Newark Provost Samuels to return to faculty
Archived article from Feb 15, 2002
By Helen Paxton
Norman Samuels, a widely respected leader in higher education in the state for 30 years, will step down as provost of the Newark campus in June and return to the faculty to teach political science. His resignation was accepted with "profound regret" by President Francis L. Lawrence.
In two decades as provost, Samuels has overseen the development of Rutgers-Newark into a major national research university center with extensive undergraduate, graduate, professional and outreach programs. Described by Lawrence as a "driving force for Rutgers-Newark and a catalyst for change," Samuels directed major advancements in the development of doctoral and other graduate programs; in research facilities and research grants; in buildings, grounds and infrastructure of the 35-acre campus; and in joint programs with University Heights neighbors New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).
Commenting on the timing of his resignation, Samuels said, "This June will mark my 20th anniversary as provost. Taken together with my earlier work as dean, I will have served Rutgers in senior administrative positions for over 30 years. Those are nice round numbers, and this is a nice moment for me to make way for fresh energy and ideas in the leadership of this campus."
As a key player in the resurgence of Newark, the state's largest city, Samuels collaborated with the presidents of NJIT, UMDNJ and Essex County College to develop the city as a leading center of higher education. Newark now ranks as the sixth-largest complex for higher education in the nation, with a student population close to 40,000. With the leaders of NJIT and UMDNJ, Samuels promoted the development of University Heights Science Park.
"Norman Samuels has fostered cutting-edge research and teaching of the highest order on the Newark campus," said Newark Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Steven Diner. "He championed the revitalization of Newark and its integral connection to the campus, and insisted that Rutgers-Newark represent fully the racial and ethnic diversity of Newark and New Jersey. His visionary leadership will be sorely missed."
Professor Richard Langhorne, director of the Center for Global Change and Governance, offered another view. "The key word about Norman Samuels is consistency -- consistency of purpose and long-term strategy, consistency in support of the Newark campus and its faculty, and the most remarkable consistency of courtesy and understanding. I have acquired the deepest respect for his achievement. He has undoubtedly been the most effective head of a university I have worked with on two continents, and I am deeply sorry he is going to leave the office of provost."
Samuels, a Montreal, Que., native, received his B.A. from McGill University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University. He has been active for decades with numerous civic and community organizations, including service on the boards of the Regional Business Partnership, the New Newark Foundation, The Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, the United Jewish Federation of Metropolitan New Jersey and others.
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