Rutgers Board OKs Controversial Medical School Merger, Tuition Hike

NEW JERSEY — Administrators at Rutgers University have cleared the way for a controversial merger that will create one of the largest public medical schools in the nation.

On Monday, the university’s board of governors voted to merge the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick with the New Jersey Medical School in Newark. The decision came despite strong pushback from staff, students, community groups and several elected officials, who are worried that a merger will leave Newark in the cold and cause “irreparable harm” to the two schools.

University administrators have released two messages to the community about the merger. Read them here and here.

“We understand that this news may evoke mixed emotions for some of you,” Rutgers administrators said. “We want to assure you that we acknowledge and respect these feelings.”

“The primary objective behind pursuing a single medical school accreditation is to create a stronger, more innovative institution that offers significantly enhanced educational opportunities, expanded research endeavors and improved patient care,” medical school deans Robert Johnson and Amy Murtha wrote in a recent email to faculty, students and staff.

Ultimately, it may mean more federal and industry funding as well, administrators said.

“Although we will maintain our individual identities and operate separately as two equal campuses, each with its own co-dean and separate financial and administrative structures, the integration presents numerous opportunities for growth, efficiency and improved collaboration,” the deans continued.

“Our commitment to University Hospital in Newark and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick remains strong, and our relationship with these institutions will remain unchanged,” they added.

Although many details must still be worked through with the university community, administrators confirmed that New Jersey Medical School will remain in Newark. University Hospital Newark will continue as its principal teaching hospital.

Similarly, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School will remain in Middlesex County and maintain its ties with the local community. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital will remain the principal teaching hospital "subject to associated contractual agreements," administrators said.

The first class of the medical education program at Rutgers School of Medicine is expected to be enrolled in the 2028 academic year.

According to administrators, a “thoughtful and collaborative evaluation process” about the potential merger began in January 2019 when Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Chancellor Brian Strom constituted the Future of Academic Medicine Committee.

Rutgers administrators said:

“The committee completed a thorough report that was presented to the University Senate, yielding an extensive series of questions for further analysis. After formal assessments were placed on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, additional committees were formed in Fall 2022 to answer the Senate’s questions, leading to a second report that was delivered to the University Senate on January 31, 2023. The report represented the collective work of numerous faculty, staff, students, community members, and administrators of both medical schools.”

However, the board’s vote on Monday came despite a formal resolution from the university Senate, which requested that the board remove the resolution from its agenda until the Senate could endorse it – a move that caused one Senate member to question if the spirit of shared governance at the university is dead, NorthJersey.com reported.

The merger is still pending approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

Read the resolution authorizing the merger below. Article continues underneath.

CRITICISM

The merger doesn’t come without some serious questions and concerns.

Last week, three state lawmakers – each from the 29th District – sent a joint letter to the board of governors, expressing their opposition to the proposed merger: Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin and Assemblywoman Shanique Speight.

Read their full letter here.

The legislators said they are echoing concerns from faculty, students and other community groups in Brick City, who are worried that the Newark and Camden campuses may get less financial resources than the New Brunswick campus.

They wrote:

“We believe that such a merger would undermine the historical significance of the New Jersey Medical School and go against the spirit of the Newark Agreements, which were enacted into statute under Governor Cahill. We want to emphasize that our opposition to this merger does not stem from a resistance to the evolution of higher education or health care in Newark. On the contrary, we have been supportive of and embraced the advancements in these fields within our city. The New Jersey Medical School serves a vital role in providing the residents of Newark with access to high-quality health care services that address the social determinants of health. Especially considering the current COVID-19 pandemic, the commitment to health care is more pertinent than ever before.”

The lawmakers continued:

“The existence of separate medical schools in Newark and New Brunswick has allowed each institution to thrive and succeed independently. However, merging these schools would likely result in a disproportionate allocation of resources, with increased investment in New Brunswick at the expense of Newark. As Senator Ruiz pointed out to President Holloway at the Senate Budget hearing on this year’s budget, New Brunswick is getting an additional $260 million while $40 million will be divided between Rutgers Camden and Rutgers Newark. This is consistent with previous actions which is why we fear the same will be the future for the New Jersey Medical School.”

“Members of the university had reached out to us to discuss the future of New Jersey Medical School, but never once indicated that the discussion included a merger,” the lawmakers said.

In 2020, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka wrote in an op-ed on NJ.com that the plan is "insultingly and dishonestly being referred to as a merger by the few that support it."

The Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) union – which represents registered nurses and other health care workers – also issued a statement that criticized the merger.

“The board disregarded unanimous oppositional testimony to the merger from community groups as well as Rutgers faculty and student groups from both campuses,” the HPAE stated. “All those who testified expressed concerns about the impact of the merger on University Hospital in Newark, on medical education at both campuses, and on the delivery of medical services, especially to vulnerable communities.”

The union also referenced the Newark Accords, which require University Hospital in Newark to provide critical health care in the city.

“Since the time of the Newark Accords, University Hospital and NJMS together – and only together – have played a significant role in addressing social determinants of health and structural racism in Newark. Speaker after speaker today spoke against the merger, expressing concerns about the impact on the community and Newark’s continued economic and cultural revitalization. If NJMS loses its identity in Newark and its clear connection to University Hospital, it is a step in the wrong direction and in violation of the 1968 Newark Accords.”

The Rutgers merger isn’t the only recent merger involving a New Jersey university.

Earlier this month, Montclair State University and Bloomfield College finalized their highly anticipated merger, which was first announced in 2022. Read More: Montclair State, Bloomfield College Merger Finalized (What To Know)

RUTGERS BUDGET, FEE HIKES

The board of governors also approved the university’s $5.4 billion budget at Monday’s meeting, which includes a 6 percent tuition and fee hike for the 2023-2024 academic year.

According to a statement from the board of governors, the budget also includes a nearly 7 percent increase for meal plan costs, and a 5 percent increase in housing costs for students who reside in Rutgers facilities.

Tuition for full-time New Jersey arts and sciences undergraduate students will increase by approximately $387 from $6,450 per semester to $6,837. Fees vary by program and by student, but typical fees are estimated to increase by approximately $100 per semester.

Administrators said the majority of the university’s budget – 77 percent – is spent on its core mission: 33 percent on academic instruction and support; 32 percent on student scholarships, financial aid and services, public service, extension and patient care; and 12 percent on research activities. The budget projects spending $159 million, or about 3 percent, on athletics.

• See Related: Faculty Union Sues Rutgers Over How Much It Spends On Athletics
• See Related: Rutgers Defends $450K Bill In DoorDash Deliveries For Football Team

According to the board of governors, the latest increases are the result of rising costs to the university, including general inflation, increases in salaries and wages, sharp increases in utilities and commodities, and “unprecedented increases” in the cost of employee benefits such as health insurance premiums and pension contributions.

“Energy costs have affected the university in the same way that they have affected family budgets and have increased by approximately 20 percent over the past few years,” the board said.

“Health insurance and pension costs for the university’s 20,000 benefit-eligible employees saw dramatic and unprecedented one-year increases this year,” the board continued. “In fact, state health benefit costs increased by more than 22 percent in November 2022. Compounding the financial difficulty, the increase was imposed retroactively, and presented the university with an unanticipated $48 million cost.”

The university’s new labor contract with the faculty union, which was agreed to in May 2023 following the first-ever strike by the university faculty, applies retroactively to July 1, 2022. It increases labor costs by nearly 8 percent in the first two years and by a similar amount in the last two years of the four-year agreement.

• See Related: Rutgers Teacher Strike Ends; See Terms Of The Deal

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