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June 2 to 8
Some College but No Credential
The working-age population with some college but no degree or other credential has grown to 37.6 million, a new study reports. The data for the 2023-2024 academic year show a 2.2% national increase from the previous year. The study, released June 4 by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, shows 743,019 New Jerseyans under the age of 65 who previously enrolled in higher education institutions but stopped without earning a credential of any type. That is a 2.8% increase in the “some college, no credential” population in the Garden State.
The report also tracks reenrollment of the “some college, no credential” population. While there were gains in reenrollment numbers for the second year in a row, those students who left without attaining a degree or other credential outpaced the number who reenrolled. Many of those students who leave higher education without a credential do carry with them student debt.
On the positive side, 2023-2024 marked the first year in which more than 1 million students who had left reenrolled in a single year. New Jersey had a reenrollment rate of 2.1% in 2023, with just over 12,000 students giving higher education another try.
According to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the major reasons given by students for why they have not reenrolled is cost, existing debt and a need to work. The share of those who did reenroll who attained a credential in their first year of reenrollment rose by nearly 5%.
Community colleges are at the center of the dynamics surrounding “stopped out” students. Community colleges are both the major source of stop-out and the primary destination for returning students.
With the long-predicted decline in high school graduates upon us, higher education institutions are turning more attention to this population of nontraditional students who are older and have some college experience.
When considering an environment like Cape May County, which relies on a community college as its only in-county option of higher education, the decline in the traditional age pipeline of high school graduates is a problem. The latest national statistics show 2025 to be the year when the number of high school graduates peak. The importance of serving nontraditional students, especially those with some college experience and with their own unique needs and challenges, increases.
Home Cooking Increases
The Campbell’s Co. Quarter 3 Earning Call statement says all evidence points to a growing number of individuals and families turning to in-home cooking as a way to combat the economic uncertainties around them.
Campbell’s CEO Mick Beekhuizen said the current macro-economic environment is leading consumers to “cook at home and focus their spending on products that help stretch their food budgets.” For Campbell’s this means increased attention to the company’s soups and Italian sauces and a harder sell for its snack food division. Beekhuizen said the company was benefitting from a growing number of younger individuals who are cooking at home.
A recent survey found that 81% of consumers now cook more than half their meals at home, a real change from the pre-pandemic years.
This trend has an obvious impact on restaurants, but it also requires grocery suppliers to adapt. Forbes reports a return to basics approach, with consumers looking to affordable ways to stretch their food budgets. The popularity of premium grocery items is giving way to a focus on simple ingredients rather than pricier specialty items.
Surveys tell us that younger generations like Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to cook at home.
Whatever the reasons, the Campbell’s call with analysts shows a large food industry contributor is adjusting to a trend it sees as real. A key outcome of Campbell’s third quarter results, according to Beekhuizen, “is a growing preference for home-cooked meals, leading to the highest levels of meals prepared at home since early 2020.” Early 2020 was when the pandemic forced people back to their kitchens.
Decline in Private Practice Physicians
There is a good chance your family doctor does not own or even have a financial stake in his/her practice, according to a new analysis by the American Medical Association. According to the AMA, 42% of physicians worked in private practices in 2024, a percentage that was down 18 percentage points from 2012. Instead, more than one in three doctors worked in practices owned and operated by hospitals last year. That represents an 11-point gain since 2012.
The 2025 AMA research piece shows that the number of physicians who even have a partial stake in their practice declined from 53% in 2012 to 35% in 2024. Costs, inadequate payment rates and the regulatory environment are seen as the major factors driving physicians away from private practice toward employment in hospitals or at practices owned by private equity firms.
The Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation tracker shows the United States spends more on health care per capita than other high-income nations, yet doctors are finding it difficult to remain independent practitioners. In 2024 65% of physicians were either employees or independent contractors of hospitals or equity-owned entities.
Those who oppose these trends argue that consolidations of physician practices lead to decreases in care quality, including time spent with patients, and higher health-care costs without a corresponding increase in quality of care.
Others argue that consolidation is the only path open for survival in an increasingly expensive and highly regulated industry.
In Cape May County both Cooper University Health Care and AtlantiCare control their corresponding physicians association. This includes Cape Regional Physicians Association, which has been controlled by Cooper since its 2024 acquisition of Cape Regional.
Week in Review
*The Cape May County Zoo welcomed a new addition May 21 to its Grant’s zebra herd – a male foal born to parents Lydia and Ziggy and the first male zebra to be born at the zoo in recent years.
*A team of assessors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police will examine all aspects of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office’s policies and procedures, management, operations and support services on Monday, June 23, Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland has announced.
*Three Democrats competed in the June 10 primary election for two spots on the November ballot in the 1st Legislative District Assembly race, in which the two Republican incumbents are unopposed for renomination. (Results: cmcherald.com)
*West Wildwood residents are campaigning hard to save the Police Department, which they believe is on the chopping block due to a new report that recommends it be dissolved. (Update: cmcherald.com)
*As work continues on Avalon’s Bay Park Marina, the marina itself and the boat ramp are open to the public.
*The Upper Township Committee on May 27 honored three of its EMS workers, who received the Shore Medical Center Clinical Excellence Award for their efforts in responding to an unconscious person at a Seaville residence.
*A number of local groups have coalesced to give added visibility to their opposition to a proposed hotel resort on the site of the now closed Wonderland amusement park at Sixth Street and the boardwalk in Ocean City.
*A bill in the New Jersey General Assembly aims to protect all renters from “unconscionable” rent hikes.
*Avalon expects to meet the June 30 state deadline on its plan to meet its fair share of affordable housing.
*Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill landed in Cape May County on Wednesday, June 4, on her way to the June 10 primary election. (Results: cmcherald.com)
*Business Administrator Scott Wahl told the Avalon Borough Council May 28 that the state Department of Environmental Protection was very close to approving the municipality’s application for a townwide dredging permit.
*The Cape May County Zoo welcomed a new addition May 21 to its Grant’s zebra herd – a male foal born to parents Lydia and Ziggy and the first male zebra to be born at the zoo in recent years.
*A new report by the public-private partnership Rebuild by Design says Cape May and Atlantic counties have the most property vulnerable to flood damage in the next 25 years. The report projects 70% of Cape May County will be at risk by 2050.
*The state will be distributing $430 million to ratepayers to ease the burden of rising electricity rates, Gov. Phil Murphy has announced.
*The Grassy Sound fishing pier, which has been closed for nearly three years due to structural concerns, is set to reopen on Friday, June 13.
*Woodbine recently received a $1 million federal grant to rehabilitate four contaminated properties, including one often referred to as the “old school site.” What is not commonly known is that the site was the location of Woodbine High School, at Franklin Street and Monroe Avenue.
Spout Off of the Week
If watching dare devil car shows is your passion, come to Bayshore West. Stop signs are optional, and drivers blast through them, making a left turn in front of on coming traffic. Croydon as well as Clearwater Drive are your “Box Seats”, each intersection is a thrill, vehicles entering these do not slow down, ignoring stop signs, and you better be ready to apply those brakes. The township could pave our roads with gold if we could find a traffic officer who would control this rude behavior, and issue citations.
North Cape May
