![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Tillis-Kean-907x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHappy birthday on April 21 to former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean, who remains vibrant and astute as he turns 91.<\/p>\n
On April 16, Kean, who served two back-to-back terms as governor of the Garden State from 1982-90, engaged in a Q&A at Rutgers University\u2019s Camden campus as the fifth annual guest speaker in the campus\u2019s Chancellor Lecture Series. Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D., who founded the series in 2022, invited Kean to campus to discuss the former governor\u2019s accomplishments both in and out of office, his thoughts on what makes a successful elected official and some ideas included in his 1988 book, The Politics of Inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cBipartisan\u201d is the word Kean emphasized over and over during his hour-long public conversation with Tillis. One of Tillis\u2019s questions acknowledged the former governor\u2019s \u201cbipartisan and pragmatic approach to public service,\u201d to which Kean replied, \u201cIt\u2019s the way I\u2019ve always approached everything else: common sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kean, a Republican, mused, \u201cWe live in a different time now in two very important ways. Back then, we had a real bipartisanship. We got along with each other. We argued all day and then we\u2019d have dinner together at night. Republicans and Democrats attended each other\u2019s weddings and funerals. We wanted nothing but the best for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other important difference between then and now, Kean said, is \u201cthe ability to compromise. We had to compromise for every major accomplishment that was made.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cUnless you\u2019re willing to do both, you\u2019ll have trouble getting anything done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kean, who coined the motto \u201cNew Jersey and You: Perfect Together,\u201d was instrumental in creating NJPAC, Liberty Science Center and the now-Adventure Aquarium in Camden, all part of his plan to revitalize New Jersey\u2019s urban centers and fulfill his \u201cpolitics of inclusion\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are over a hundred ethnic groups in the state of New Jersey,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cInclusion means everybody, all races. I have a particular relationship with African Americans. There are very few African American judges. If your aim is justice, you\u2019ve got to be inclusive. Law schools are not accepting enough African Americans. We must make sure they have some say in government regarding the people who look like them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tillis observed to Kean, \u201cEducation reform was your signature during your time in office. What lessons endure?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kean\u2019s reply: \u201cI believe that nothing is more important than education. I remember the name of every teacher I had 85 years ago. I wouldn\u2019t have become governor without my teachers\u2019 influence.\u201d<\/p>\n
To correct failures in any educational system, Kean explained, \u201cFirst, you must identify the problems. Once they\u2019re identified, don\u2019t take small steps to solve them. Governors don\u2019t have enough time to take small steps to accomplish anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first big step Kean made in improving the Garden State\u2019s educational system was to raise teachers\u2019 salaries, which, he noted, were so low that the state \u201chad a looming teacher shortage.\u201d His response was to \u201craise teachers\u2019 salaries by about 30 or 40 percent. There was some opposition, but we got the bill through statewide.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result, he recalled, \u201cwe had a flood of new teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also noted, \u201cWhy should the majority of the budget go to school administrators? It should go to teachers. Another thing is that teachers don\u2019t get paid one cent more the better the job they do. That doesn\u2019t make any sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Former Governor Kean with Rutgers-Camden Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis.<\/b> Photo: Ronald Downes, Jr.\/ Rutgers University-Camden<\/p>\n
Following the 9\/11 tragedy, President George W. Bush appointed Kean chair of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, commonly known as the 9\/11 Commission.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt like somebody threw a load of bricks on me,\u201d he remembers of the assignment. \u201cBut you couldn\u2019t say no. Congress wanted to to it themselves but they did a terrible job.\u201d<\/p>\n
He remembered, \u201cWhen I went into the room where our first meeting was to be held, I found Democrats sitting on one side, Republicans on the other. I changed that, saying that never again do I want to see a Republican sitting next to a Republican, a Democrat sitting next to a Democrat. Republicans and Democrats working together. That\u2019s what I want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kean was impressed most of all by the families of those killed or injured by 9\/11 events. \u201cThey\u2019re the most extraordinary people I ever met,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead of going into mourning, they went into action. They went to Washington, asking how did this happen? They picketed the White House every day, sat on the steps of Congress members, forced Congress to pass a recommendation and forced the president to sign it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kean worked closely on the commission with Lee H. Hamilton, who died last February 3. Kean and Hamilton, an attorney and member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Homeland Security Advising Council, co-authored a book about the commission titled Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9\/11 Commission.<\/p>\n
The book, published in 2007, focuses on how the commission overcame partisanship and bureaucracy to produce its acclaimed report.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of that report,\u201d Kean told his Rutgers-Camden audience. \u201cIt\u2019s still used in college classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton was a Democrat, Kean a Republican, yet they seamlessly worked together, the former governor stressed. \u201cLee Hamilton,\u201d he said, \u201cwas one of the most decent people you\u2019ve ever met. I consulted him every chance I got. We ran the commission together with the help of the families of 9-11 victims.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked what advice he would give to someone planning to enter government service, Kean repeated Winston Churchill\u2019s words: \u201cStudy history, study history.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cI can\u2019t give better advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The April 16 event, held in the Campus Center meeting room, attracted not only Rutgers-Camden students and alumni, faculty members, and administrators, but also area activists and elected officials. Among them were retired Assemblywoman Patricia Egan Jones, who spearheaded the drive to keep the USS Battleship New Jersey on the Camden waterfront; Colonel Nelson L. Mellitz, past New Jersey state commander of Jewish War Veterans; Colonel Ted Gallagher, executive director of the Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs; Camden City Councilwoman and Rutgers-Camden graduate Jannette Ramos; Michael Egenton, executive vice-chair of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce; Margaret Marsh, history professor and former interim Rutgers-Camden chancellor; and James H. Rhodes, Rutgers-Camden\u2019s alumnus of the year, who will be inducted on April 23 into the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Montclair State University students, faculty and staff can order weekly boxes filled with local produce.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n NJ lawmakers are also considering legislation that would create temporary surcharges on select hotel stays and retail purchases during the World Cup. <\/p>\n a { border-radius: 10px; display: block; max-width: 45%; overflow: hidden; } Trending Story<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>![\"box](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/farm-box-290x190.jpg\")
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\n .trending-story-content h3 a { color: #333; text-decoration: none; }
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