Holloway addresses campus differences, Newark Chancellor role at town hall
On Wednesday, Rutgers—Newark's Student Government Association (SGA) hosted an undergraduate town hall with University President Jonathan Holloway discussing tuition, the search for the next Newark chancellor and how different Rutgers campuses are treated.
The event was held at the Express Newark center and featured curated questions asked by SGA senators based on suggestions from the general student body.
The first question was about ensuring that students on the Newark and Camden campuses are treated with as much respect as their peers in New Brunswick. In his answer, Holloway acknowledged that this was an issue he had been dealing with since the beginning of his transition period as president.
He said his advisors told him not just to come to Newark or Camden when new buildings open or construction begins. He said he attends weekly administrative cabinet meetings held across the various campuses in an effort to maintain strong relationships throughout the schools, but his job is based in New Brunswick.
“So, New Brunswick does get more of my time and attention because of geography and job description. That’s just the fact of it,” Holloway said.
In the aftermath of Rutgers—Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s departure, Holloway said the Newark campus will primarily handle the process of finding her replacement after an outside firm gathers initial candidates over the summer.
“Heading at the very start of the Fall (2024) semester, a search committee will be formed … primarily staffed by faculty. There’ll be some administrative representation, some student representation, staff representation as well,” he said.
The issue of rising tuition costs was also brought up during the meeting with Holloway and J. Michael Gower, the University’s chief financial officer and treasurer.
Holloway said that despite the University’s efforts to make tuition affordable and transparent, other factors often get in the way.
Gower said some of the factors include the University's current budget deficit and the lack of information from the state government regarding funding until late in the budget process.
“There’s also always the question of, ‘Why can’t we tell you earlier?’ We can’t tell you earlier because the state doesn’t give us full information about what we’re going to receive until approximately June 29,” he said. “And that gives us very little time to both react to it, set something up with the Board of Governors and then actually get bills out and financial aid packaging out. So it’s a very complicated piece of work there.”
Holloway ended the town hall with questions about what the future holds for the University, as the Fall 2024 semester looms under the backdrop of the 2024 presidential election. Holloway said the University plans to keep students politically aware and informed.
When asked about his hopes for the undergraduate population, Holloway began by noting that his role as University president is limited in scope with regard to certain aspects.
“One of the things that I’m concerned about — that I have some measure of control over — is the extent to which we can generate and push out programs that are committed to increasing civic dialogue, making sure that we are doing everything we can as an institution to support voter registration — the product of democracy, and that will look a little different on each specific campus,” Holloway said.
He said his role within the Newark campus is to maintain a stable and healthy campus environment.
“What I hope for the Rutgers—Newark students in general is … a healthy learning environment, an accessible education, things that we have already been talking about. So, my commitment is to do everything we can to make sure that Rutgers is as accessible as possible,” Holloway said.
