Schools

Rutgers-Camden Chancellor to Resign at End of Academic Year

Wendell E. Pritchett was Rutgers-Camden's first African American chancellor, and played a role in preventing the merger of Rutgers and Rowan.

The Rutgers University-Camden chancellor who helped prevent the controversial merger between Rutgers and Rowan University is resigning from his post and returning to the faculty, according to a message to the campus community posted on the university’s website.

Stating that the end of the academic year is the right time to step down and noting that the typical term of a chancellor at a public university is between five and six years, Wendell E. Pritchett announced his resignation on Wednesday. He will return to the faculty effective July 1, 2014.

Pritchett became chancellor in 2009. He is the first African American chancellor at Rutgers University-Camden, according to NJ Spotlight.

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In his message, he called the past few years “tumultuous,” but “extremely productive.”

“Last May, we celebrated the graduation of more than 1,500 students, a new campus milestone.  Among those graduates were our first two Ph.D. candidates, a major achievement in the history of Rutgers–Camden,” Pritchett wrote in his message.  “This past week, we welcomed to campus more than 6,700 students, which is close to our all-time high, and we also welcomed 36 new faculty members, a record-breaking class of research and clinical scholars.”

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He wrote about the continued construction of the new Nursing and Science Building, renovations to the Paul Robeson Library, and the creation of Rutgers’ first Alumni House and new Writer’s House.

He noted that University President Robert Barchi is attempting to implement the University’s strategic plan by the end of 2013. He said he will help Barchi with that and improving the academic environment for the students.

On March 20 of this year, Pritchett testified before a joint committee against a proposed merger between Rutgers and Rowan. Ultimately, the merger was aborted and the Higher Education Restructuring Act, which put jurisdiction over most of the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey’s (UMDNJ) schools.

Pritchett is a Philadelphia native and Brown University graduate who taught law at the University of Pennsylvania.

He’s served as the president of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities since 2012.



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