- [Narrator] Funding for this edition of State of Affairs with Steve Adubato has been provided by The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

United Airlines.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

PSEG Foundation.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

The Fidelco Group.

Valley Bank.

And by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Making a difference.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

Keeping communities informed and connected.

And by Insider NJ.

[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC] - Hi everyone.

Steve Adubato.

We kick off the program with one of the leaders in higher education that you're gonna wanna meet.

She is Dr.

Tonya Smith-Jackson, chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark.

Chancellor, great to have you with us.

- And it's a great pleasure to be here, Steve.

Thank you for inviting me.

- Let me disclose that we have a long-time relationship with Rutgers-Newark.

One of our higher ed partners.

Talk to, describe the campus and describe the university, the Newark campus that I was saying to you I know well, but most may not.

And they say, "Well, it's all Rutgers... Camden, New Brunswick, Newark.

What's the difference?"

There is a difference, please, Chancellor.

- There is indeed, and I know you recognize that as an alumnus of Rutgers University-Newark, Steve, but certainly Rutgers University-Newark really stands very strongly and uniquely as a strong anchor institution.

It's an institution that has proven itself in terms of conducting research and partnerships and education that's community engaged, that's also community responsive, and we're recognized in that way across the nation.

Rutgers University-Newark is also number five in the nation by "U.S.

News & World Report" for Social Mobility.

So we're a university who serves students who are primarily first-generation, low-income students, students who haven't always had an inherited access and privileges that others have.

And we actually have turned it into... we've created a system that works for all students, and we're very proud of that.

We are part of all of Rutgers University, but at the same time, each of us has a personality as a member of the Rutgers University family.

- Along those lines, Doctor, let me ask you this.

There's been a lot of talk about... I'm gonna ask you about AI in a second in higher education, but how the heck... and I've asked every college president, chancellors like yourself, leaders in higher ed, this question... how the heck in these very polarized difficult times do we protect the rights?

Do we protect academic freedom, free speech on a campus, but maintain a degree of safety for all students on a campus and faculty members?

Easier said than done.

- It has become quite complicated, I think.

You know, it is up to every institution to make sure that they are protecting academic freedom, which is the cornerstone of higher education, ways in which faculty can use their expertise in order to prepare our students for the future.

Free speech, obviously, constitutionally is the right of every U.S.

citizen.

We've come upon times, however, where some of those aspects are challenged, and the nuances of how academic freedom works on and across campuses and how free speech works on and across campuses have been challenged in ways that were unprecedented.

I will say that no matter what, we are here to make sure our students get the best education.

We're making sure that they are learning or coming out with a recognition that their college degree has value going forward.

So in essence, in spite of the challenges that have occurred, we're gonna work within those boundaries that do exist because there are boundaries certainly on both free speech and on also academic freedom.

But at the same time, we know that we need to have an environment where every student feels like they belong.

Where every student has a place here at this institution or any other institution and feels heard, but at the same time, they receive a very high-quality academic experience.

- Along those lines, Doctor, I'm not sure when you got into higher education that you envisioned AI, artificial intelligence.

It's here, it's engaged, it's part of our lives.

For you as a leader of the Newark campus who's been involved in higher ed for a while and understands the challenges and the issues of ethics and integrity as it relates to students, how the heck can AI be used as a positive force in higher ed and not be seen as a way of short-circuiting thinking?

Because I can get the answer.

- I understand, that's a good question.

I understand the concerns that people have.

I've had the privilege of serving on various AI working groups over the past few years... over the past five years in fact, and also being able to study AI in various ways.

And I do understand where people are coming from.

We're in an age, though, where technology has already taken off, and it took off without regulations and without ethics built around it so that we could make more informed decisions as we apply the technology.

But first and foremost, AI has benefits and it has downsides.

And if we understand the benefits that can be offered in higher education for artificial intelligence, then I think we can utilize it well while understanding what the downsides are.

We have faculty who for years have been practicing certain principles around the use of artificial intelligence at Rutgers University and at other institutions.

And what they've done is broken down the challenge in several ways as it relates to student success.

There are options for students to completely rely on artificial intelligence.

There are options for students to combine AI and their own human capabilities.

And then there are options for students to use only their human capabilities.

What we have asked our faculty and staff and others who are involved in educating our students to do is to first make sure that any use of AI is made clear to students from the very beginning, clear on their syllabi, clear in classroom discussions with each assignment.

They need to know to what extent they can or cannot use AI.

But then also, we've asked our educators to make sure that if they're incorporating AI, it is something that is helping to advance the student outcomes, which might include things like critical thinking, the ability to problem solve.

So we don't ever want AI to think for our students, we want them to think for themselves, but sometimes they might use AI to facilitate so that they can make more informed or, you know, think about it in a more informed way.

- Got a minute left before I let you go, Doctor.

Your academic area of concentration has been?

- Oh, Human Factors is my area.

Engineering Psychology or Industrial and Systems Engineering.

It has multiple names.

- Hold on.

People, I'm sure, are tired of me.

I bring this book up all the time with Dr.

Daniel Goleman, "Emotional Intelligence."

- Yes.

- What you just described is tied to EQ, emotional intelligence, is it not?

- Oh, indeed it is.

When we're looking at... so my particular area, I examine how humans interact with anything, systems, machines, et cetera.

And so EQ or human intelligence or human... I'm sorry, emotional quotient... or emotional intelligence has a lot to do with how humans build the use of partnerships with other things in order to operate in their own context.

EQ then helps to facilitate their interpersonal relations.

- Doctor, let's do this next time you join us, we're gonna go deeper into a subject I never should have brought up with a minute left because it is a deep, intense, and complex topic.

And Dr.

Tonya Smith-Jackson, the chancellor at Rutgers-Newark, a great institution, a terrific campus.

My first teaching job out of graduate school, out of Rutgers, was at the Rutgers-Newark campus, and I'm very fond of the family there, and it is a family.

Thank you, Doctor, I appreciate it.

- Thank you, Steve.

Thank you for all you've done for us as well.

We appreciate it.

- Very kind.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(grand music) - [Announcer] To see more State of Affairs with Steve Adubato programs, find us online and follow us on social media.

- Hi, everyone, Steve Adubato.

More importantly, we are in Atlantic City for the NJEA 2025 convention.

I don't know, we've been here for so many years, and we're here with the president, Steve Beatty, who is the president of the NJEA.

Steve, good to see you.

- Good to see you, Steve.

- Why is this convention so particularly exciting?

It's your first as president.

- First as president.

- Other than that, why is it so exciting?

- It's exciting for a couple things.

First of all, we have got a great vibe.

I mean, to get thousands and thousands of educators here together in the same space, like-minded people, it's always a good vibe.

Also, Mikie Sherrill won.

People are in a great mood because they know what that means.

- Oh, was there an election?

- There was (laughing) an election on Tuesday.

- Hold on.

Full disclosure.

Two disclosures: the NJEA is a longtime underwriter of public broadcasting and of our education programming, and we're taping this two days after- - Two days, yeah.

- Mikie Sherrill was elected governor.

By the time this airs, she'll be governor, governor-elect, the whole bit.

Why is that exciting as it relates to education and educators?

- Yes, I mean, we run our process and we talked to the candidates, and we talked to Congresswoman Sherrill and, you know, screened her.

Jack declined to come in, but we had a great conversation.

We align on so many issues.

In her time in Congress, she's consistently earned an A from NEA, when we've endorsed her in her seat as well.

So she's always been a proven supporter of education, unions, and we're convinced she'll do the same.

- Name a couple of the issues you said you align with the new governor on.

Prioritize them, Steve.

- Yeah, well first and foremost right now, we're, you know, being in the fight of hopefully not by now already, our Tier 1 for Everyone, which we wanna make sure that the- - Oh, oh, oh, not everyone, tier one, explain that.

- Tier one.

So right now, we have a system of five tiers in the state pension system and including DCRP, so really six.

I'm in tier one, which means I can retire at 55 with a, you know, good pension.

Someone that starts now or a few years ago has to work 'til 65 to get basically a savings account.

And if you're in DCRP, which affects most- - Whoa, whoa, whoa, a lotta acronyms here.

- Yeah.

- What is D?

- DCRP is Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

- Why is that relevant?

- It's relevant because we have a lot especially of our low-income wage earners, our ESPs, our Essential Support Professionals, that are in those positions, and they are not making minimum wage at best or less in some cases, health benefits, they can't afford- - They're members as well?

- And they're members as well.

We have tens of thousands.

And when they're in DCRP, they really, they earn very, very little out of the system after putting in for many, many years.

We wanna make sure everyone can be in tier one, retire with dignity.

- But isn't there an issue having to do with, if you stop teaching for a period of time, you somehow lose?

- Yeah, yep.

- What's happened with that?

You lose your pension, but now it's changed?

- We've done it.

- What is it?

- The Break in Service Bill, as we call it.

- Break in Service Bill.

- So if you left the district, had a break in service, more than two years, you are no longer an employee of the district.

If you decide to come back years later, you have to go back into the now present tier.

So you may have left in tier one, but may have come back years later now being in tier five.

And that difference is huge in terms of 10 years added on to your teaching timeline, your education timeline, and of course, a much diminished benefit as well.

So what this bill did was expand that period of time between 10 or 15 years, depending on your status.

So you can have a break in service for a much longer period of time.

'Cause mostly it affects disproportionately, right, we're a mostly female-driven profession, and women mostly leave for maternity leaves and then rear their children.

And they're gone for five, six, 10 years, and they've been hit hard by that.

- See, talk about that.

You talk about who is teaching.

Do you have any numbers?

60/40?

- Yeah, no, it's definitely it's 65%, close to 65%.

- Women?

- Women, yep.

- Okay.

- In the profession.

Do you believe as we move into 2026, It'll be seen then, that there is a teaching shortage, a teacher shortage?

- Yes, we have a teacher shortage.

We have an ESP shortage of yeah, skilled staff.

Because- - How's that being confronted?

- A number of ways.

I mean, first and foremost, let's talk about salary and benefits.

As a union, that's what we're about.

You have to have competitive salaries.

You can't tell someone they're gonna come in to do a job and make $60,000, and then in year two, 62,000, 63,000, 64, and we have to have, again, the pensions, that people know that it's a job that they can live in the community where they work, and they can retire with dignity.

But there's other things too, things that don't cost money, like the evaluations that we're dealing with now, testing, all the paperwork.

- Well, why is that, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on one second.

Why is that an issue?

Someone might say, "Well, we're all evaluated."

- Yeah, sure.

- "Why is it any different for a teacher?"

- Listen, educators are never afraid to be evaluated.

Some of the best conversations I've had when I was in the classroom for 25 years was with a skilled supervisor, understanding the paradigm of what we're doing.

What we have now is more of a system where it's checkboxes.

You have various systems where there's just rote systems that come in and we have these things called SGOs, which thankfully we're getting rid of, Student Growth Objectives, which we have just basically again are checkbox elements to see how you're doing, not really looking at teaching in a holistic manner, what we need to ply our craft and having conversations about how we reach students.

- That's being changed?

- It's being changed right now.

- Let me push back a little bit.

For those who say, "Wait a minute.

There's a teacher's union.

There's a professional association for teachers, the New Jersey Education Association.

What are you doing being involved in politics?

What are you doing engaged in campaigns?

And you lobby."

And there are people who will argue, who are watching right now, who say, "Yeah, I don't get it.

I don't understand why they have to do that."

Let them know.

- We do that for the greater good.

I mean, we're educators and I say, most times, we know best, and of course, the stock answer is, every decision that's made that affects our terms and conditions, our classrooms, the environments in which our kids learn, is divined by someone that's elected somewhere: at a local board level, municipal level, the state level, or federal level.

So we know that those decision-makers, many times they're us, and we encourage our members, in fact, we just got a few elected in this last race here in the Assembly, that should be in those spots.

And of course, lobbying, right?

We need to make sure that politicians understand our perspective.

They'd never make a law that affected lawyers without having the American Bar Association involved.

Why would they not have the NJEA educators coming in the room and helping craft the best legislation.

- Let me try this.

Let me try this.

- Yeah.

- You're talking about state policy?

- Yeah.

- But a fair amount of what's going on in education, including, forget about state, Steve- - Yeah.

- But on the local school board level is being influenced by Washington.

What is the position of the organization vis-a-vis the Trump administration's education policies, including the prospect of, and I don't even know if it's on the table anymore, "We're gonna dismantle the federal Department of Education?"

Is that an issue in and of itself?

- Sure.

- How so?

- Well, first of all, they're welcome to keep their tests, that's fine, their mandates.

But listen, the Trump administration has been just cruel in terms of when it comes to education and education policies, trying to dismantle what we know is fact and true history and all the things that we know that we have that students need to understand in curriculum, but also funding.

And right now, we're in the midst of, they have the shutdown still, but here it is- - Well, by the way.

- Yeah, sorry.

- Please, if you're seeing this a month or two from now, (Steve B. Laughing) Steve, it's the sixth of November when we're taping, 'cause they know there was the election.

- There's still a shutdown.

- If there's still a shutdown.

- We're all in trouble.

- Okay.

Assume there's not.

- Right.

- But what does the shutdown mean, 'cause it'll happen again unfortunately, by the way, to education?

- Well, directly we know the SNAP benefits are the worst and cruelest part.

And we've taken strides, the NJEA, to do food banks and partners with a lot of other groups.

I know principals and supervisors, other kinds of educators and stakeholder groups, because kids rely on SNAP benefits.

I think it's over 600,000 getting benefits.

- How do you learn if you haven't had something to eat?

- Listen, exactly.

Kids are coming to school with the baggage that they have, and they have to be ready.

I could be the greatest teacher in the world.

If they're not ready to learn, there's nothing going on there.

So the Trump administration's policies around education is just another cruel attempt to remake the world in a perverted way that doesn't do our communities good.

And we're happy to stand in.

We know that we have to be involved at boards of education, in town councils, on the legislative level, state, federal, everywhere.

- Steve, we'll continue engaging in substantive conversations about issues around education, educators, and ultimately how it impacts our kids.

Thank you Steve.

- Thank you, Steve, always a pleasure.

- All the best with the convention.

- Yeah, thank you.

- I'm Steve Adubato.

This is the president of the NJEA.

Be back, I can get this.

I went to public schools.

(Steve B. Laughing) (laughing) This will be.

Don't edit that out.

We'll be back after this.

(Steves laughing) (grand music) - [Announcer] To see more State of Affairs with Steve Adubato programs, find us online and follow us on social media.

- We're joined once again by our good friend Carlos Medina, President and CEO of Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in New Jersey.

Carlos, good to see you.

- Good to see you, Steve.

Thanks for having me on.

- Yeah.

I particularly, I always say this, I love that picture over your left shoulder.

Both pictures are iconic.

Tell folks who we're looking at.

- We have Celia Cruz, who on October 21st of this year would've celebrated 100 years.

And Roberto Clemente, the Hall of Fame Boricua baseball player, one of the best players to ever play the game.

- Yeah.

And in Bloomfield Avenue in Newark, where I grew up, in Branch Brook Park, right on the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Lake Street, there is a wonderful, powerful statue of the great Roberto Clemente.

And shout-out to Joe DiVincenzo, the county executive and what they've done in the parks there.

Not relevant to what we're talking about, Carlos, but I'm going to do a pivot here.

You ready?

Carlos, you- - I'm ready.

I'm always ready.

- You always are.

By the way, plug your programming right now.

What should people watch and why?

Tell everyone, Carlos.

- Que Pasa if you want to see diverse storytellers telling their amazing stories of resilience and the value that they're bringing to the New Jersey mosaic.

- Got it.

Hey, Carlos, you umm... we're taping this week after this very important election in New Jersey and across the nation.

You said during the campaign that Jack Ciattarelli was the candidate that you felt would be most effective and impactful to the Hispanic community, particularly Hispanic business community.

A couple of numbers, and I'm not big on election stats, and this is a policy program, but in 2024, Donald Trump won the Hispanic vote according to the NBC exit polls.

51 to 46.

In 2025, Mikie Sherrill, according to the NBC exit polls, flipped those numbers.

Mikie Sherrill beat Jack Ciattarelli 68% to 31%.

What happened in your view?

- A 1,000-pound anchor named Trump.

- Explain it.

- Trump, I have... Like I... It's so complicated, it's hard to express it.

- Is it complicated but simple at the same time, Carlos?

- There's so many moving pieces.

So in my heart, what Trump is doing, how could I, you know, it's how do you, how do I like, how would I, like I didn't endorse anybody, but I was asked by both parties, like if I endorsed Jack, like how can I do that with Trump's shadow over him?

And I just didn't want to endorse anybody.

But the only reason I made that comment, Steve, and I've been like attacked for it, unfairly, I think, but that's New Jersey politics.

All I said is I leaned towards Jack because he has shown up.

Mikie was invited to a lot of events.

I knew she was going to win.

I mean, I'm not an idiot.

I mean, we know she was going to win.

I wanted her to know our members, and she just didn't.

So when a reporter asks me, "What are you leaning?"

I'm saying, "Well, one candidate knows our members, has been to, you know, spend roughly 24 hours, 24 hours in the last four years.

And the other candidate just hasn't been able to."

So it's frustrating for me because I feel like you got to cater to the community that you're going to be able to serve.

And I have nothing against Mikie.

I love her.

I've contributed to her congressional campaign in the past.

I've met her many times.

I just think our handlers in DC were super conservative in telling her, "This is where we want you to go, where you're going to have, you know, very warm reception.

It's all going to be very orchestrated."

Kind of what you interviewed me years ago about Cuba, you said everything was kind of set up.

I feel the same, like they didn't want to take any risk.

And that's, hey, they did great.

Maybe that was the right strategy.

But as a person who represents the chamber, I put my neck on the line because I know when you lean towards somebody else and the other person wins, there's going to be possible retribution.

But I just couldn't not recognize that the community needs to be, you know, you got to meet the community if you're running for governor.

- But Carlos, listen.

And for those who attack and say you don't have a right to say what you were thinking, that's their business.

But I'm way more interested, and I know you are as well, in what happens now.

So now there is Governor Sherrill, what would you say the top couple issues are for the Hispanic business community, which you and the chamber represents so well?

That's what this should be about.

Go ahead.

- Yeah, I'm very willing to be that conduit.

And also my chairman is, you know, very beloved and very active.

We just got back from Mexico, where we were given the red carpet.

We contribute $127 billion, that's the GDP of Hispanics living in New Jersey.

That's the fifth largest in the United States.

We are movers, we're fueling the economy.

In 2008, the great recession, businesses were shrinking, Hispanic businesses growing.

So we need tools to increase, for example, a lot of money's put into workforce development, Steve.

Give me a little bit of that money for training.

They're going to have businesses, they're paying rent, they're paying employees, they're paying taxes.

Let's be creative.

There's a lot of creative ways that, you know, people that know me, I love creativity, I'd love to work with her team on how we could really become an example for the whole United States.

I mean, people in Mexico were like, "We know New Jersey."

They said we're the New Jersey of Mexico, was the comment in the whole trip.

We're similar, you know, similar... The states, the individual states, I apologize.

Because, you know, the technology.

Entrepreneurs there pay 50% for a loan.

So when they hear that we have reasonable rates.

So it's just, it's a very... You know, the chamber Hispanic business community, we say familia, we're very close.

So we just want to have a seat at the table.

We just want to help people.

I don't want any position in the administration.

I don't want a board of directors.

I don't need anything.

I just want my community to be able to do business.

And Governor Murphy was very good to us, and I was spending time with him now in Mexico.

So if it would be a continuation of his policies... - Was that the Choose New Jersey trip?

- Yes.

- Okay.

Let me switch gears to a more specific issue.

Childcare, we've been very engaged in a public awareness initiative around childcare.

The graphic will come up.

People should go to that website to find out more about it.

In the Hispanic business community, in any business community, employers, childcare is a huge issue.

How important is childcare as an issue, as a challenge to Hispanic businesses, A?

And B, what does the governor need to do in that regard, please?

- It's very important.

I mean, what's happening now is people are, you know, trying to create a business that's home-based to try to accommodate the family.

So it's been a real struggle.

So if the governor could, you know, study the problem, put some funding to it, it would be a good solution.

I think there's ways to do it talking to the business community because a little bit of the cost should be shared by some employers, you know, because that's a great benefit to add.

You know, I'm very much that workers in New Jersey work hard and we deserve to be treated properly.

- Your research and your team has shown that there are more women creating businesses than men in the state in the Hispanic community.

That's a fact?

- Very much so, yes.

- Because?

- I'm not sure I know the reason, Steve.

It's just the great entrepreneur spirit.

The ecosystem I think is maybe a little tighter with the women, the way they collaborate in joint venture.

The guys aren't able to work as smoothly together.

That could be part of it.

I see a lot of JVs between the women companies.

It's amazing.

- Love it.

Carlos Medina, our friend and fellow broadcaster, check him out.

He is the President and CEO of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in New Jersey.

Carlos, good to see you.

I wish you all the best.

- Thank you, Steve.

- You got it.

I'm Steve Adubato, that's Carlos Medina.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] State of Affairs with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

United Airlines.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let’s be healthy together.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

PSEG Foundation.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

The Fidelco Group.

Valley Bank.

And by The Russell Berrie Foundation.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by Insider NJ.

- (Narrator) Public service.

It's what we do, at the PSEG Foundation Through volunteer hours, partnerships and our other contributions.

We're committed to empowering communities.

We work hand in hand with you, our neighbors, to educate young people, support research, environmental sustainability and equitable opportunities, provide training and other services all over New Jersey and Long Island.

Uplifting communities.

That's what drives us.

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