Information for New Jersey's Policy Leaders
May 2007
Campus News |
Service to the State |
People in the Know
CAMPUS NEWS
University Graduates Close to 11,000
Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick conferred all graduate and undergraduate degrees on an estimated 10,990 graduates at the university’s 241st anniversary Commencement held on May 16 at Voorhees Mall on the College Avenue Campus. Approximately 7,455 received baccalaureate degrees and 3,535 received master’s and doctorates in the Rutgers Class of 2007. Representative graduates from all degree-granting units and their families received greetings and congratulations from broadcaster and political commentator Tavis Smiley, who was the convocation speaker. A best-selling author, noted philanthropist and a strong voice for social change, Smiley received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Rutgers Tops National RecycleMania 2007 Competition
Rutgers gained top honors in two categories and placed within the top five in four other categories in the National RecycleMania 2007 competition which took place from January 28 to April 7. The university won the “Gorilla Prize” by collecting more than 2.7 million pounds of recyclables and the “Food Service Organics Prize” by recycling the largest amount of organic food waste (71.2 pounds) per person on campus. RecycleMania is an annual nationwide “friendly competition” among college and university recycling programs to reduce waste and promote recycling on their campuses. This year, 201 institutions from 42 states and the District of Columbia participated.
New Appointments at Newark Campus
Several appointments on the Newark campus have been announced by Rutgers president Richard L. McCormick over the last month. Business leader Michael R. Cooper of Princeton has been appointed dean of Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, effective June 1, 2007. Distinguished Australian public official and criminal justice scholar Adam Graycar has been named
dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers–Newark. The appointment is effective July 1, 2007. Scholar and educator Philip L. Yeagle, PhD, was named
dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark (FAS-N), effective August 15, 2007.
Center Named Food Incubator of the Year
The Rutgers Food Innovation Center has been named “Incubator of the Year” by the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA). The Center, an economic development program and business incubator of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), received top honors from the NBIA in the services and manufacturing category. Each year, the NBIA honors the business incubation programs, client companies and program graduates that exemplify the best of the industry.
National Academy of Sciences Elects Two Rutgers Professors
Two distinguished faculty members of Rutgers have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors an American scientist or engineer can achieve. Hugo K. Dooner is a professor at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology and in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (formerly Cook College) known primarily for his research into the genetics of maize (corn). Paul G. Falkowski is a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Science who has gained recognition for his achievements in understanding the photosynthetic processes and evolution of marine phytoplankton, and the role of the ocean in the global biogeochemical cycle. The two scientists join a select group of 19 NAS members from Rutgers and were among the 72 new members chosen by NAS on May 1.
SERVICE TO THE STATE
NJ Maintains Rapid Rate of Urban Development
An evaluation of newly-released data to assess recent urban development and loss of open space in New Jersey, undertaken by a collaborative research team from Rutgers and Rowan universities show preliminary findings that New Jersey is among the most rapidly urbanizing states in the nation, continuing a trend of the last 20 years. A final report, expected to be released at the end of spring 2007, will detail urban development trends and loss of open space throughout the state. Preliminary findings released on March 22 highlight the major trends occurring statewide revealed in the analysis. For further information and continuing updates visit: http://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/lc/.
Summit on Attracting Women to Science and Technology Careers
Rutgers hosts the New Jersey Women Discovery Science and Technology Workforce Summit to ask and seek answers to why it is difficult to attract women to, and keep them in, scientific and technical careers. The summit will be held on June 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Trayes Hall in the Douglass College Center in New Brunswick. Participants include state policymakers, New Jersey educators and corporate executives. For more information, call Joan Bennett at 732-932-9375, ext. 386.
Open House for Physical Therapy Program
Prospective students interested in the Rutgers University-Camden graduate program in physical therapy are invited to an Open House in Stratford at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 14. This information session will allow interested individuals to learn more about the academic requirements for admission to the graduate physical therapy program offered jointly by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Rutgers-Camden. The session will be held in suite 2080 of the UMDNJ University Educational Center, located on East Laurel Road in Stratford. To register for the open house, call (856) 566-6456 or email:
mptgradm@umdnj.edu.
PEOPLE IN THE KNOW
If you'd like to know more about:
How New Jersey Can Attract More Women to Science and Technology Careers, contact Joan W. Bennett, Rutgers’ vice president for the promotion of women in science, mathematics and engineering. Bennett, a distinguished biologist who came to Rutgers specifically to attract, mentor and retain women scientists. Contact Bennett at 732-932-9375, ext. 386, or by e-mail at
profmycogirl@yahoo.com
Looking for Rutgers expertise on a particular topic? Browse the
Rutgers Speakers Bureau:
http://ur.rutgers.edu/speakers/
For additional information and news, click on the following links:
Questions and comments, please contact
staterel@oldqueens.rutgers.edu
