11/13/2012
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
Dr. Ali A. Houshmand, President of Rowan University, and I are pleased to announce the launch of a Rowan-SOM Integration website. The site, www.rowan.edu/integration, includes information about The Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act of 2012; the anticipated move of the School of Osteopathic Medicine (SOM) and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS)-Stratford to Rowan University effective July 1, 2013; information about Rowan; information about SOM and GSBS-Stratford; FAQ's; and query addresses for your specific questions, integration@rowan.edu or restructuringinfo@umdnj.edu. The website will be updated at least monthly as our Transition Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Houshmand and Denise V. Rodgers, MD, Interim President of UMDNJ, and the 12 Integration Teams, make progress toward our goal of a smooth and seamless transition of SOM and GSBS-Stratford into Rowan. The teams are hard at work on addressing the most critical components, but recognize that full integration may continue for some time after the July 1, 2013 goal. Campus emails will inform you when the website has been updated. A monthly column in the Dean's Enews will be an additional source of communication about our progress.
We understand that many people have concerns about how changes may impact their professional and personal lives, and we will do our best to provide details as they are worked out and decisions made. The process will require both flexibility and patience, but the result will be a stronger and more vibrant structure that can greatly enhance medical education and research across Southern New Jersey, the state and the nation.
We will make every effort to keep you informed about this important process. If you have suggestions about how to improve our communications, please contact either co-chair of the Government Affairs/Public Relations Integration Team, Dr. Joe Cardona, Interim Vice President for University Relations, Rowan University, at cardona@rowan.edu or Vivian Lubin, Chief Operating Officer, School of Osteopathic Medicine, at lubin@umdnj.edu.
With your ongoing support, we look forward to a bright future together. Thank you very much.
My best regards,
Thomas A. Cavalieri, DO
Dean, UMDNJ-SOM
