Rutgers is getting the medical school it needs to compete for major grants, but questions remain about the future of UMDNJ and University Hospital in Newark, and the medical schools in South Jersey.
By Mark J. Magyar
This is the first article in a two-part series.
Nine years ago, a blue-ribbon commission recommended merging Rutgers University, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology into a single research university that could compete more effectively for major federal grants and the jobs they would create. Despite the state’s abysmal record of attracting federal research grants, Democratic Gov. Jim McGreevey backed off the plan in the face of strong opposition from Essex County Democrats.
Today, however, with staunch backing from Republican Gov. Chris Christie, Rutgers University is well on its way to acquiring Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the School of Public Health — the three UMDNJ schools located in New Brunswick and Piscataway.
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