Whitman praises Rutgers for its high-tech research
Archived article from Feb 16, 2001
By Douglas Frank
My goal is nothing short of sending New Jersey to the head of the class in high technology," proclaimed an enthusiastic Gov. Christie Whitman to a Rutgers audience gathered in the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience last month.
"And if what we're seeing here at Rutgers is any indication, we're well on our way to finding ourselves at the head of that class and maintaining that position," she said in her last visit to the State University before becoming head of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.
"It's your talent, your creativity, your commitment that is truly setting this state apart, and for that I thank all who are involved," she continued, addressing some 40 members of the faculty from the sciences and engineering who conduct the many research projects that have significant impact on New Jersey's economy.
Noting that "high technology continues to be a challenge that we must embrace, a challenge upon which we must build," the governor hinted at the new research funding initiatives -- including funding for two biotechnology buildings at Rutgers -- that she subsequently announced in her state of the state and budget messages.
"When you come to a facility like this, you begin to get an appreciation of the incredible advances that are going on through the imagination and the research and the intelligence of the people we attract here," Whitman asserted. Prior to her remarks, the governor toured the Keck facility's laboratories, guided by the center's director, Wise Young.
"I can think of no better place to be than here at Rutgers to talk some more about our efforts to propel all our campuses to the very forefront of high-technology research and extend a helping hand to new high-tech businesses that are being created," Whitman said.
The governor warned, however, that "every state is now making high technology a priority. We simply cannot stand still and hope to continue our position at the forefront. We need to keep challenging our colleges and universities to reach for excellence."
President Francis L. Lawrence and Joseph J. Seneca, university vice president for academic affairs, also spoke at the event. Lawrence congratulated Whitman on her "vision," which, he said, has been a significant part of the success of the state's research universities.
"For the past five years Governor Whitman and we at Rutgers have shared a common vision for the future of New Jersey, grounded in the current reality and future promise of high technology and the prosperous economy that flows from it," Lawrence said.
"In these past years, our visions and our goals concerning technology have converged and brought us -- Rutgers and New Jersey -- to this point at which we can plan together to bring the discoveries of science and technology produced by our Rutgers researchers to benefit the people and economy of New Jersey and beyond."
Addressing the governor, Seneca noted that the gathering "collectively affirms the impact of scientific advances and the importance of your support for high technology and science-based university research."
"Rutgers, too, in its mission of education, research and service has added a fourth mission, of economic development, that is embodied in the high-technology initiatives of your administration," Seneca added.
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