Resolution of the Camden County Bar Association

Opposing the Proposed Merger of Rutgers, The State University

of New Jersey, Camden Campus and Rowan University

 

Whereas,  the Camden County Bar Association (CCBA), founded in 1881,  is an association of attorneys and affiliated individuals providing legal services to the residents of Camden County, New Jersey and the surrounding counties; and Whereas,  Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey was founded in 1766 and currently has campus locations in several New Jersey municipalities; and Whereas,  Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey  maintains a campus in Camden City, New Jersey (Rutgers University-Camden), which includes a nationally accredited law school, Rutgers University School of Law-Camden, ranked in the top 100 law schools by U.S. News and World Report ; and Whereas,  Rutgers University-Camden also has significant undergraduate and graduate programs; and Whereas,  the Rutgers University-Camden community has established a longstanding relationship and affinity with the Rutgers name and all that it stands for; and Whereas,  a portion of the membership of the CCBA are graduates of Rutgers University School of Law-Camden, including lawyers, judges and law clerks, and Whereas, the CCBA and its members are aware of the excellent national reputation and prestige which the Rutgers University School of Law-Camden brings to Camden County as well as to the State; and Whereas, the CCBA, through its charitable foundation, has recognized the educational quality of Rutgers University School of Law-Camden by awarding scholarships over the decades to its law students; and Whereas, the CCBA and Rutgers University School of Law-Camden have partnered for decades in presenting educational programs, symposiums, student mentoring programs, career day events, pro bono programs and diversity receptions for the benefit of attorneys, law students and the residents of Camden City and Camden County; and Whereas, the CCBA has a vested interest in the continued success of the Rutgers University School of Law-Camden, to support CCBA’s commitment to high quality legal education and the provision of pro bono services to residents of Southern New Jersey; and Whereas, the CCBA has concerns that any change in the structure of Rutgers University School of Law-Camden, may result in the requirement to obtain new accreditation, which could take several years to obtain and would therefore significantly impact the law school’s admissions, both in numbers and caliber, its standing in the legal community and its national ranking; and Whereas, the proposed merger presently contains no concrete plan for implementation; and Whereas, the CCBA is concerned that if such a merger occurred, the partnerships and affiliations developed over the decades between the CCBA and the Rutgers University School of Law-Camden would be altered, resulting in a tremendous disadvantage for students, residents of Camden City, Camden County and South Jersey, present and future members of the CCBA and the South Jersey legal community as a whole. Now Therefore Be It Resolved, the Board of Trustees of the Camden County Bar Association on this 22nd day of February, 2012, opposes the merger of the Rutgers University School of Law-Camden and Rutgers University-Camden with Rowan University.