Changes in CFAS Administrative Leadership

April 8, 2010

Members of the Rutgers Community:

It is with deep admiration for a job well done that I report that Margaret Marsh, dean of the Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences (CFAS), has indicated her intention to retire from her administrative position. She will remain on the faculty as a University Professor of History.

In the spirit of her exemplary and well-known commitment to Rutgers, Margaret has agreed to remain in a decanal capacity during the 2010–11 academic year. Effective July 1, 2010, Margaret will serve a one-year appointment as executive dean of the Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences. In this role, she will continue to lead Rutgers–Camden’s largest academic unit, while also completing work on such critical projects as the nascent Center for Urban Research on the Rutgers–Camden Campus. We are fortunate to retain her vision, her leadership, and her extraordinary institutional knowledge.

Upon completion of her term as executive dean, Margaret will retire from her administrative duties effective July 1, 2011. I am confident that she will nonetheless continue to advance Rutgers through distinguished service as a University Professor of History.

I am pleased to also report that Michael Palis, a professor of computer science at Rutgers–Camden, has agreed to return to the role of interim dean of the Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Many members of the entire Rutgers community recall Mike’s admirable performance as interim dean while Margaret served as interim chancellor during 2007 to 2009, and we are grateful for his willingness to step in once again.

During this transition year, Margaret will, in essence, operate as the chief executive officer of CFAS, while Mike will serve as chief operating officer. This structure is being implemented to guarantee that the Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences continues to maintain, and accelerate, its current momentum. This is a critical juncture in the growth of the Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The school is preparing to welcome its first students into new Ph.D. programs in public affairs and computational and integrative biology; research-based initiatives, such as the Center for Urban Research, are growing; and Rutgers–Camden’s current record enrollment of 6,100 is, in no small part, due to student interest in CFAS. We owe both Margaret Marsh and Michael Palis our thanks for their willingness to assume these new duties to assure that the Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences will continue to thrive.

We will launch a national search for Margaret’s successor, who will hold the title of “dean.” Chancellor Wendell Pritchett and I will communicate plans for this search during the coming weeks.

Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey