Cash-strapped professors at Rutgers learn to do without, in world of state aid cuts and bad economy

By Jarrett Renshaw/Statehouse Bureau

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerA sparse crowd settles in early in the second quarter at Rutgers Stadium as the Scarlet Knights host Louisville in Big East football action at Rutgers Stadium on Nov. 26. Some critics of the university’s finances say too much money is being diverted to the athletics program when it could be used for academics instead.

If you want to reach Jeff McMahan, a professor in Rutgers University’s esteemed philosophy department, don’t bother calling his office. His telephone — like those of many of other teachers in the humanities — has been unplugged, amid belt-tightening at the state university.

“I work in the second-ranked philosophy department in the nation, but I don’t even have an office phone,” said McMahan, a nine-year professor who now uses his personal cell phone as his office phone.

With state aid cuts and the poor economy, professors across the university are learning to live without common items like office phones, photocopies, pay raises and the latest academic journals.

Meanwhile, the university has increased funding for sports, fueling tension between the athletic and academic communities over the university’s priorities. Last year, the university diverted $26.8 million in student fees and tuition dollars to cover the department’s operating loss, one of the highest subsidies in the nation, a Star-Ledger analysis shows.

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