The effort to transform undergraduate education at Rutgers’ largest campus began in 2004, when President Richard L. McCormick and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski appointed the Task Force on Undergraduate Education and charged the group with examining all aspects of the undergraduate experience at Rutgers–New Brunswick.
A year later, a major report was issued: Transforming Undergraduate Education: Report of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education at Rutgers–New Brunswick/Piscataway. The 178-page report included a comprehensive series of recommendations covering all aspects of the undergraduate experience, including student recruitment and admissions, core educational requirements, facilities, student life, and the academic structure of the university.
After a lively and thought-provoking discussion about the report’s far-reaching proposals, President McCormick issued recommendations to reinvigorate the undergraduate experience at Rutgers by creating a more satisfying, more coherent, less frustrating, less confusing, and more rational academic environment for all students. On March 10, 2006, the Board of Governors approved President McCormick’s recommendations.
Over the next year and a half, these recommendations were implemented, culminating with the enrollment of the first students in the new School of Arts and Sciences in the fall of 2007.
Key Documents- President McCormick’s Recommendations to the Board of Governors (March 2006) [PDF]
- Transforming Undergraduate Education: Report of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education (July 18, 2005) [PDF]
- Task Force Charge for Undergraduate Education (April 12, 2004)
- Rutgers Board of Governors Enthusiastically Adopts President McCormick's Bold Vision to Enhance Undergraduate Education (March 10, 2006)
- Rutgers President Proposes Bold Vision to Enhance Undergraduate Education (March 7, 2006)
- Rutgers Task Force Announces Comprehensive Recommendations to Transform Undergraduate Education (July 18, 2005)
- Helping Undergraduates Navigate the Transition: Letter to Faculty and Staff (August 21, 2007)
- Helping Navigate the Transition at Rutgers–New Brunswick: Letter to Students (August 21, 2007)
- Progress on Transforming Undergraduate Education (September 7, 2006)
- Key Appointments for Implementing the Transformation (March 16, 2006)
- Board Acts to Transform Undergraduate Education (March 10, 2006)
- President's Recommendations for Transforming Undergraduate Education: Letter to the Rutgers–New Brunswick Campus Community (March 7, 2006)
- Improving Undergraduate Education at Rutgers: Letter to the Rutgers–Newark Campus Community (March 7, 2006)
- Improving Undergraduate Education at Rutgers: Letter to the Rutgers–Camden Campus Community (March 7, 2006)
- Transforming Undergraduate Education at Rutgers–New Brunswick (July 18, 2005)
- A New Year at a New Rutgers: An Essay on Undergraduate Education by Barry Qualls (September 12, 2007)
- Undergraduate Education: Residence Life (May 30, 2007)
- Undergraduate Education: First-year Students (February 21, 2007)
- Undergraduate Education: Health Services (January 24, 2007)
- Undergraduate Education: Honors (October 25, 2006)
- Undergraduate Education: Curriculum (October 11, 2006)
- Undergraduate Education: Admissions and Recruitment (September 13, 2006)
- Steering Committee on Implementation
Information about the committee that guided the transformation of undergraduate education at Rutgers–New Brunswick. - Subcommittees of the Steering Committee on Implementation
Details on the subcommittees that addressed various issues related to the implementation.
