At the Senate
Newark and Camden provosts deliver their annual campus reports
Archived article from Dec 8, 2000
By Douglas Frank
Representatives of the university community heard about the state of the Newark and Camden campuses in the provosts' annual reports to the University Senate Nov. 3.
Leading off, Newark Provost Norman Samuels described recent meetings that, he said, showcase his campus's important role in the city of Newark.
A meeting of the Newark 21st Century Task Force, a group of political leaders, corporate heads and members of the judiciary dealing with key Newark issues, was held in the Robeson Campus Center because "we are the place in Newark where members of all groups come together to discuss issues of concern to the city," said Samuels.
In another meeting, convened by the mayor in a West Ward church, members of the community, police, judges, probation officers and representatives of federal agencies came together to talk about a major project on city violence that is based at the School of Criminal Justice.
"I was particularly gratified that Rutgers was repeatedly referred to as the group that brought everybody together, and I was almost floored when a community leader referred to Rutgers as the 'jewel of our community.'"
As examples of the campus's impact on the community, Samuels cited the new Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, saying he hoped it will become the premier research institution for urban issues and problems, and the Newark Center for Families and Children, which has enabled students to work with the community and faculty to mentor and do research.
Samuels reported that "things are looking up and moving fast, and as long as nobody asks me about parking, we're doing just fine in Newark."
Camden Provost Roger Dennis, also upbeat, noted that "all the indicators for progress on our campus are up. We're very positive and believe that we are not a Nasdaq stock."
Dennis reported that the "outcomes for our students in jobs, placement in graduate school and performances in licensing examinations; the increases in external funding; and our faculty scholarly performance, all continue to be excellent."
Through continued redeployment of resources and retirements, the campus has generated new excitement by adding a significant number of new faculty in each of its schools, Dennis said. Among other positive indicators, he noted, were a new program in teacher education, expanded joint-degree programs in arts and sciences and new joint-degree programs in the law school in association with social work and medicine.
Dennis even suggested an answer to campus parking: "There's never a problem at 7:30 a.m."
The senate held a moment of silence in honor of Irene Alm, associate professor of music and graduate director of musicology and composition at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, who died Oct. 25, and associate professor Susana Rotker-Martínez, director of the graduate program in Spanish in New Brunswick, who was killed in a traffic accident Nov. 27.
In other business, the senate recommended changing the add/drop period on a trial basis next semester to give students a chance to register for classes others have dropped. The add period would run for nine days and the drop period for seven. Currently, the drop period is longer than the add period.
|
