The Institute is named after New Jersey Assemblyman John S. Watson, the first African American to serve as the state's Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Thomas Edison State College established the institute in response to the expressed needs of decision-makers across New Jersey to have a resource for researching public policy.
The approach of the institute is to apply the resources of higher education to public policy decisions in a practical and hands-on manner.
The institute makes available the academic resources, databases, and analytic tools necessary to support appropriate action and respond to specific needs.
This can include sponsoring informal discussions between partners, practitioners, other interested parties in specific policy areas.