Walter Rand Institute launched in Camden
Archived article from Oct 15, 1999
By Michael Sepanic
To address the needs of South Jersey's citizens, the Camden campus has launched the Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs. The institute will focus scholarly expertise and community resources to address the region's challenges and opportunities.
Named in honor of the late state Sen. Walter Rand (D-5th district), the new initiative will conduct applied policy research; provide training and technical assistance to state and local government and nonprofit agencies; and oversee educational outreach programs targeted to secondary and county college populations.
"This is a natural extension of Camden's responsibility as the southernmost representative of the State University of New Jersey," said Provost Roger Dennis. "As a land-grant university, our duty is to find new ways to serve the citizens of the state. The Rand Institute will focus our considerable faculty talents on behalf of our region."
According to Felipe Gorostiza, executive director of the Rand Institute, the nascent organization will benefit state, municipal and county governments, by providing issue-oriented analysis relevant to the eight southern counties.
"Southern New Jersey is a rapidly growing area in terms of its population, economy and real-estate development," said Gorostiza. "We offer a perspective that seeks to help guide growth patterns that are sensitive to the social and environmental needs of the region's population."
Twenty-two faculty members will serve as faculty associates. Of these, three will serve as the Rand Institute's first faculty fellows: Sheila Foster, associate professor of law, will examine environmental legal issues in Camden and Gloucester counties; Drew Humphries, associate professor of criminal justice, will study family law and juvenile-justice matters; and Jon Van Til, professor of urban studies, will explore the impact of social capital on the Fairview section of Camden.
"This truly is an interdisciplinary, campuswide effort," noted Richard Harris, a professor of political science and faculty director of the institute.
That effort has not gone unnoticed. During the institute's official launch Oct. 6, a panel of speakers paused during their discussion of "Regional Development and Cooperation" to praise the new endeavor. Both Lewis Katz, managing owner of the New Jersey Nets and a Camden-born philanthropist, and former Camden Mayor Melvin "Randy" Primas applauded the campus for creating a forum to consider the region's needs.
The event was attended by more than 125 community and business leaders, including Rand's widow, Leah, and his two sons.
The new institute will hold a daylong summit on the future of South Jersey Saturday, Nov. 6. The event, which will bring business and community leaders to the Camden campus, is co-sponsored by the Courier-Post.
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