Rutgers reinvests $7.8 million in academic priorities
SROA enters fourth phase with additional funding of $4 million
Archived article from Sep 24, 1999
By Douglas Frank
President Francis L. Lawrence has announced the commitment of more than $7.8 million to fund vital Rutgers initiatives under a third phase of the Reinvest in Rutgers program, and has launched a fourth phase of the Strategic Resource and Opportunity Analysis (SROA) awards.
"This is a very significant amount of resources, and it reflects our values and priorities to enhance the academic core and the support services essential to it," the president said in a letter to the university community. "While large in size, this amount must cover a very large university with many worthy needs and initiatives."
The new allocation comes as the university enters its fourth century of service to society, the president affirmed, noting that outside grants awarded to faculty and programs totaled $165 million, an all-time high; fund raising reached an all-time high of $60.6 million; the state appropriation increased by 3.5 percent; and three previous SROA cycles totaling $12 million led to more than $96 million in leveraged funds.
The president said that he was committing $4 million in SROA awards again this year, adding,"I know our faculty will make this new cycle as successful as the past three."
Part of the Reinvest in Rutgers initiative will provide for new faculty positions for new program development in areas of high student demand and need, as well as for appointments in selected areas identified by the strategic plan, "A New Vision for Excellence."
Noting that this is the second consecutive year of making more than 100 new faculty appointments, Lawrence said he was looking forward "to another successful faculty recruitment cycle, and I will support this effort with Reinvest funds for the start-up needs so vital to success in academic recruiting."
Reinvest in Rutgers funds will also fund a two-part $1 million program administered by Rutgers University Computing Services (RUCS), the Office of Academic Affairs, the Teaching Excellence Center and University Human Resources to purchase new personal computers for academic units and provide employees with computer training.
To help attract highly qualified graduate students in the most competitive programs, a total of $500,000 will be allocated to selective graduate student support as determined by priorities of the academic departments, deans and academic officers.
Reinvest funds will also advance the multi-cultural blueprint on all the campuses, including initial efforts at establishing an Asian Culture Center, as recommended by the University Senate.
A $1 million Reinvest award will go to the Rutgers libraries for collections and for smart-classroom support for the instructional innovations that are "so critical to our students and faculty for learning and teaching," said Lawrence.
"Our libraries are on the correct path of expanding digital access, balancing costs and uses in their acquisitions decisions, and examining content and context in term of our needs as a university, given the goals of the strategic plan," he said.
Another $2 million in Reinvest funds will go toward upgrading academic facilities and classrooms on all three campuses. The university will receive $169 million from the state for capital improvements and upgrades, but must provide the debt service on one-third of the total, Lawrence said.
"We have initiated a review to assess our needs systematically and allocate these very welcome capital resources in a way that addresses our physical renewal priorities," added Lawrence.
In concluding, Lawrence praised the students, faculty and staff of the university, adding that he is enthusiastic about the future of Rutgers.
"I see every day evidence of a sense of engage-ment and eagerness in our faculty to innovate and change as the world rapidly changes around us. Our students are talented, challenging, and are coming to us in numbers and quality that reflect the growing reputations of our colleges, schools and programs. Our staff is managing the complex changes -- technological and organizational -- that accompany our efforts to integrate technology into all that we do in a world that is ever more global and ever more competitive."
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