State needs to plan for quality, capacity Lawrence makes the case before the University Senate Archived article from Oct 7, 2002 By Amy Vames   Photo by Nick Romanenko It is time for New Jersey to take a hard look at its public system of higher education and commit itself to expanding the capacity and enhancing the quality of that system, President Francis L. Lawrence told the University Senate in his State of the University address Sept. 27. "If it is the intent of the state to provide a system of higher education that will give students the technical training, the critical and creative thinking ability, and the learning experience to perform well in our culturally diverse, globally connected workplaces ... then it will need to provide the resources for its public higher education institutions to meet those demands and to offer opportunities for lifelong learning that this sophisticated workforce will need to continue to work productively," Lawrence said. For too long, funding for the state's public colleges and universities has been relegated to the status of a "discretionary expenditure, far from the state's highest priority," Lawrence added. Even more importantly, Lawrence stressed to the senate, is the issue of capacity that is quickly reaching crisis levels and the fact that the state lacks any long-range plan for supporting the capital replacement, maintenance and renewal of physical facilities on its college campuses. New Jersey's growth in college enrollment is projected to be among the highest in the nation within the next few years. Between 2001 and 2005, overall New Jersey college enrollment will increase by more than 9,400 students. By 2008, 22,000 more students will be attending college within the state. "By 2010, it is estimated that the more than 42,000 additional students will need an added 3,300 faculty to teach and mentor them," Lawrence said. "Factor in as well the capital building program it will require to accommodate this flood of new learners and note that the majority of buildings on New Jersey college campuses were built in the 1960s and 1970s and are in dire need of major renovation or replacement. "A flagship institution like Rutgers, with its world-class degree programs and research centers and institutes, has national visibility and a reputation for high quality that enhances the competitiveness of New Jersey in the global economy," Lawrence continued. "To keep this enviable reputation alive and growing, our state needs to make a serious commitment to state support of excellence not only at Rutgers but in all of public higher education." Lawrence said he is encouraged by Gov. James McGreevey's long-range planning effort initiated through the Commission on Higher Education. The process "will examine all these critical issues and ideally result in effective decisions that will enable higher education to meet the needs of 21st-century New Jersey." Despite a budget year hampered by a weak economy and shortfalls in the state's appropriation, "we were able to manage a significant mid-year budget reduction while maintaining our liquidity and our bond rating," Lawrence said. Also maintained were core academic programs and services to students, and Lawrence thanked the university community for working together to achieve that feat. The past year has brought its share of welcome news, Lawrence noted. A bill signed into law this past summer includes an $11 million appropriation to the Camden campus to help it grow into a premier University City. The grant will support the ongoing purchase and rehabilitation of nearby properties and allow for the expansion of the School of Law. Also covered under the award will be new student housing and enhanced service to New Jersey's business community through the campus's technology incubator. In a show of faith in the university's ability to conduct groundbreaking technological research, the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology has awarded Rutgers $7.78 million over the next five years to support projects in nanotechnology at the School of Engineering, food technology at Cook College and wireless sensor technology at the Wireless Information Network Laboratory. A major success story of the past year has been the progress of the Rutgers Campaign: Creating the Future Today. As of Aug. 31, the campaign had raised nearly $439 million. "That brought us nearly 88 percent of the way to our goal, with 22 months left to go in the campaign," Lawrence said. He thanked the faculty and staff who have donated or pledged more than $13 million to the campaign. "The message our donors and friends are delivering, loud and clear, is that, despite the temporary fiscal distress all of us are experiencing as our new century begins, Rutgers is an institution of quality, and we are working hard to ensure that our university will have the resources it needs in order to build on that quality and create a future of distinction," Lawrence said. Outside grants to the university continue to reach new highs, Lawrence added. External contract research totals were up by more than $20 million for the past fiscal year and patent activity continues to increase. Five new spinoff companies based on Rutgers research and technology development were initiated during fiscal year 2002, bringing the total number of university spinoffs to 42. Rutgers also continues to be recognized around the world as a leader in medical research. This past summer, the university announced it was working with colleagues in Belgium on several new potential anti-AIDS drugs. Researchers are also using virtual-reality technology to help stroke victims and are studying the role of tea as a cancer fighter. Rutgers was selected by the National Institutes of Health to develop a National Program of Excellence in Biomedical Computing. In addition to praising the collective minds of the Rutgers community, Lawrence also paid tribute to their hearts and spirits. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Rutgers students, faculty and staff took action. "They worked at ground zero, donated blood and money, and made scores of other contributions to the task of coping and surviving," Lawrence noted. Faculty have conducted research on the quality of the air at the World Trade Center site and held workshops on homeland security issues. A service-learning course in "International Humanitarian Relief" was developed to train students to provide assistance in disasters. During his address, Lawrence recognized five Rutgers police officers and an associate professor of neuroscience who have received Rutgers Service Awards for their participation in the search, rescue and cleanup operations at ground zero. Rutgers is engaged in its host communities in many other ways, Lawrence said. Researchers in New Brunswick are studying ways of easing city traffic and improving early education. "In Newark, we are giving the state advice on better policing procedures," he said. "In Camden, building on the success of its charter grade school, last fall Project LEAP opened a high school housed on our campus with 54 ninth-graders." New initiatives by the Mason Gross School of the Arts are raising the public profile of the arts at Rutgers, and all three campuses are strengthening their efforts to support economic development both locally and internationally. Applications to Rutgers, as well as the SAT scores of first-year enrolling students, are on the rise, Lawrence said. A record 29,440 students applied for the 6,070 seats in the Class of 2006, and there has been a 17-point increase in the composite SAT scores over the past five years. "Since its inception in 1997, more than 4,400 of New Jersey's most accomplished high school seniors have enrolled here through the state's Outstanding Scholars Recruitment Program," Lawrence said.

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