December 16, 2003 Letter to Dr. Vagelos from Representatives of NJIT, Rutgers, UMDNJ

December 16, 2002

Dr. P. Roy Vagelos
Chair, Review and Implementation Committee
NJ Commission for Health Science, Education and Training
Merck & Co., Inc
1 Crossroads Drive, Building A
Bedminster, NJ 07921

Dear Dr. Vagelos:

The representatives of governance bodies of the three New Jersey Public Research Universities listed below applaud Governor McGreevey and the New Jersey Commission on Health Science, Education and Training for their vision to advance New Jersey public research universities into the top tier of state-university systems. We are eager to assist the Review and Implementation Committee, having recognized the potential benefits of a carefully implemented restructuring plan, provided that:

the state provides adequate, sustained and predictable funding to advance to the next level of academic excellence and to independently support the University Hospital;
the major stakeholders in higher education, play a leading role in all stages of the restructuring.

Regardless of the restructuring plan, it is crucial that, in addition to deans and other administrators, all other major stakeholders are involved from the beginning and in every stage of review and implementation. Students, faculty, and alumni are all major stakeholders whose role has not been clearly defined. Indeed, these stakeholders are eager to participate in, and should be appointed to, all the appropriate Issue Working Groups. They should also be appointed to the University Committees for the various campuses, the Community Advisory and Academic Advisory Groups, as well as any committees created for actions across the system. In addition, we strongly urge that the role of shared governance, be preserved and expanded in the restructured system.

Sincerely, for the:
NJIT Faculty Council: Norman Loney
Rutgers - Camden Faculty Senate: Carol Singley
Rutgers - Newark Faculty Council: John Randall
Rutgers - New Brunswick Faculty Council: Fred Kauffman
Rutgers University Senate: Paul Panayotatos
UMDNJ - NJ Medical School Faculty Organization: Elizabeth Raveche
UMDNJ - School of Dentistry Faculty Organization: Talib Najjar