Merger Between MSU, Bloomfield College Has Teachers Worried, Prof Says

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — In the end, it’s about the students. But the impending merger between Bloomfield College and Montclair State University also has serious consequences for teachers – and many are still wondering if they’ll have a job, a professor says.

Last fall, the two schools announced that they plan to merge together, forming a new entity: Bloomfield College of Montclair State University. Read More: Montclair, Bloomfield College Merger; How Would It Impact Students?

Bloomfield College will operate independently in close collaboration with Montclair State University through the 2022-2023 academic year, and until it is officially part of the university. The goal is for the merger to be completed on or before June 30, 2023.

“Montclair State University will make every effort to provide employment opportunities for Bloomfield College's current employees,” administrators previously said.

But according to Jim Murphy, a longtime professor at Bloomfield College, concerns continue to spread among his peers about their futures at the new school.

Murphy – who serves as chair of the Mathematics and Natural Science Division and president of the AAUP chapter of Bloomfield College – elaborated on some of these worries in an email to Patch. He wrote:

“After 28 years of teaching biology at Bloomfield College, I learned in November that our institution would be acquired by Montclair State University. Like most of my faculty colleagues, Bloomfield has been the focus of my adult life outside of my family. I am proud that our college supports first-generation college students, many who are low-income and students of color, through their undergraduate education and is a leader in social mobility — the best in the state, according to U.S. News & World Report. Our faculty work with students typically underrepresented in STEM, producing highly competitive graduates. Many students participate in carrying out independent research projects. Recent graduates have entered masters programs, completed Ph.D.s and published scientific articles. Last year our science graduates were placed in positions in drug companies, the home products industry and the medical diagnostics industry.

“Bloomfield College will close on June 30, 2023, and officially join Montclair State. We hope the mission will be carried out by the new Bloomfield College of Montclair State University. However, Bloomfield College faculty are concerned about the student experience. One student wrote recently that their favorite professor “better have a job at the new place.” Student statements like this are common and touching. They demonstrate significant concern for us and their own academic future in which we play a major part.

“We acknowledge that both institutions have spoken of keeping as many of the current faculty as possible. The problem is, without job guarantees, which have been extended to all senior administrators in the merger agreement, many faculty are not going to be able to stay and continue to serve our students and mission.

“As it stands, faculty won’t learn if they have a job after June 30, 2023, until March 1. By then it will be too late to start looking for a new job. Frankly, the late announcement in November of the impending merger has already put faculty in a tough spot. Professors typically apply for jobs in September and October. We missed those deadlines. Despite our commitment to Bloomfield College and our students, faculty and staff have been forced to start looking for jobs already. And they will probably take other offers as they arise because no retention or severance, much less job security at Montclair State, have been offered to Bloomfield faculty. If current trends continue, there won’t be any Bloomfield College community of faculty to preserve. At that point, Bloomfield College of Montclair State University will be Bloomfield College in name only. In every meaningful sense, it will have closed. Its faculty, staff and the mission they uphold — gone.

“That is why the Bloomfield College American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapter is working hard on negotiating with Bloomfield senior administrators for retention and severance payments for faculty. These payments will allow faculty to take the chance to stay until they find out if they have a job at the new Bloomfield College.

“After all, it is the faculty and staff that have made Bloomfield’s mission possible, the mission that the legislature and the governor are seeking to preserve. Severance and retention pay is one of the few ways we can see to preserve the community of faculty that have carried out the mission of supporting low-income and students of color through their undergraduate college education. Faculty and staff, many who have served the college and our students for more than 20 years, want to be able to continue the mission going forward. With severance and retention pay, faculty could survive through the longer job search that might confront us on March 1.

“We are excited about the chance to be part of a new chapter for the college. We think the administrations of Bloomfield College and Montclair State University recognize the importance of faculty’s role; we all have to figure out a way to let us do what we do best.

“I want to emphasize that the best outcome for our students and our mission is to continue at Bloomfield College. We are passionately committed to the place. Our students know that, and they want us to stay.”

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