Leading cancer researcher appointed executive VP for academic affairs Archived article from Sep 8, 2003 By Carla Cantor   Dr. Philip Furmanski Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Philip Furmanski, one of the nation's leading researchers in cancer cell biology and an accomplished administrator, has been named executive vice president for academic affairs. "I am very excited to be joining the Rutgers community and truly honored to have been selected to serve in this prestigious position," said Furmanski, who began his duties Sept. 1 as executive vice president and professor in the department of cell biology and neuroscience in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences–New Brunswick. He also will hold an appointment as a professor in the department of molecular genetics, microbiology and immunology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–Robert Wood Johnson Medical School upon approval of the faculty and dean of that school. Furmanski, 57, comes to Rutgers from New York University, where he was chair of the department of biology, a position he had held since 1990, and a professor of pathology at New York University School of Medicine. He served as dean of NYU's Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1995 to 1998. "I am delighted that Philip Furmanski has chosen to join our university," said President Richard L. McCormick. "He shares the core values that I have articulated to guide my administration, as well as my commitment to strengthening the education we offer to our students, conducting innovative research and serving the people of New Jersey. He has the perfect combination of ability, experience, scholarship, insight and energy to help lead Rutgers into the top tier of the nation's research universities." David Mechanic, director of Rutgers' Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and head of the search committee, said that the committee had considered some 100 individuals during the search, held interviews with eight candidates and narrowed the list to four finalists before Furmanski emerged as the committee's unanimous choice. "He seemed to have everything we were looking for," said Mechanic. "Committee members were impressed that he could be an outstanding administrator while maintaining his career as a productive cancer scientist." Joseph J. Seneca had served as university vice president for academic affairs for 12 years before returning to the faculty this summer. John L. Colaizzi, dean of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, filled the position on an interim basis. "I was not actually looking to leave NYU, " said Furmanski, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has lived in Manhattan for the last 13 years. But he grew more excited about the Rutgers opportunity during the interview process. "Rutgers is a wonderful institution, with many centers of excellence, and is poised to become one of the truly top-ranking universities in the nation. The new administration is committed to this mission of academic excellence and is pursuing it with great energy and dedication. I am proud to join Dick McCormick and Karen Kavanagh in a leadership team that is intent on moving the university forward. The people I met during the search process — members of the search committee, faculty, students and the administration — all reflected this very strong sense of momentum and purpose, " he said. Furmanski acknowledged that Rutgers, like many other universities, is facing a number of very significant challenges — the proposal to restructure the state's higher education system and the reduction in state aid, among them. "To me, the true measure of a university is not how it functions in good times — it's easy to run a university when resources are plentiful — but how it builds morale and continues to strengthen its academic programs when times are tough." The restructuring plan is one of the reasons Furmanski was attracted to Rutgers. "Combin-ing New Jersey's three public research universities into one statewide system could be of enormous benefit to both Rutgers and UMDNJ," Furmanski said. "My own research and background, which have extended from the arts and sciences to medical schools and research institutes, provide me with a special interest in bringing these institutions together for mutual benefit." In close consultation with the president, Furmanski is responsible for setting university priorities and enhancing Rutgers' academic quality. A critical aspect of Furmanski's new role will be to promote research and instructional collaborations within Rutgers as well as with nonprofit and private organizations. Working with the president and university stakeholders, Furmanski will also define emerging instructional, research and outreach opportunities and develop new initiatives. He also will oversee faculty appointments and promotions as well as the performance and accountability of teaching, research and outreach programs. Furmanksi oversees the 11 degree-granting colleges and schools on the New Brunswick campus, the university libraries, Rutgers University Press, the Zimmerli Museum and 16 prestigious research centers, including three that Rutgers sponsors jointly with UMDNJ. "One of my first goals is to look at the challenges that deans and directors face, the kinds of initiatives being undertaken and how resources are being allocated," Furmanski said. In addition, he said, "I am committed to making the budgeting process more open, interactive and systematic, predicated on our academic goals." Furmanski is also readying himself for a move to New Jersey. He and his wife, Susan Wheeler, recently purchased a home in Rocky Hill. Wheeler, a writer and poet, once taught as an adjunct in the English department in New Brunswick. The couple have two children — Jonathan, a cinematographer, and Lisa, a physician engaged in community medicine and AIDS research in Uganda. Furmanski began his career at Albert Einstein Medical Center and has held research positions at Temple University Medical School, Dartmouth Medical School, Michigan Cancer Foundation and AMC Cancer Research Center. He has taught at the Dartmouth Medical School, Wayne State University School of Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the author or co-author of numerous scholarly articles, books, book chapters, reviews and abstracts. He has served on many review and advisory committees, including current service as chair of the cancer molecular pathobiology study section of the National Institutes of Health and associate editor of the American Journal of Pathology. Furmanski holds a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry and a doctoral degree in microbiology from Temple University.

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