State Investigatory Report on Higher Education

October 25, 2007

Members of the Rutgers Community:

Today the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation (SCI) released a report on its investigation of the business practices of several public universities and four-year colleges, including Rutgers. Many members of the university community responded with professionalism to comply with the SCI’s requests for literally thousands of documents over the course of its lengthy investigation. These efforts were invaluable in helping convey how well Rutgers operates, and I applaud all those who assisted in gathering and preparing these documents.

The university is now reviewing the SCI report and considering carefully its findings and recommendations regarding Rutgers. While our commitment to the continuous improvement of business practices is long-standing, we recognize that there is always room for improvement at any institution. In fact, as our own internal audit system has discovered problems in areas such as travel expense reimbursement, Rutgers has acted quickly to strengthen our policies and practices.

At the same time, we have serious concerns about the secretive nature of the investigation and about critical omissions in the report. It is particularly disappointing that Rutgers was not given an opportunity to review the major substantive sections relating to Rutgers and correct any inaccuracies before its public release. The report barely mentions that long before the investigation began, Rutgers had launched a series of initiatives to ensure that all units of the university manage the public’s resources wisely and accountably. The report also largely fails to acknowledge the critical role that reduced state funding has played in reductions in administrative staffing or in the delay of the full implementation of much-needed computerized administrative systems.

The report includes a number of recommendations regarding the governance of Rutgers. We are extremely wary of recommendations that would jeopardize or compromise the political autonomy under which Rutgers has thrived. Since becoming the state university under the compact known as the Act of 1956, Rutgers has grown into an academic powerhouse and earned entry into the prestigious Association of American Universities. Princeton is the only other university in New Jersey to merit AAU status. We have achieved top rankings in many areas and have an outstanding academic reputation around the world. These achievements have come under the leadership of a strong and autonomous governing board that has been effective, decisive, and accountable. The last thing higher education needs is more political interference.

The university and its governing boards will be thoughtfully reviewing and responding to the recommendations of the SCI in the weeks ahead. We have compiled a page of relevant information, including a link to the SCI report, at http://ur.rutgers.edu/scireport. I know we will find ways to make Rutgers a better institution because our employees care deeply about conducting their business with the utmost integrity and accountability. As we work on further improvements to ensure optimal performance, I take enormous pride in our outstanding faculty and staff and their commitment to serving our students and the people of New Jersey.

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