News from Today's Board of Governors Meeting (Feb. 28, 2013)

To the Campus Community:

I am pleased to report upon the following activity that occurred at the Rutgers Board of Governors’ regularly scheduled meeting on the Newark campus earlier today:

In preparation for the distribution of funding approved by our state’s voters in November, the Board of Governors has approved a list of capital construction priorities across the University.  Included among those important projects is a new Nursing and Science Building for Rutgers–Camden. 

This is a critically needed resource for our campus, which is experiencing extraordinary growth in terms of student enrollment and faculty research in both areas.  This new facility will provide our scientists and our students with the state-of-the-art laboratory space required in the highly competitive science disciplines.  Our School of Nursing will be able to realize its full potential in a facility built to accommodate the demands of nursing science and education.

While Rutgers awaits direction from the state regarding the higher education bond act, Rutgers–Camden is working to identify an appropriate site for this 120,000 square-foot building. 

This is a milestone in the upward trajectory of Rutgers–Camden.  The construction of a Nursing and Science Building will provide our research faculty with support that matches their own world-class reputations and scholarship, while also attracting top undergraduate and graduate students to our programs.  By expanding our capacity in these disciplines, Rutgers will be better positioned to contribute toward southern New Jersey’s growth as a global destination for health care and the biosciences.  I will be certain to keep you apprised of our progress.

Additionally, the board voted to award support for upgrading the IT infrastructure across the University.  This will result in an investment of $1.7 million toward the enhancement of our IT capacity on the Camden Campus during the coming months.

During the public session of the board meeting, President Robert L. Barchi spoke about discussions between the faculties of the Schools of Law at Camden and Newark to strengthen legal education at Rutgers.  These conversations have yielded a proposal to create a single Rutgers Law School with programs on every campus.  This innovative concept has the potential to propel Rutgers into the top echelons of public law schools, and to elevate the Camden Campus while doing so.  There are many details to be discussed, and Law Dean Rayman Solomon and I will provide updates as the concept progresses.

These initiatives hold great promise for the future of our campus.  As always, thank you for all that you do on behalf of Rutgers–Camden.

Wendell E. Pritchett, J.D., Ph.D.

Chancellor