humbled and energized by this appointment, and by the faith the Board of Trustees is placing in me to continue Kean University’s progress as one of the best institutions of higher education in New Jersey," Repollet said in a news release. "I have important work to finish with the state, but I am grateful Governor Murphy supports this next step in my career, and I look forward to working with him in this new role."
Repollet says he supports Gov. Murphy’s student-centered vision for higher education with the goal of making New Jersey the hub for American innovation and economic opportunity. Included in the vision is a Student Bill of Rights to encourage students to pursue higher education through college preparatory programs, reduce college costs, support a timely path to graduation, create a welcoming learning environment, and cultivate research, innovation and talent.
Repollet, a Kean alumnus, was the Asbury Park School District superintendent from 2014 to 2018; earlier in his career, he served as principal at Carteret High School and was a teacher.
Repollet graduated from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor's degree in communication, and received his master’s degree in educational administration from Kean in 2000. He earned his doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University. He served on the Kean Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2018 before assuming his role as education commissioner.
Farahi, who announced his plans to step down from the presidency at the start of the academic year, has seen controversy during his time at the university. The master's degree program in public administration lost its accreditation in 2018, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported, and in 2012, the university as a whole was placed on probation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education for failing several standards.
Repollet will take the helm of a University with more than 16,000 students, including the Kean at Ocean joint program with Ocean County College, its main campus in Union, and one in Jefferson, as well as online and at Wenzhou-Kean University in Wenzhou, China.
"Every one of us knows all too well that these are challenging times," Repollet said. "I’m writing this letter while practicing social distancing, a phrase most of us never heard of before 2020. My heart goes out to students and others in the Kean community who have suffered from COVID-19. Although the fight is far from over, I have great faith that there are brighter days ahead sooner rather than later. We will have tough decisions to make as we move this University forward amid the health and economic upheaval caused by COVID-19, but I know we can do so together with great success."
This article originally appeared on the Asbury Park Patch
