Gov. Chris Christie has proposed merging Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University. / DOUGLAS BOVITT/Courier-Post file

An executive order to force the realignment of the state’s universities is precluded by state statute, according to legal expert Ronald T. Chen.

An exemption known as 18A:3B-36 requires “specific enabling legislation” for the reorganization of state institutions of higher education any time after July 1, 1994.

It throws a monkey wrench into potential plans by Gov. Chris Christie to sign an executive order forcing a series of changes he endorses.

“My take is the governor cannot do this under the reorganization act,” said Chen, noting that Christie is still free to seek legislative approval for plans to fold the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, including the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford into Rutgers University, and merging Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University under the Rowan banner.

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 By Megan DeMarco/Statehouse Bureau 

TRENTON — Less than a quarter of New Jersey voters support Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to fold Rutgers-Camden into Rowan University, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today.

According to the poll, 57 percent of registered voters disapprove of the proposal, which would result in Rutgers losing its satellite campus on Camden to Rowan, including the law and business schools there; 22 percent approve of the move, and 21 percent of voters say they are unsure.

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By John Barna/Gloucester County Times

CAMDEN – Creating posters or Facebook pages aren’t the only ways Rutgers–Camden students are expressing their opinions on the proposed merger with Rowan University. For Cherry Hill resident Cooper Gorelick, the live political drama has inspired his most recent creation.

“Stop the Takeover!” is a series of episodic vignettes written in the style of “agit-prop” theater, similar to that of Clifford Odets’ famous 1930s play “Waiting for Lefty.”

Gorelick, who was honored by the National Playwriting Program at the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival, will stage his new short play at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Campus Center’s Multi-Purpose Room and 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in the Black Box Theater, in the Fine Arts Complex

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Written by HOWARD GILLETTE For the Courier-Post

When I joined the Rutgers-Camden faculty in 1999 my former university, George Washington, had just joined the ranks of the nation’s top 50 universities. Understandably, I wondered if I could expect the same high standards when I got to Camden. I wasn’t disappointed.

What I found was everything one might hope from a top research university: outstanding scholars in every field, excellent students and access to unequaled academic resources, including a world-class research library. In short, I was pleased to be joining an outstanding research institution. The campus has only gotten stronger since with the addition of three Ph.D. programs and other graduate degrees.

In this light, the Barer committee’s recommendation to “develop a comprehensive public research university” in South Jersey seems out of touch. We already have one in Rutgers-Camden, albeit one that does not directly “support Cooper Medical School of Rowan University,” as the report recommends. There is no reason that can’t happen under existing institutional arrangements. The question is, would that goal be better served by merging Rutgers-Camden into Rowan? I think not.

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Written by ANTHONY PERNO For the Courier-Post

Recently, the Rutgers-Camden community has spoken out against a merger with Rowan University.

As a graduate of Rutgers-Camden School of Law, I understand the concerns raised by the students, faculty and alumni and their feelings of loyalty and pride for the Rutgers name. Change is never easy, but Southern New Jersey deserves the benefits of a major research university and the social and economic opportunity that it will bring to the region.

A great university requires both visionary leadership and investment. No one questions the commitment and talent of the Rutgers faculty, administration and students at the Camden campus, but Rutgers University has not prioritized its Camden campus. The university continually siphons Camden’s tuition revenues to New Brunswick instead of investing in Camden.

The Rutgers-Camden campus should generate approximately $114 million in tuition and state aid if the aid is distributed based on student population. Yet Rutgers-Camden only receives approximately $58 million for its annual operations. More recently, Rutgers Camden represented approximately a mere 9 percent of a capital request by Rutgers University to the state, although it has 18 percent of the university’s total student body.

The faculty and students at Rutgers-Camden have achieved remarkable advancement despite the lack of investment in their own campus. I agree an ethos exists at Rutgers for excellence. However, every academic program at Camden competes for resources with a duplicative program on Rutgers’s main campus.

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