Rutgers University Boards Approve Merger with UMDNJ

Rutgers University’s two governing boards today approved the transfer to Rutgers of most of the schools, centers and institutes that make up the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

After reviewing the academic, financial and administrative implications of the New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act,  which passed in the state Legislature with bipartisan support in June and was signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie in August, the Rutgers Board of Governors and Board of Trustees adopted resolutions to approve the changes proposed in the legislation.

The votes today, required under the 1956 law that established Rutgers as The State University of New Jersey, preserve Rutgers’ presence in Camden and extend the university’s presence in Newark, New Brunswick and Piscataway. The chairs of both Rutgers boards said integration will propel the university into the ranks of the nation’s elite institutions.

“Integration will finally give the people of New Jersey the comprehensive public research university that they deserve,” said Ralph Izzo, chairman of the Rutgers University Board of Governors. “The new Rutgers will expand biomedical research across our state, enhance medical care for our citizens, and create new opportunities in the biotechnical and pharmaceutical industries.”

“Today’s actions underscore the important role that the Rutgers governing boards play in the future of higher education in New Jersey,” said Dudley H. Rivers Jr., chairman of the Rutgers University Board of Trustees. “Ultimately, the actions that we take today will make Rutgers a much stronger institution, better able to serve the educational and economic needs of the entire state for generations to come.”

Representatives of Rutgers and UMDNJ already serve on 13 integration teams to facilitate every aspect of the transition – from finance and information technology to academic and clinical programs, said Rutgers University President Robert L. Barchi.

“The new Rutgers University will be able to bring together the world’s brightest minds, from virtually every academic discipline, to tackle many of our society’s most difficult challenges,” Barchi said. “Our integration teams have been working together, thoroughly and productively, toward the creation of one outstanding university that will attract the finest faculty and students, as well as significantly greater financial support from the federal government and private donors. Today’s votes by the Rutgers Board of Governors and Board of Trustees are a welcome affirmation of these ongoing efforts.”

Integration takes full effect on July 1. Except for University Hospital in Newark and the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford, all of UMDNJ will become part of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey will be designated a separate institute within Rutgers University. The School of Osteopathic Medicine, located on UMDNJ’s Stratford campus, will be transferred to Rowan University, which will be designated a research university. University Hospital will become a freestanding institution with its own board of directors, and a financial firewall will be created so that the hospital’s losses will no longer be covered by academic operations. University Hospital will remain the principal teaching hospital for the Newark-based medical and dental schools.

The Camden Campus, headed by a chancellor appointed by Rutgers’ president, will have a Rutgers-Camden board of directors to provide general supervision of campus growth. A separate Rowan/Rutgers-Camden board of governors will be created with responsibilities limited to new and expanded programs in the health sciences. The Rutgers Board of Governors will be expanded from 11 to 15 members, with eight appointed by the New Jersey governor and seven selected by the Rutgers Board of Trustees.

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