By Stephanie Akin, Staff Writer. The Record.
As Rutgers University works to move beyond the basketball scandal that has dominated headlines the past two weeks, it finds itself on the precipice of a historic change — a merger with the state’s medical school — that has suddenly become more complicated because of the controversy.
The addition of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to Rutgers and a looming July 1 deadline to begin the changeover has been cited by Governor Christie as a reason to keep university President Robert L. Barchi in place, even as those under him — from the head coach to the athletic director to the general counsel — have lost their jobs as the scandal has unfolded.
Christie, who has pushed for the merger and is expected to tout it on the campaign trail as he vies for a second term, has stood behind Barchi and the team assembled to complete the merger.
“It’s a huge undertaking, and I have absolute confidence in Bob Barchi, and I believe one of the reasons the board of governors hired him in the first place was to appropriately and effectively manage this merger and the institution that will exist thereafter,” the governor said last week.
A look at what has to be done over the next 10 weeks shows mostly logistical challenges that nevertheless will be cumulatively daunting — as many as 4,600 tasks from transferring contracts to making sure key cards work to changing the printing on the letterhead. The university is also working on its impending move to the Big Ten athletic conference, a change that could bring in millions in revenue and increase exposure.
But larger questions, including how Rutgers will come up with the millions needed to finance the deal, how the university can absorb close to $500 million in UMDNJ debt, and what will happen to redundant faculty members — some with tenure — could take years to resolve.
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