The initial phase of the state’s college merger has begun. Rowan University President Dr. Ali Houshmand told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that he is relieved and delighted with the process so far. He believes the merger will be good for Rowan and the residents of South Jersey and he has plans to expand the university’s reach even further.
Houshmand said many months of hard work has resulted in a good initial stage of integration. He said the faculty and staff retained their jobs and students are well served. But more work needs to be done.
“Integration of this magnitude really takes longer than the period of time that we’ve spent. You need to make sure that we get the two institutions, the paperwork, the payroll and all of that done. And then later on, hopefully the faculty from both institutions get together. You could create critical mass. You could probably structure some departments, some colleges. All of those things can happen in due time,” Houshmand said. “But the most important thing is that students are going to be taken care of, the faculty and staff are going to be taken care of and we can now start dealing with the actual cultural integration of the two institutions.”
Houshmand sees the new structure as a benefit for southern New Jersey because it offers a comprehensive research institution to the area of about 2.5 million people. “We’re allowed to create and offer doctoral programs where we have two medical schools, where we have opportunities for New Jersey residents to stay in New Jersey instead of leaving the state to seek education,” he said. “I think those are very, very significant and really is going to impact the economy of this region.”
Financing such big changes has been a concern for many. Houshmand said for the first time, Rowan has not increased tuition and fees for its students because it has efficiently managed its budgets. He said that the state appropriations have been sufficient so far for the merger. “We have committed to them that in return we will continue being efficient, entrepreneurial, do a lot of public/private partnerships and hopefully moving forward we will never get to the point where we have to increase the tuition and fees,” he said. “And my commitment to the students has been we will never increase tuition and fees beyond the rate of inflation as long as I’m the president.”
Houshmand hopes to double the size of Rowan’s student population, though he said that doesn’t necessarily mean a dramatic increase in on-campus students. “There are many modes of deliveries. We’re not talking about 25,000 students located on campus. We are talking about a mix of online, collaboration with community colleges, off-campus operations, international students, out of state students, doctoral students. So that means absolutely we can do that,” he said. “And I really believe that if we can create efficiency and re-engineer a new university where every dollar that we spend is accounted for, I’m absolutely certain we do not have to balance our budget in the future on the back of the students or the taxpayers beyond a reasonable amount.”
The one concern Houshmand said he has regarding the merger is “harmony amongst the people.” He said he believes all of the groups in higher education are important, including faculty, staff, alumni, students, parents, the Board of Trustees and state legislators.
“To the extent I can maintain that harmony so that all of us can focus toward the goal of reaching this university to the point we want to take it, I think that that is the one nagging issue for me. I want to make sure that I constantly stay connected with the union, with the faculty, with the staff, with the administration, with the students and alumni to make sure that their concerns have been responded to,” Houshmand said. “And I think if we can maintain that harmony, things are going to look really, really bright in the future.”