HAMILTON, N.J. - Gov. Chris Christie said he has no plans to scale back , or slow down , a planned merger involving three of New Jersey's public universities, despite vocal opposition from people with ties to Rutgers University's Camden campus.

Christie said Tuesday the merger is an all-or-nothing plan that he expects to move forward as soon as July 1. He said he won't consider pleas from students, faculty and alumni that Rutgers-Camden, including its well-regarded law school, retain its name.

"It all happens or none of it happens," Christie said Tuesday, after touring a Catholic charter school in Hamilton and chatting with high school students there. "This is not a divisible plan. It is a well thought out, coordinated plan to create three centers of excellence for higher education in New Jersey. "

The governor's proposal to realign higher education calls for Rowan University to take over Rutgers-Camden and for parts of the scandal-tainted University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to be merged into Rutgers. Rowan, whose new medical school will open this fall, would gain law and business schools, and with them, status as the state's second major research university. Rutgers would take over the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the School of Public Health.

The remaining parts of UMDNJ would be renamed. UMDNJ spent years mired in scandal related to no- or low-show jobs provided in exchange for steering patients or taxpayer money to the school, billing irregularities and employees accepting favors from contractors. As a U.S. attorney, Christie oversaw high-profile criminal prosecutions that resulted.

It's unclear legally whether Christie can accomplish the plan by executive order or if it requires legislative approval. Also unclear is whether the plan needs approval from Rutgers' Board of Governors and Rowan's Board of Trustees.

There is no official cost estimate. Christie said a preliminary estimate of $40 million to complete the Rutgers-UMDNJ portion of the merger would not be a deterrent.

The Legislature held a public hearing on the plan Monday on Rowan's main campus in Glassboro. Of the 50 or so people who testified, most were affiliated with Rutgers-Camden and opposed the merger.

Wendell Pritchett, chancellor of Rutgers-Camden, summed up the strength of the opposition this way: "It's extremely rare that people in academia agree on anything. Every single person I have interacted with , students, faculty, staff, alums , everyone opposes this merger."

Pritchett said there are less costly opportunities for the two schools to collaborate on research, but Christie on Tuesday shot down any hybrid of his plan, like a research consortium.

Link:
Christie: University merger will happen this year