Richard L. McCormick: Rutgers chief wins praise at 5 years
Rutgers University President Richard L. McCormick gets generally high marks -- and a half-million-dollar retention bonus -- as he completes five years at the helm of the state university this weekend.
McCormick appears to have fairly broad support on campus and even in the State House, where his vocal criticism of funding cuts was not always well-received. He has his critics -- most notably those upset that he has supported the school's escalating investment in big-time football.
Still, McCormick is widely viewed as an effective leader who has worked hard to unify and elevate Rutgers.
"The university was divided into camps. He brought it together," said Gene O'Hara, a member of the university's governing board. "The challenges have been significant, but he's kept the ship afloat and moving in the right direction."
It's been a tumultuous homecoming for the 59-year-old president, who grew up in New Jersey and started his career as a history professor at Rutgers.
'Big vision' for years to come
Rutgers University President Richard McCormick hopes to transform the university's long-neglected Livingston campus into a center for professional graduate education. He envisions relocating the education and social-work schools to the campus. He also wants to work with a private developer to build a hotel and conference center.
"This is a big vision," McCormick acknowledges, "and probably won't be completed on my watch as president."
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A timeline
Rutgers' 19th president, Richard McCormick, has deep roots on campus, where his father was a longtime professor and university historian.
1947: Born in New Brunswick Dec. 26
1965: Graduated from Piscataway High School
1969: B.A. from Amherst College
1976: Ph.D., Yale University
1976-92: History professor, department chairman and dean of faculty, Rutgers University
1992-95: Vice provost and chancellor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1995-2002: President, University of Washington
Dec. 1, 2002 – present: President, Rutgers University
He arrived in 2002 from the University of Washington, where he was president. In short order, he reorganized undergraduate education, dealt with a budget crunch that forced layoffs and other cutbacks, and presided over a buildup of the football program. He divorced, remarried and suffered through the death of his father, Rutgers historian Richard P. McCormick.
"I daresay more went on in his first five years here than went on in many universities," said Barry Qualls, a vice president who was tapped by McCormick to lead the undergraduate reorganization. "He's taken on issues he didn't have to take on. He's not afraid of controversy."...
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McCormick appears to have fairly broad support on campus and even in the State House, where his vocal criticism of funding cuts was not always well-received. He has his critics -- most notably those upset that he has supported the school's escalating investment in big-time football.
Still, McCormick is widely viewed as an effective leader who has worked hard to unify and elevate Rutgers.
"The university was divided into camps. He brought it together," said Gene O'Hara, a member of the university's governing board. "The challenges have been significant, but he's kept the ship afloat and moving in the right direction."
It's been a tumultuous homecoming for the 59-year-old president, who grew up in New Jersey and started his career as a history professor at Rutgers.
'Big vision' for years to come
Rutgers University President Richard McCormick hopes to transform the university's long-neglected Livingston campus into a center for professional graduate education. He envisions relocating the education and social-work schools to the campus. He also wants to work with a private developer to build a hotel and conference center.
"This is a big vision," McCormick acknowledges, "and probably won't be completed on my watch as president."
* * *
A timeline
Rutgers' 19th president, Richard McCormick, has deep roots on campus, where his father was a longtime professor and university historian.
1947: Born in New Brunswick Dec. 26
1965: Graduated from Piscataway High School
1969: B.A. from Amherst College
1976: Ph.D., Yale University
1976-92: History professor, department chairman and dean of faculty, Rutgers University
1992-95: Vice provost and chancellor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1995-2002: President, University of Washington
Dec. 1, 2002 – present: President, Rutgers University
He arrived in 2002 from the University of Washington, where he was president. In short order, he reorganized undergraduate education, dealt with a budget crunch that forced layoffs and other cutbacks, and presided over a buildup of the football program. He divorced, remarried and suffered through the death of his father, Rutgers historian Richard P. McCormick.
"I daresay more went on in his first five years here than went on in many universities," said Barry Qualls, a vice president who was tapped by McCormick to lead the undergraduate reorganization. "He's taken on issues he didn't have to take on. He's not afraid of controversy."...