Decision to Postpone the Greening of College Avenue

March 4, 2010

Members of the Rutgers Community:

The state’s severe fiscal problems have affected, and will continue to affect, the level of funding available to public higher education in New Jersey. Rutgers must keep a very careful eye on its spending priorities to ensure our long-term growth and vitality. The midyear state budget cuts, and the certainty of an austere Fiscal Year 2011 budget, will challenge us in the months and years ahead, and these realities will force us to reassess the relative urgency of a host of important programs and projects.

Last month, in light of the distressed economy and reduced state support to the university, the Board of Governors approved my administration’s recommendation to postpone the greening of College Avenue, which had begun with the placement of utility lines underground last summer. We made the postponement decision with regret but in recognition of serious constraints on the university budget and other pressing needs. Resources intended for the greening project will be applied to academic priorities on the New Brunswick Campus.

Rutgers remains committed to creating an attractive and welcoming campus environment for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. In fact, with funding already provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the university will continue to work with the City of New Brunswick to make transportation improvements along College Avenue. It remains my intention to move forward with the greening project at the appropriate time, especially if we are able to obtain private support for this purpose.

For the immediate future, we will focus our efforts on meeting the university’s most pressing academic needs, on achieving operational savings and efficiencies, and on expanding the development of revenue-generating academic programs. We will also continue to make the case for the value of state investments in higher education, as I did in testimony before the Assembly Higher Education Committee last month.
 

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