Rutgers board approves absorption of UMDNJ

The governing boards of Rutgers University on Monday approved absorbing most of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a major step in the overhaul of the state's higher education system.

The Board of Governors and Board of Trustees accepted the changes called for in a law signed by Gov. Christie in August.

"The new Rutgers will expand biomedical research across our state, enhance medical care for our citizens, and create new opportunities in the biotechnical and pharmaceutical industries," Ralph Izzo, chairman of the Board of Governors, said in a statement.

Proponents hope that having one school contain both scientific research and medical education will make Rutgers a better partner to the pharmaceutical industry, a key part of the state's economy.

In the reorganization, hashed out by Christie and leaders of the Democratic-controlled legislature, Rutgers will take over most of UMDNJ, including a cancer institute and two medical schools.

Previous plans to realign New Jersey's universities never got close to becoming reality. The most contentious part of Christie's initial plan was that Glassboro-based Rowan University would get the Camden campus of Rutgers. Instead, Rowan and Rutgers-Camden will collaborate on health-science research and teaching.

And Rowan, which opened the doors of its medical school in Camden in August, will get research university status from the state. Rowan also will absorb the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford from UMDNJ.

University Hospital in Newark, now part of UMDNJ, is to remain a teaching hospital, but will become free-standing.

Rutgers and UMDNJ have been working out technical details of the change voted on Monday, which takes effect in July.