U. analyzes merger with state college
The University and Thomas Edison State College may soon become one, as proposed on March 16 in Gov. Chris Christie's budget address.
The governor's proposal calls for the merger between TESC and the University, which drew many questions from both colleges on whether the merger would be sensible.
University Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip J. Furmanski said the University does not know whether the merger will occur, but the University is looking at every aspect in case it does.
"We are, at the moment, doing a good deal of study to see what it would mean to bring Thomas Edison into our school," he said.
Furmanski noted there is a false image of the incompatibility between the two schools, because TESC is generally aimed at adults attempting to further their education.
"We do have a major commitment to non-traditional students at Rutgers," he said. "There is no inherent academic incapability between Thomas Edison and Rutgers."
Joseph Guzzardo, director of communications at TESC, provided a different viewpoint, saying the two schools are completely different in their missions.
"They are not apples to apples. They're very different when you look at the way they were set up and when you look at the academic institutions," he said. "Our take on the proposed merger is that we don't believe [TESC] would be able to exist in the autonomous way we do now."
Although the two institutions do not have the same missions, this is not the biggest concern.
Christie's budget proposal also cuts funding to the State Library of New Jersey, which students of TESC rely on for academic resources. Associate Professor of Library and Information Sciences Daniel O'Connor said if the merger does occur, this could leave the University to fund the state library.
"My remarks today are to bring into focus the implications of incorporating The New Jersey State Library and the New Jersey library network into Rutgers and the impact this may have on student tuition and fees," O'Connor said in his April 5 testimony before the Board of Governors' Committee.
Furmanski said the University is looking into how the merger would affect the library, but assured it would not increase students' tuition.
"Whatever happens … we would not place the burden of financing any of these mergers on our students," he said.
Norma Blake, N.J. State Librarian, said the effect of the merger would not be ideal for the University.
"It's not a good thing for Rutgers or its students," Blake said. "Somebody is going to have to pay for these services, and these are not services that are germane to students or professors."
She said because of the proposed $10.4 million cut in funding for the state library, the University would be left to coffer for the money and could potentially force students to fund a library they may never use.
"The state library is not your typical academic library," she said. "The state library's function is to serve state government and Thomas Edison students who are at the age of 40. We are not used to serving 18 to 24-year-olds."
Blake added it was not only loss of funding for the state library but special needs libraries like the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center, a library for the blind and handicapped.
"It is a federally mandated service, and it's the only special needs library in the state," she said. "It still needs to be operated because it has been federally mandated."
School of Arts and Sciences junior Anthony Riga said he would not be in favor of paying more tuition for libraries that would be of no help to his studies.
"It doesn't really make sense that I have to pay for it if I'm not going to use it," he said. "I understand that it goes to the University but I want to pay for things I want to use."
Guzzardo said if the University was unable to provide funding for the state library, it would have a negative effect on TESC and its students.
"It would cause a burden on the students of TESC. They would lose the resources they've come to rely on," he said. "Obviously, if the resources aren't there, then the services can't be provided."
School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Indra Murti provided a different viewpoint, saying it would not be burdening if it were only a small increase in tuition.
"If it is going to help people and if it wouldn't really affect our tuition too much, then it's probably worth it," she said.
O'Connor said in his testimony the University is left with two decisions — to either not fund the state library and its regional library cooperatives or to incorporate funding for the library into the University budget.
"To not fund the library commitments would create a public uproar in each N.J. community where citizens and businesses would blame Rutgers for dismantling an effective and well-regarded library network," he said. "Should Rutgers students be expected to support N.J.'s State Library and the multi-type library network?"
Blake said the governor's budget proposal team did not take into effect the negative consequences of their decision.
"There was thought that the missions of both Rutgers and Thomas Edison could be enhanced if they worked together," she said. "But nobody looked closely at the big disparity in the mission."
Blake said the proposal did not get enough attention because the budget team was dealing with two budget cycles at once.
"They had to make quick decisions on things and now they're stepping back to wait for Thomas Edison and Rutgers to tell them the ramifications of their decision," she said. "It's our job as people who work for Thomas Edison and for Rutgers to let them know what those consequences are and that's what we're doing right now."
