Business school dean Rutgers-Rowan merger ‘started off with the wrong question’

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The dean of Rutgers University School of Business-Camden said the state can set the standard for a national model of education only if leaders start asking the right business questions.

The dean of Rutgers University School of Business-Camden said the state can set the standard for a national model of education only if leaders start asking the right business questions.

“Trying to merge two very different entities with different plans together is a very simplistic solution to a complex problem,” said Jaishankar Ganesh, also professor of marketing at the school. “I think we started off with the wrong question — should we be merging Rutgers and Rowan is the wrong question. Given the goal, the question should be how can we create a situation where we maximize value and educational opportunities, and lifetime earning potential, in South Jersey.”

The merger is part of a broad restructuring of the higher education landscape in New Jersey, one that also seeks to put much of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Rutgers’ hands. The combination of Rutgers and Rowan, however, has met fierce resistance.

Ganesh said outrage over the proposed merger mainly stems from a perceived loss of value and potential lifetime earnings for Rutgers-Camden students and alumni.

“Mergers are successful if they result in maximizing value and opportunities for all parties concerned,” he said. “Any time you have a subgroup or a segment of the population perceiving a loss in value, then you have a problem with the concept of merging the entities … and that is precisely what has happened here.”

Ganesh also said Rutgers-Camden supports a different group of students than Rowan, which is a traditional undergraduate school comprised mostly of recent high school graduates. The Rutgers student body is largely non-traditional college students who are currently employed or need more flexible schooling. Ganesh is concerned that a combined institution cannot support the diverse needs of the South Jersey population.

“The goal is a laudable goal. I think we need to look at what we call disruptive innovation,” he said. “Let’s look at more innovative, creative, bolder, braver approaches, and form creative strategic partnerships and create partnerships that make things happen.”

Both Rutgers-Camden and Rowan have accredited business schools. The Rutgers-Camden business school was separated from the Arts and Sciences program in 1988, and became a four-year school in 2008. The first class of freshmen enrolled specifically in the business school will graduate in May.