By: Gavin Schweiger, Follow South Jersey Assistant Editor
GLASSBORO, N.J. – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy reflected on his accomplishments in office, opened up about challenges and unfinished goals, and gave advice for students during a public fireside chat at Rowan University on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
The event was hosted by the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship (RIPPAC), and co-sponsored by Rowan’s honors college and other departments.
The event was at its maximum capacity, with over 230 people signed up to listen to the governor speak. Among them were Rowan students, faculty and administrators. Rowan president Ali Houshmand and New Jersey government officials such as NJ Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald and Senator William Spearman were also in attendance.
Before the chat began, Murphy greeted students from RIPPAC and other guests.
After a few photos, the crowd shuffled in to fill the ballroom and watched Houshmand introduce the event.
“The past eight years, this university has grown more than in the past 94 years,” Houshmand said.
After Houshmand, Ben Dworkin, director of RIPPAC, introduced the governor, and they sat down to begin their conversation, the second Murphy has attended. He spoke at a RIPPAC event in 2019.
“I’m incredibly humbled to be back and especially thrilled to be with so many rockin’ students,” Murphy said.
To kick it off the short 33-minute event, Dworkin asked Murphy what the title of “the definitive work on the Murphy administration” would be.
“Jersey, baby,” Murphy said.
The conversation touched on many topics, with Murphy’s thoughts on his accomplishments, shortcomings, on the next governor, and on advice for students in the audience. The tone of the chat was overall lighthearted, with Murphy cracking jokes.
Murphy touched on raising the minimum wage as a proud accomplishment.
“It’s indexed now, and it’s well over $15 an hour,” Murphy said. “There’s a movement in America right now that we should take another quantum leap. I would be down for that if I were still governor for the next number of years.”
When asked about his greatest accomplishment as governor, Murphy said it was that the administration “didn’t fool anybody.”
“We campaigned on the basis to build a stronger, fairer, more responsible New Jersey. And we’ve done a lot in all three of those things,” Murphy said.
When asked about his role when it comes to South Jersey specifically, Murphy said he made a commitment before becoming governor to “spend a disproportionate amount of our time, energy and resources” on the area. He mentioned the Glassboro-Camden Line and Atlantic City shuttle as progress in South Jersey.
At points he became “political” and touched on some of his disappointments for the Trump administration’s actions, such as “yanking, pulling the plug, or at least freezing” offshore wind and the diplomacy for the war in Ukraine.
Murphy also recounted the early days of the COVID 19 pandemic, and making the decisions he was faced with in that time.
“All of us, including public health officials, were in the dark trying to find the light switch,” Murphy said. “’Are masks good or bad?’ It’s hard to believe we were debating that, but we were.”
When asked what advice he would give to his successor, Mikie Sherrill, Murphy said he wasn’t sure she needed any.
“She is a rock star,” Murphy said.
The governor finished with advice for the students in the audience. He told students not to worry about trying to “hit it big” early in their lives.
“I do think in your age, you have a feeling of not immediacy but of urgency. Like, ‘I’ve got to pick my major. I’ve got to get this job. I’ve got to fill in the blank,’” Murphy said. “I don’t know anybody who’s had a straight line up. But this is a long, long, long life. And with artificial intelligence and scientific breakthroughs, the life is longer and not shorter.”
Students like Matthew Ayala found it interesting to see the governor speak, and show how “free-spirited” he was, and how it made politics feel more “human.”
Jonathan Kovacevic, a political science student in RIPPAC also enjoyed hearing him.
“He’s a funny guy, you know, everybody could laugh,” Kovacevic said.
Although he didn’t agree on some of Murphy’s policies like his stances on offshore wind and housing, Kovacevic respected his personality and professionalism.
“I thought he was cool. I liked him more than I thought I would,” Kovacevic said.
Steve Whitehead from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) went to support Murphy, a “friend of public education.”
“The energy was very positive in here,” Whitehead said. “It seemed like everybody was receptive to his answers. It’s not like you heard any other discourse going on. People wanted to know how he felt about all those issues.”
Tina Dare, also from the NJEA, praised Rowan for holding the event.
“I live right nearby. I try to attend every one that they have. I think it’s an excellent opportunity for people to really hear from our elected officials,” Dare said.
Dworkin was happy to have Murphy speak for a second time for RIPPAC. He found that the governor “opened up” and was “much more relaxed.” He also believed it was great for Rowan itself.
“One of the challenges for Rowan University and its role within the state is that we’re out of sight, out of mind for a lot of people,” Dworkin said. “So this kind of event, where you pack in a lot of people and it gets big publicity, is the kind of thing that reminds people that we’re around.”
“An Evening with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy” was the last RIPPAC event of the semester, and it comes at a time that Murphy’s own job as governor is coming to an end, as Mikie Sherrill will take over the role on January 20, 2026.
Like the governor’s relaxed nature during the event, the way RIPPAC secured him was also simple.
“We asked,” Dworkin said. “That’s literally it.”
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