By Paul A. Jargowsky, For the Courier-Post
The faculty of Rutgers-Camden overwhelmingly oppose the proposed takeover of their campus by Rowan university in what is euphemistically described as a merger between Rowan and Rutgers. Our opposition has been dismissed as “emotional” by some merger supporters and op-ed writers, but it is based on a cold, hard fact. A Rowan-Rutgers merger would not achieve the goal of providing a high-quality public research university to serve the citizens of South Jersey.
To understand why the plan would fail, you need to know something about the different types of higher education institutions. Universities, like hospitals, restaurants, and carpenters, have different specialties. Some universities, like Rowan, focus on teaching and hire and promote faculty who devote themselves primarily to teaching undergraduates. Other universities, like Rutgers, are research institutions that hire and promote based primarily on the ability to produce publication-quality original research.
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