Norcross brothers diverge on fate of Rutgers-Camden

By James Osborne, Inquirer Staff Writer

Five weeks after Gov. Christie announced his intention to combine Rutgers-Camden and Rowan University as part of an overhaul of New Jersey’s public universities, setting off fierce opposition, a key actor in the drama held out the prospect of a compromise last week that aroused both hopes and suspicions.

In an opinion piece that some found enigmatic, State Sen. Donald Norcross (D., Camden), brother of a powerful backer of the merger, Democratic leader George E. Norcross III, wrote that it was “vital that the Rutgers brand stay in Camden.”

But he added that the school “continues to suffer from major funding inequities that are unacceptable” at the hands of the university’s flagship campus in New Brunswick, and hinted at retaining a Rutgers-Camden that would be independent.

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