If Rutgers is to annex three central Jersey medical units, then the board must approve the merger between Camden campus and Rowan University
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Several members of the Rutgers board of trustees at special meeting Thursday night.
The board of trustees of Rutgers University last night held a special meeting to consider a host of options for reorganizing the school, including taking over three units from the University of Dentistry and Medicine and ceding the Camden campus to Rowan University.
It turns out there was only one all-or-nothing offer on the table. If Rutgers wants to annex the medical units it must surrender Camden.
A “devil’s bargain” is how Ira Roseman, a psychology professor, characterized the suggestion that the trustees will be forced to vote on both accepting the medical schools while giving away the Camden campus. He called it “the product of a political deal, hastily crafted by a small committee with known ties to political figures.”
Roseman urged the trustees not to agree to the bargain, but to separate the Rutgers-Rowan merger from the annexation and reject the Rowan portion.
Many board members did little to hide their displeasure, peppering the chair of the committee that made the recommendation with pointed questions. All indicated at least skepticism about the plan, with several applauding some 20 people who spoke against the merger. Several trustees wore Save R Camden buttons and one said outright that she opposes the proposal.
Still, it’s unclear how they will vote on a plan when it is finally presented to them.
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