NJ approves merger of dental school into Rutgers

The New Jersey Legislature has approved a significant restructuring that merges the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) into Rutgers University, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

UMDNJ's medical, nursing, and other biomedical institutions in Newark and New Brunswick will also merge with Rutgers. The move will integrate multiple campuses located throughout the state and affect some 30,000 employees.

It took several days of difficult negotiations between Sen. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) and Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Middlesex), who sponsored the bill, and Rutgers' two boards for the approval. Rutgers' board of governors has yet to fully endorse the measure. The board of trustees, which had threatened to sue Gov. Chris Christie and the Legislature if it approved the measure without its approval, will vote on its position soon, the article noted.

It has the support of Gov. Christie, who hopes that the maneuver will help attract more pharmaceutical and technology companies to the state, while improving its position as a competitor for federal research dollars. Two other governors have previously attempted, unsuccessfully, to pass similar measures.

According to the legislation, a nine-member board of directors -- five appointed by Rutgers' boards and four by the governor's office -- will run Rutgers-Camden.

A $750 million bond issue that would finance construction projects at the campuses was also approved and will be voted on in the fall. $500 million from a previous higher-education bond issue will also go toward construction.