By Eric Kelderman
New Jersey is joining the list of states considering merging and consolidating public universities—with a distinctly Garden State twist.
An advisory committee, formed originally to consider what to do with the troubled University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, has recommended shifting control of several campuses around the state.
The panel’s final report, which Gov. Christopher J. Christie endorsed last month, includes a recommendation to give control of Rutgers University’s Camden campus, including its law and business schools, to Rowan University, a midsize public regional institution located nearly 20 miles away in Glassboro.
Controversy erupted almost immediately over the recommendations, with charges that the Republican governor is trying to reward a powerful political ally at the expense of the state’s top-tier public research university.
The panel explained its recommendation as a way to enhance higher-education offerings in southern New Jersey and spur economic development. But students, faculty, and administrators at the Camden branch of Rutgers are all protesting a merger with Rowan, arguing that the move would diminish the reputation of the Rutgers campus solely to improve the future prospects of Rowan’s medical school, set to open later this year.
And even some legislators are criticizing the recommendations as short-sighted. Lawmakers have already scheduled hearings on the matter.
“I don’t think the task force did a half-ass job,” said the State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, who opposes many of the proposed changes. “They did three-quarters-ass job.”
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