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NJ SMART CHOICES LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE 

SCHEDULED FOR MARCH, 2007

 New Jersey’s leaders in Smart Growth and Sustainable Development, including state and local public officials, planning consultants, developers and members of the environmental community are invited to participate in the first NJ Smart Choices Leadership Institute, which will be held at the Robert Wood Johnson facility in Plainsboro, NJ on March 12-13 (Monday and Tuesday) and March 22 -23 (Thursday and Friday).

The Institute is being organized by the Municipal Land Use Center at The College of New Jersey (MLUC@TCNJ).  Funding suppo rt from the NJ Department of Transportation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be used to offer “scholarships” to the first cohort of participants.  The purpose of the Institute is to better equip local public officials with the knowledge and skills to successfully implement smart growth and sustainable development principles in their local communities.  It will provide a forum for leaders to talk with and learn from each other, and eventually to join together as part of a network of knowledgeable individuals working on these issues throughout New Jersey.  Consultants from the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education at the University of Maryland will be on hand to assist MLUC with the training.

The NJ Smart Choices Leadership Institute is the next step in implementing NJ DOT’s new paradigm of collaborative decision making.  Participants comprised of about ten municipal teams will focus on action and implementation of a project that they identify.  Candidates will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Their project will benefit the municipality, but will also be relevant to the larger group, and be “manageable” within the time constraints of the Institute

• Members of the team should have a mix of backgrounds (ideally, a Mayor, Planning Board member or Chair, and professional from the municipality), and teams will be chosen to represent geographic diversity across state

• The team is willing to make the time commitment for the four days

• Team members are willing to mentor future students

The Institute will consist of four intensive, interactive days over a two-week period.  The program will be designed based on submissions from the municipalities regarding projects on which they want to work.  Between the first and second weeks, the teams will be expected to take some action that would move the project forward.  At the close of the Institute, teams will continue to work on their project, and form an alumni network that will provide support and resources for fellow alumni and future graduates of the Institute.  In addition, the MLUC @TCNJ will be providing ongoing technical support for the graduates throughout the year.

If you want to participate in the first New Jersey Smart Choices Leadership Institute, you can apply on line visiting MLUC’s website at http: www.tcnj.edu~mluc and clicking on the following link: https://delphi.tcnj.edu:81/cgi-bin/formgenie/formgenie.pl?form=15596  The deadline for submission is January 16, 2007.  For more information, or to obtain a paper application, contact MLUC at 609-771-2832.