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In a March 12 note to the Monmouth University community, President Patrick Leahy announced the school’s famed Polling Institute will close this summer.

New Jersey Globe first reported the news.

“Following a year-long review of all of the University’s Centers and Institutes, I have made the decision, in close collaboration with our Board of Trustees, to close the Polling Institute, effective July 1 of this year,” Leahy announced. He said the review examined and evaluated school center entities to determine:

• Their impact on student engagement and outcomes; and
• How each aligns with institutional priorities and goals outlined in the current strategic plan.

“While the Polling Institute has done excellent work, it’s public polling mission is no longer aligned with our current strategic goals,” said Leahy. “I realize this is a significant change given the decades of outstanding work led by Patrick Murray, the founding director of the Institute since its inception in 2005.

“Patrick’s skilled analysis and media aplomb established the Monmouth University Poll as one of the top polls in the country for both accuracy and transparency, including a top-five ranking from the poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight.”

End of an era

It’s been a tough time for polling organizations over the last few election cycles. The centers have repeatedly come under criticism amid a more turbulent and combative political environment. To that point, Disney recently shuttered the aforementioned FiveThirtyEight.

And this closure at Monmouth comes at a critical time for the state, ahead of November’s gubernatorial and Assembly elections. Historically, the Institute has played a vital role in polling and projecting for such races.

At its height, Leahy said, the Institute played a prominent role in elevating Monmouth’s image. Additionally, it helped amplify its reputation to households nationwide.

“However, the changing political and media landscapes have made it both more difficult and more expensive for polling organizations to operate,” he continued. “In addition, our efforts over the years to integrate the work of the Polling Institute with both the student experience and the broader academic enterprise at Monmouth University have been met with mixed results.”

Leahy said the “considerable resources” required to operate the Institute will redeploy to other strategic initiatives at the school.

He closed his note lauding the work of Murray and his colleagues.

“I am grateful to Patrick and his team for their decades of service to the University, and I am especially appreciative for their efforts to deliver on the Institute’s mission to foster greater public accountability by ensuring that the public’s voice was heard.”