Rutgers University President William F. Tate IV joined a CEO panel discussion with other state leaders at the njbia Public Policy Forum 2026, held Friday at the Princeton (N.J.) Marriott at Forrestal. “My job is to make the resources of a public entity available to everyone, simply stated,” Tate told state policymakers and the business community during the panel. “I will work with any group, any time, that says they want to do a place-based strategy to make this economy in this region work. And we should be digging into that.” Tate emphasized that stable state funding is critical to keeping higher education affordable and to ensure strong returns for students, employers, and the state. He was accompanied on the panel by Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert Garrett, New Jersey AI Hub Executive Director Liat Krawczyk, former state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and Bruce Van Saun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. njgov Mikie Sherrill served a...