Student Services Student Affairs Athletics & Recreational Services Campus Center & Conference Services Office of Campus Involvement Career Center Camden Health Center Student Development EOF Program

STUDENT AFFAIRS
Mary Beth Daisey, Associate Provost for Student Affairs

Mary Beth Daisey, Associate Provost for Student Affairs

Student Affairs comprises the following offices which service the students of Rutgers – Camden:

• Athletics and Recreational Services

• Campus Center, Conference Services, Dining/Catering, Starbucks and Impact Booth

• Office of Campus Involvement – Student Activities and Residence Life/Housing

• Career Center

• Health Services Center

• Student Development – Academic Advising, Judicial Affairs, Disability Services, International Student Services, Orientation and Commencement

Mary Beth Daisey, the new Associate Provost of Student Affairs, worked closely with all the department heads as well as several other units on campus to develop programs and projects and services that would meet the need of our student body including increasing requests for feedback from students about services and programs provided by the various units. The entire department participated in a team building workshop and helped to facilitate and manage a campus wide retreat requesting feedback and information on ways to improve the campus for the students, faculty and staff of Rutgers-Camden. In addition, the departments recognized several accomplishments and achievements which are highlighted in their reports below.

Athletics and Recreational Services
Jeffrey Dean, Director

Athletics and Recreational Services is an administrative unit within the Office of Student Life. Its athletic mission is to conduct intercollegiate sports programs within the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and the NCAA Division III. Recreational Services is responsible for providing recreational, intramural and club programs and events for the campus community, which includes students, faculty staff and alumni. In addition, Recreational Services extends its facilities and manpower to the community at large of Camden and South Jersey.

For the second consecutive year a Rutgers Camden athletics team captured a prestigious NJAC championship and NCAA championship tournament appearance. Also, a female track and field athlete competed for the National Championship in the 100 meter sprint event, earning the honor of All-American.

Collectively, this past year was once again one of the most successful in Rutgers Camden history. The following are highlights from 2003-2004.

Women’s softball wins NJAC championship and advanced to the final game of the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament. Set school record for wins with 36, and tied a program mark with a 14 game winning streak.

Sophomore Michelle Schlichtig was honored as NJAC Player of the Year, and Coach Carl Taylor was named NJAC Coach of the Year.

Women’s track team established four individual school records in the 100 meter, 200 meter, 5,000 meter and the discus.

Men’s track team set three individual records in the 100 meter, 200 meter and the 1,500 meter. The men’s team also set relay records in the 4X100 and 4X800.

Women’s soccer earned its first NJAC playoff birth and finished with a program best 13-4-3 record. Among the victories was a win over a Top 20 nationally ranked team, and a Top 25 nationally ranked team. The season also included a tournament championship at the Franklin and Marshall Women’s Soccer Kick-off tournament.

Men’s soccer posted a 10-6-4 record that included a victory over the 8th ranked team in the nation.

Men’s golf established their first winning semester since 1994 setting a team scoring record in the process.

Men’s basketball began their rebuilding that included a victory over the 23rd ranked team in the nation.

29 athletes (5 males and 24 females) and one coach earned conference, state, regional and/or national acclaim in their respective sport. See attached list.

Recreational Services provided 21 events and activities that were utilized by over 600 students, faculty, staff and alumni, along with eight club sports that involved more than 100 participants. The Women’s rowing team will transfer from club to intercollegiate status in the Fall of 2004. During each semester, Recreational Services conducted four 8 week, non-credit activity classes. The classes included yoga, karate, kung fu, and salsa dance. These classes collectively averaged over 50 participants throughout the year.

Many different community at large groups availed themselves of the indoor and outdoor facilities managed by Recreational Services. Highlights included hosting the Men and Women’s Al Carino All Star Basketball games, The American Cheerleading Classic, South Jersey High School Soccer All Star games, and the Camden County All Star Softball game sponsored by the Camden County Clerk’s Office. The indoor and outdoor facilities have also been utilized by Medical Arts High School and the Leap Charter School to facilitate their physical education program.

Academic Advising services have been designed to assist our student-athletes in their academic pursuits. This past year the overall average of the teams’ GPA was a 2.81. The overall GPA of our CATP athletes was 2.36. All first year athletes in 2003/2004 achieved an overall GPA of 2.84. All first year student-athletes were required to attend two study hall sessions per week, as well as any student-athlete who’s GPA was below a 2.5.

The Sports Medicine program is developing into new and exciting areas that will tremendously enhance our services to student-athletes. Dr. Paul Marchetto and Dr. Peter DeLuca from Drexel University College of Medicine Orthopedics have signed on to care for our student-athletes as “Team Physicians”. They also serve the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Eagles and Drexel University as “Team Physicians”. Also joining the sports medicine team is the Philadelphia Flyers “Team Chiropractor”, Dr. Tony Laferty, and Therasport Physical Therapist Christopher LeVan and Jennifer Perno. Starting in September 2004, there will be a “Clinic Day” available to every student-athlete. Drexel University Orthopedics and Dr. Laferty will be available during this time to evaluate or re-evaluae injuries to our athletes. Therasport Physical Therapy will have a least 1 PT available a minimum of 2 times per week in the Training Room.

Campus Center, Conference Services and Dining/Catering/Starbucks Operations
Thomas DiValerio, Director

This year was a year marked by change and restructuring for the Camden Campus Center and Conferences Services department as well as the Housing and Residence Life department. Residence life activities and student activities were combined to strengthen the programming offerings to both resident and non-resident students under the umbrella of campus involvement. The assistant director of student activities for the Campus Center was promoted to assistant dean for housing /campus involvement. A program coordinator position for campus involvement was created to work with the Campus Center and Housing on all student activities.

In addition, two administrative assistant positions were created in the Campus Center to replace the secretarial staff positions in Housing and the Campus Center. The positions provided additional support for departmental payroll services, debit cards services, reservation system services, student fund recording keeping, RIAS purchasing and procurement functions, campus wide id services and HIS (housing information services) systems for the Campus Center, Dining Services, Facilities Use, Housing, Starbucks Coffee and Campus Involvement areas.

As a result of the changes and restructuring and in an effort to become more proactive and responsive to the needs of new students by engaging students from the doorstep, the Campus Involvement staff initiated a new program for incoming students called "Creating Change: The CAMDEN EXPERIENCE, A Road Map to Success". The program is intended to create significant changes that can impact on our student’s academic career, assist with the retention of our students, and build community. The Camden Experience is a four-day intensive conference designed for new students. It is truly a new program for Rutgers - Camden students. The following units work collectively to increase the new student experience: Dining Services, Athletics & Recreation, Student Health Services, RUPD, Alumni Relations, Office of Student Affairs, Office of the Dean, and the Provost’s Office. Other areas also participate throughout the course of the weekend to highlight various campus services: RUCS, Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers Center For the Arts, Admissions, Bursars Office, Career Planning & Placement, Bookstore, and other academic departments. The Camden Experience program was the focal point of the year and student reaction / response to the program and its objectives was extremely positive and set the tone for increased student awareness and participation in student activities programs throughout the entire year.

Continuing the theme of creating change for 2003 - 04, in July and August, with the assistance of the NB Knight Express Office, Financial Services Office, and Camden RUCS the department moved the POS server services to the OPTIMA 9000 system. This conversion was done in order to upgrade some of the older wiring in the Campus Center and the Residence Hall; to streamline the maintenance costs to the campus; to upgrade out of date POS software and to bring future improvements to the services offered to our students via POS. Again in January, with the assistance of the same office additional POS conversion was done to tie in the new University District Bookstore with the campus POS system. Future hardware upgrades will be required due to the age of the original OPTIMA 2000 system.

After more than 30 plus years, the Rutgers Student Fund bookkeeping system was transitioned from a manual paper system to the Quick Books Premier accounting system. This transition was accomplished over a two year period while the new QuickBooks system ran concurrently with the manual One Write manual accounting system. In addition to the software conversion, NB Internal Audit conducted an audit in the spring semester on the Rutgers Student Fund Bookkeeping operations. A final report is due in the late summer. Oral discussion with the internal auditor indicates that some fine-tuning of procedures is indicated but the overall operation of the Student Fund is working smoothly.

For fiscal year 2003 - 04, the Facilities Use Office processed 7800 reservations requests for university space outside academic classroom use. The reservation office initiated use of the Event Management System (EMS) reservation software in January 2004 running the EMS system concurrently with the antiquated Welber system (pre 1990) up to and including June 2004 prior to full utilization of the EMS system for July 2004. The office is currently reviewing and updating reports for campus users and with the assistance of the administrative assistant for center operations developing the financial reporting procedures required for the campus' Financial Services Office.

The Food Court added Jump; an Asian cuisine branded concept and WaWa dairy products to its mix this year. Sales were up in the Food Court and Armitage Snacks but down at the Freshen's Counter and Deliberations Snacks while catering sales held steady.

Dining Service revenues were impacted by increased paper goods costs, increased food costs and several unanticipated but necessary capital expenditures for dining services equipment. While Starbucks Coffee also had increased food and paper costs, higher than anticipated sales revenues overall helped food services post a generous return to the campus for fiscal year 03 / 04.

All dining employees as well as all other employees participated in a department wide 2-day customer service-training seminar facilitated by the Leadership Academy from Gaithersburg, Maryland. All Starbucks Coffee employees continued in-store training conducted by the campus manager and participated in a Starbucks Legendary Service Workshop conducted by the Starbucks Coffee regional manager and district manager. Our Starbucks Coffee student staff received five legendary service awards, two sets of 5 STAR service pins for outstanding customer service and several 100% secret shopper ratings during the year.

The IMPACT Booth underwent a period of change to better serve the campus community this year. The mission of the IMPACT Booth is to provide accurate and reliable information about campus activities, events and programs. In order to realize our mission, a variety of new training programs were developed to improve customer service and the operation of the booth was assigned to the new administrative assistant for center operations.

Office of Campus Involvement
Allison Emery, Associate Dean of Students

The Office of Campus Involvement, newly formed in July 2003, is overseen by Allison Emery, Assistant Dean of Students, and comprised of the former Student Activities Office & Residence Life Office. By combining these areas under Campus Involvement, we increased the quality of programming for our students while increasing awareness and respectful understanding of other students’ traditions, cultures, and religious beliefs. The Office of Campus Involvement has now become the catalyst for raising awareness and dealing with sensitive issues which face our campus. OCI encouraged community learning through various programs now enhanced by the collective programming of our staff. Furthermore, OCI provided safe resident facilities and evaluated the many needs of the two aging residence halls. It is through this evaluation that many projects were developed during the early months of 2004. Many of these projects will be completed during the summer months of 2004 into the fall. These include: elevator renovation, purchase of new furniture, addition of a computer lab, exercise room, and study lounges, new mattress, drapes, and other cosmetic enhancements including painting, tiling and lighting updates.

The Office of Campus Involvement promotes educational opportunities and self-expression through various workshops, lectures, films, and concerts. We strive to provide an enriched collegiate experience through entertainment, recreational, social, and spiritual opportunities, to develop independent thought through creative means, and assist in providing a safe environment for a diverse community.

Student Activities Office
• Coordinate all co-curricular programming for Rutgers-Camden
• Provide students an opportunity to volunteer, participate, and lead
• Oversee risk management issues
• Register student organizations
• Maintain records, constitutions
• Oversee all expenditures of the student activity fee
• Oversee all fund raising for student organizations
• Provide assistance

Residence Life
• Oversee the 546 students living on-campus
• Maintain a safe environment
• Maintain all records, contracts and legal aspects
• Oversee the Residence Education Program
• Provide services for residents
• Work cooperatively to program lectures, films, concerts, etc. for the residents and the greater community
• Provide Service Learning Opportunities

Over the last year, the Office of Campus Involvement & Residence Life has undergone a series of transitions in order to meet the demands of the current students’ needs. We bridge the gap between the former Student Activities Office and Residence Life Office, where the staff works collectively to promote various activities.

The most significant change occurred within the Residence Life Office. The staff of the Residence Life Office was changed to include three Resident Directors who resided within the hall, an office manager, program coordinator, and fifteen Resident Assistants. It is through these changes that we were able to successfully increase the number of residents while improving communications and service to the residents through an array of programs. Additionally, we also spent significant energy in developing a relationship with Housing Administration in New Brunswick and our office to increase the ease in reporting and billing.

We began training in the summer and continued to develop our staff knowledge and skill throughout the academic year. One of the major focuses was building relationships with various on-campus departments including the RUPD, Student Health Services, and Athletics & Recreation, as well as community organizations like the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. The knowledge gained through these professionals aided the Resident Life Staff and increased their ability to handle the various aspects of their job. Various programs were instituted to create a place for dialog and idea exchange in order to improve understanding of difficult areas such as: crisis management, emergency evacuation, domestic violence, date rape, underage drinking, suicide, drug use and abuse, theft, harassment (verbal, sexual, and via cell, email, and IM), sexual indiscretions, and roommate conflicts.

Over the year, we had an increase in judicial cases; however, by working with the RUPD and Student Health Services, the students found to be in violation of community norms were allowed time to seek assistance and work on becoming a better citizen with our community. Our community norms are defined not only by safety concerns, but also by the concerns of the residents. Resident Assistants hold monthly floor meetings and it is through these meetings that students are able to voice concerns and help to make changes to existing policies. This was the first year in which we offered the opportunity for students to grow as individuals through their mistakes, where in the past students where asked to leave and not provided any assistance. In a recent evaluation of this process, out of the forty-three students who were involved in a “probation” period, thirty-seven students did not have another violation after successfully completing the probation period. This is a significant assessment of how we are meeting our mission of assisting students in their personal development.

The Residence Life Staff completed over eighty programs for the residents ranging from movie nights, cultural food nights, trips to New York, Washington, Lancaster, Great Adventure, wellness programs, lecture series, shopping shuttle, community BBQ and floor meetings. These programs were well attended and contributed to the community feel within the buildings. Additionally, there were several programs which recognized students for their academic performance, including a reception for all students who achieved dean’s list status.

Additionally, the Office of Campus Involvement spearheaded a pilot program entitled the “Camden Experience” where all incoming freshman were mandated to attend a four day program that focused on building community. It was through this program that our resident population learned many of the valuable skills needed to be successful during their first year. The program focused on key areas: academic achievement, student code of conduct, student involvement, diversity and civility, wellness, community service, spirituality, developing community, handling conflict, money management and safety. These students indicated through their evaluations and mid-semester evaluations that the information that they gained was invaluable.

The year was definitely one of learning what works and what needs more attention. The RLO administrative staff realized that we were top heavy with Resident Assistants and re-evaluated our staff to student ratio, program outcome and staff effectiveness. It was through this challenging evaluation process that we determined it would be prudent to decrease the number of RA’s to nine in order to be more effective. Additionally, there will be other changes that will be instituted next year including an updated On-Campus Living Guide, new housing contract, better communication between specialized constituents including: admissions, law school, honors, athletics and EOF, and better record keeping. One other area that needs more attention is that of the financial priorities of the various budgets that support the operation and whether or not funding is appropriately utilized.

Overall, the Office of Campus Involvement succeeded in its mission to provide an overall experience for our students. Several highlights were reviewed but the daily interactions with students need to be mentioned. In any given day, our office receives on average twenty-seven students seeking advice on personal, academic or social matters. It is through these interactions that we are able to make the most impact and assist students on the path to success. We will continue to meet our goals, re-evaluate and set a higher standard in order to meet the needs of our students.

Student Activities. While the 2003-2004 academic year was one of transition, the Office of Campus Involvement (OCI) was able to host a significant number of exciting, diverse programs for the student, staff and faculty of Rutgers University – Camden. With everything from a weekly movie series, to our first-ever Homecoming Dance to Ilyasah Shabazz keynoting for Black History Month, it was a year to remember. The following events will hopefully serve as a cross-section of the past year’s originality and diversity:

September 2003:
We kicked off the school year with a “Get Involved” fair on September 3, 2003. Various student organizations were involved and it also served as a chance for the OCI to promote all of its upcoming events.
In September the OCI also started a weekly movie series, in the newly redecorated and revamped Movie Viewing Lounge that showcased everything from blockbusters to smaller independent movies (all of which were “pre-release” movies meaning at the time of their showing they were not yet available in rental store). The movies were shown every Tuesday and Wednesday at 12:30pm, 4:00pm and 8:00pm to maximize the number of potential viewers. The OCI’s weekly movie series continued into throughout the academic year and some showings were so crowded that students were sitting on the floor of the room.
On September 10, 2003 the OCI joined with the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception to host a “Freedom Cruise” on the Camden Riverlink Ferry that featured music, food and a whole lot of socializing. The event was something the OCI had never done before and was a success joining students and community members.
Each year the OCI recruits for and participates in numerous charitable “walks.” A few of the walks the OCI helped with include the “Dooley House Walk-A-Thon,” the “Light The Night Walk,” the “American Heart Association Walk,” and the “AIDS Walk Philly 2003.” These walks serve as excellent opportunities for our students to work with one another and the local community for some great causes.

Rutgers – Camden is a sponsor of Campus Philly (a non-profit, student-run project whose mission is to engage college students, providing them with better information, incentives and networking opportunities to make the most out of college life in the Philadelphia area and surrounding region). On September 20, 2003, the OCI participated in Campus Philly’s “College Fest on the Parkway,” where the estimated attendance was close to 15,000 people. The College Fest is an exceptional opportunity for the OCI to showcase what the campus has to offer to a large, diverse crowd.
During “Fall Week,” which was the week of September 22, the OCI hosted several events. Along with the always popular “Casino Night,” the OCI also tried some new things, such as hosting a BMX Stunt Show exhibition down on the waterfront, which also featured food, a rock wall and graffiti-personalized hats, and hosting a big screen movie night down at Wiggins Park where free blankets were given out to the first 75 students.
Starting in September and extending throughout the academic year there were also several musical performances held during the free period. The acts ranged from solo singer-songwriters to full bands and are always well attended.

October 2003:
On October 7, 2003, the OCI hosted a lecture by Feminists for Life entitled “The Feminist Case Against Abortion.” The lecture was attended by everyone from students to staff, with close to 100 people filling South ABC conference rooms. The lecture sparked discussion between those who agreed and disagreed and provided a chance for everyone to express their views in hopes of promoting a better understanding of one another.
On October 11, 2003, the OCI held the campus’ first-ever Homecoming Dance. The OCI, in conjunction with the Athletics Office, played host to a barbecue during the day down at the soccer field during homecoming soccer games. At night the activities moved onto the USS New Jersey Battleship where the dance was held. The homecoming dance is an event we would like to see continue on campus until it is a “tradition.”
Each year the OCI enjoys giving students and staff the chance to visit New York City to see a play in the big lights on Broadway. Starting in October, the OCI got to see several plays over the year including, Gypsy, The Producers, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Wicked.
“The Playlist” is a concert series that allows local, small and independent bands to showcase their talents. On October 26, 2003, “The Playlist” featured bands such as One Up and Kill Verona drawing close to 300 people to campus on a Sunday night.
The end of October is also the time for the annual, regional ACUI Conference that was held this past year on Monmouth University. The OCI worked along with the CCC to participate and help plan for the regional conference. The OCI also helped to send several students from campus where they had the opportunity to take part in various workshops with students from the region’s colleges and universities.

November 2003:
To help students relax a little during midterms, the OCI brought in a couple of massage therapists who gave free massages to students in the main lounge of the Campus Center. The massages are just a great way for students to take a break and truly relax.
On November 8, 2003 the OCI participated in an Open House on campus run through the Admissions Office.
Just like us, Rutgers has a birthday every year and it falls on November 10, 2003. For the past year’s birthday bash the OCI had a couple of special Raptor cakes made for everyone to enjoy. The OCI has joined the committee that is already planning for when Rutgers turns 250 years old in 2016.
On November 12, 2003, the OCI invited a couple of break dancers and a dj to perform during the free period. There were even some students who stepped onto the floor and showed off their moves. Students who stopped by and watched could also pick up a personalized, graffiti hat from artist BQU. The OCI would love to see a B-Boy and B-Girl Battle become an annual event on campus.
The OCI helped with the planning of CAB’s College Weekend, which took place from November 13, 2003 through November 16, 2003, and included a comedy night, a salsa performance night, and open mic poetry night and a jazz brunch to conclude the weekend.
November also saw the birth of a new event on campus entitled “Thurst.” Thurst is an art exhibit that showcases student artists as well as local, independent artists. Working with the Art Students League, the OCI wanted to create Thurst as an exciting, new venue for students and local artists to showcase their talent. The event drew people from Philadelphia, the campus and the surrounding area. Another Thurst was held in January.

December 2003:
The OCI spent much of December helping to organize the Camden Angel’s Holiday Gift Drive, in conjunction with the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception and other local businesses. The CCC served as the Gift Drive’s home, where gifts were dropped off, wrapped, separated and eventually from where they were delivered. The Gift Drive is an annual event that was able to reach close to 700 families in the city of Camden.

January 2004:
The OCI welcomed everyone back after a nice winter break with “A Warm Welcome Back” on January 21, 2004 where students and staff were treated to hot chocolate and coffee and the chance to create their own “smores” with chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.
The OCI also offered a mini nuts and bolts seminar for student organizations during January to help refresh everyone on the rules and regulations, or to inform for the first time those groups who were newly formed.

February 2004:
Black History Month kicked off with Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, as its keynote speaker on February 3, 2004. The event had great publicity showing up in many of the local newspapers, drawing over 300 people into the main lounge of the Campus Center. The audience was composed of students, faculty, staff and members of the local community with a diverse range of ages and backgrounds.
The weekend of February 6, 2003, was a chance for everyone to get active during the winter months when the OCI ran a weekend trip to Vermont to catch up on some skiing, snowboarding and tubing.
The OCI took an active role in the process of planning many of the other events that took place during February including the 4th Annual Snowball Dance, the first “Vent,” Soul Food Day, trips to several museums (including the Great Blacks in Wax Museum and the Mutter Museum), etc. The Vent was a program created by CAB with the help of the OCI that allowed students to gather in Starbucks and speak their minds on almost anything.

March 2004:
Although Spring Break falls during the month of March, the OCI, along with the Women’s Studies Department and the Dean’s Office was able to still fill Women’s History Month with plenty of events. Events ranged from simple poster displays to in-depth lectures and discussions to luncheons with special guest alumni speakers. Topics ranged from weight and nutrition, to relationships to movies such as Bend It Like Beckham and Real Women Have Curves. By far, this past March was one of the smoothest, event-filled Women’s History Months in the past few years. The communication and collaboration between the various departments was exceptional.

April 2004:
April is always a busy month for the OCI. The month got kicked off with an Open House on April 3, 2004. The OCI, along with the Athletics office, tried a couple of new things with the hopes of prospective and current students heading down to Campbell’s Field for a double-header men’s baseball game. The OCI also created new signs for the campus for some lesser talked about areas that we would like to see people include as part of our “campus” such as the Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, the Cooper Grant Neighborhood and Campbell’s Field.
On April 17, 2004, the OCI, along with the Residence Life Office and other local businesses, helped with the first annual Rutgers-Camden’s women’s conference entitled “The Art of Living…Successfully.”
In honor of National Holocaust Remembrance Day, the OCI ran a day trip down to Washington, D.C. for students. Students had the chance to explore D.C. for the day including the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
For “Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day,” the OCI planned a full morning of events for the visiting children, starting off with a couple of ice-breakers so everyone could get to know one another. The rest of the morning was spent on a tour of the campus and its different departments, as well as a trip down to the soccer field for a little play time and even a visit to the Camden Riversharks practice. The OCI handed out t-shirts to all of the children with the slogan “R U Family.”
To conclude the month, the OCI held the student leadership awards on April 25, 2004. The ceremony allowed for the office to recognize outstanding students and organizations for all of the hard work they had put in over the year. The last week in April also gave the students a little chance to relax before finals with a BMX stunt exhibition performance (this time directly in front of the Paul Robeson Library) and TRON, an enormous laser tag arena.

May 2004:
May saw the OCI doing a lot of planning and helping with various events including, the Camden Spring Festival, the Reunion on the River, Class Day, the Honors Convocation Ceremony, and Commencement.

Career Center
James Marino, Director

Five major events brought to the campus over 200 outside organizations and over 2,000 candidates for employment and graduate school opportunities. These included the Annual Fall Career Day, Graduate/Professional Fair, Business Internship Fair with the School of Business, Public Service Career Fair and the 19th Annual Employment Opportunity Day, a major community wide event held in the spring.

Over 300 students participated in internships thru the various internship and practicum courses offered by Rutgers Camden. Forty-one students participated in the newly created A & S Internship Course during the past year. A broad spectrum of majors from Art to Psychology to Computer Science participated in internships in the following fields: Art, Business, Communications, Criminal Justice, Education, Healthcare, Research, and Social Services. Selected internships took place at: NJ State Police, Camden Co. Prosecutors Office, Leap Academy, Courier-Post, Cooper and Deborah Hospitals, Bancroft Neurohealth, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, WYBE Public TV/ Y-100, Philadelphia Flyers, Comcast Spectacor, NJ WaterWatch.

The employment picture for the Class of 2004 looks brighter than the previous year. National surveys predict a 12% increase in employment opportunities.
Our Career Center posted over 1200 jobs and over 500 internships during the past school year. Thirty-two hundred employers have established accounts with the Career Center. In addition, 2,094 resumes have been uploaded to sixteen electronic resume books and are available to selected employers. Over 3,000 students and alumni now have active accounts with eRecruiting, the Career Center’s on-line job system.
A major employer relation’s campaign using a newly created Employer Brochure is now underway to increase job and internship opportunities for students and alumni.

Students continued to have a high interest in Graduate/Professional Study. Where 30% of the Class of 2003 went on to graduate study, this year’s numbers look to be in the same range.

During the past year, a joint BA/DO program was established between Rutgers-Camden and UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine. This 7year program will begin in Sept. 2004 with students completing the first three years of study at Rutgers-Camden and the final four years at UMDNJ-SOM. The Career Center Director who also serves as the Pre-Medical Advisor will direct the recruitment efforts and administer the program for Rutgers.

The Career Center was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs that resulted in a special program Career Assistance for Undecided Majors. Thirty-six students participated in this 8 – session program with 88% of the students declaring a major by program’s end. Students who completed the program earned a $120.00 gift certificate to the University Bookstore.

Overall results for the College of Arts & Sciences (Class of 2003) showed: 73% were employed, 30% were enrolled in graduate / professional school. The average salary was $38,746 (a 6.7% increase over the Class of 2002). Eighty-two percent were employed in New Jersey, 12% in Philadelphia and 6 % employed in other states, (DE, NM, NV, NY).

Community outreach by staff to area schools and community services agencies continued throughout the year.

EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY

30% of the 580 graduates responded to surveys
73 % are employed (79% of the students were satisfied with their jobs)

Geographic Distribution

82% are employed in New Jersey (primarily southern NJ)
12% are employed in Pennsylvania (primarily Philadelphia)
06% are employed in other states (Delaware, New Mexico, Nevada, New York)

Salary Breakdown

$25,000 = 10th percentile $39,000 = 50th percentile $50,000 = 90th percentile

Average salary = $38,746 (a 6. 7% increase over the Class of 2002)

GRADUATE / PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL SUMMARY

30 % are enrolled in graduate / professional school (two assistantships, seven scholarships and one fellowship)
Top award, a $70,000 scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania for Nursing

Camden Health Center
Paul Brown, Director

Community outreach was provided by conducting classes on nursing career opportunities to eighth grade students at East Camden Middle School and lectures to the Lutheran Women’s Guild on the topics of Bone Health and Domestic Violence.

Classes were provided to EOF students concerning safer sex, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections.

During the past year, Health Promotion programs have been conducted to address stress, relationships, mental health issues, sexual health issues, and alcohol and other drug problems.

In addition to Mental Health and Primary Care of our students, we also offer comprehensive care of occupational injuries order to best serve our employees. This includes pre-employment and special exposure programs.

The Health Center serves as a training site for pre-doctoral psychology interns from Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and Immaculata University.
We are highly motivated to provide an interesting program that benefits both the interns and our students.

Ongoing Quality Assurance studies concerning various medical problems including such topics as Urinary Tract Infections, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Pharyngitis, Women’s Health and Laboratory utilization have been conducted over the past year. All of these studies have indicated an excellent level of medical care.

Patient Satisfaction Surveys have been conducted in both Mental Health and Medical health pointing to a 90 to 95 percent satisfied population with no adverse trends noted.

The office implemented a new in-house generic pharmacy system in order to generate a small amount of revenue and provide a savings to those students requiring medications.

Mental Health requests for consultations have increased from thirty-five in 2002- 2003 to over fifty in 2003-2004. A forty –five percent increase in after-hours mental health related phone contacts is also of interest during the past year.

The workload for the clinic to include mental health and medical has increased by forty-one percent during the 2003 - 2004 time period for a total of 8,892 visits. Total office visits were 6,324 in 2002-2003, up by 2,568 visits this past year.

Our goal will continue to be providing Medical, Mental Health, Drug, Alcohol and Occupational Health to our clients. This includes sports, nursing, study abroad, and other special physical exams, and immunization programs. We will continue to provide campus-wide consultations and educational programs.

Student Development
Cynthia Riggs, Associate Dean of Students

New Student Orientation for Spring admitted students was held on Friday January 17, 2003. Orientation for Spring provides information and connections to the campus community. This is critical especially since this student population arrives on campus at mid-year. At Orientation, this group of students is introduced to programs and services that promote academic success and personal social integration. Evaluation results indicate that 85% rated the Orientation a 5 on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest. One hundred percent of respondents found the Orientation to be helpful and informative. From the evaluation, some of the most helpful information was on the library and computer lab, security, student health, career center everything was helpful. Comments submitted by the new students included:

the program is better alternative to wandering around school for the first two weeks
speakers were very personable and informative
informed me of knowledge that will help me succeed
the dean’s enthusiasm and welcoming smile helped make the session welcoming
the diversity of representatives helped make the campus feel comfortable

New Student Orientation held during August 2003 had its highest attendance to date. The attendance increased across the board from new students both traditional and non-traditional to parents, friends and family.

New Student Orientation is designed to provide a smooth transition to the campus through educational and informative programs. Programs included are Security, Student Health, Student Development, Career Services, Student Organizations. Scream presents an interactive program that deals with the issues of diversity, drugs, alcohol, and sexual assault. The objective of these programs is to provide students with information that will assist them in being academically and personally successful while also being safe within the campus community and community at large.

The Orientation Program for non-traditional students on Tuesday, August 26, 2003 was comprised of approximately 125 students and 145 parents, friends and family. There was standing room only of people in the lobby and hallway of the Campus Center.

The Orientation Program for traditional students and their families was held on Thursday, August 28, 2003. There were approximately 425 students and 255 parents and friends. We were at full capacity in Penn 401, which left some parents to sit on the windowsill.

Results of the evaluations for August 28, 2003 indicated that 33.9% of students felt the Orientation experience was very good, 33.9% felt it was good and 25.4% felt it was adequate. The evaluations also yielded the following information:

	Very Good	Good	Adequate
Topics for Orientation	52.5%	20.3%	22.0%
Sessions	25.4	44.1	27.1
Leaders	69.5	11.9	5.1
Services	23.7	25.4	35.6

International Students Services. New International Students were welcomed to the campus by an Orientation Program held on Friday, September 5, 2004. During the program students were introduced to the campus and the services available to them such as Student Affairs, Health Services, Financial Aid, Computing Services, and Student Billing. A representative from the Cherry Hill Social Security office was present to discuss reasons international students would need a social security card, as well as the process for obtaining the card. The International Student Handbook was updated to assist International Students with issues relating to college, personal matters, immigration regulations, and general American customs and ways of living. The data on the international students at the Camden Campus were tracked and maintained through the SEVIS computer software system. Throughout the year there were several Optional Practical Training Workshops (OPT) to assist international students with their employment authorization applications. In addition, Curricular Practical Training Workshops were held to assist students with applications for paid internships. During the year International Students received personal and individual assistance with changing their visa status and renewal, traveling, banking, academic planning and personal counseling.
The Camden Campus has an increasing population of International Students. There are approximately 79 students engaged in undergraduate and graduate study and research on campus. These students represent the following countries:

Country Number of Students

Belarus 1
Bermuda 1
Brazil 1
Canada 1
China 3
Cyprus 1
Estonia 1
Gambia 1
Germany 1
Guyana 1
Hungary 2
India 15
Japan 1
Jordan 1
Kenya 1
Korea 3
Liberia 2
Malaysia 1
Moroco 1
Nigeria 2
Pakistan 2
Peru 1
Romania 2
Russia 3
Senegal 1
Slovakia 1
South Africa 1
Switzerland 1
Taiwan 22
Tanzania 1
Ukraine 1
United Kingdom 1
Zimbabwe 1

There are thirty-three undergraduate students, thirty-nine graduate students, and seven professional studies students. The following consists of the majors represented on the Camden Campus:

Undergraduate International Majors Number of Students

Biology 3
Business Mgt. & related Studies 10
Chemistry 2
Computer & Information Sciences 3
Computer Science 3
Engineering 3
Political Science 1
Psychology 2
Undeclared 6

Graduate International Majors Number of Students

Business Management 35
Chemistry 1
Law 7
Mathematics 1
Physical Therapy 1
Public Administration 1

Academic Advising and Counseling. Academic, career, financial, and personal advisement/counseling was provided to meet the needs of Camden College of Arts and Sciences, University College, and School of Business students. Accurate records were maintained of student advisement/counseling sessions. Students were informed of current and revised college and departmental requirements. Follow-up was conducted on matters relating to students during advisement/counseling sessions, and students were referred to the appropriate departments for service when needed. In addition to the duties stated above, on-line and telephone advisement were provided to students. We provided academic advisement to 1682 students in the following areas: International Regulations (573 students), Academic Advisement (933 students), Career Counseling (59 students), Personal Counseling (84 students), and Financial Counseling (33 students).

Advising/Registration Contacts. Approximately 1520 contacts were made for advising, registration, re enrollment, scholastic standing concerns and disability services

Re enrollment. Re enrollment requests and registration of re enrolling students continues to increase. There were 510 re enrollment applications reviewed for the Fall, 2003 and Spring, 2004 semesters–for Camden College of Arts & Sciences and University College excluding Pre-Business students. The drop in number is a result from the exclusion of processing Pre-Business students.

2+4 Pharmacy Program. The first 2+4 transfer program class graduated from the Ernest Mario College of Pharmacy on May 21, 2004 during a very impressive ceremony held on the College Avenue Campus. During the 2003-2004 academic year eighty-four students participated in the program. While twenty-one of these students will be moving on to New Brunswick in the Fall 2003 semester, an additional forty-two students are expected to be participating in the program when the Fall 2003 semester begins. The academic performance demonstrated by the students in this program continues to be above average with a 91.3% transfer rate.

Scholastic Standing. As well as advising students, answering questions and addressing concerns from a cadre of students concerning petitions to the committee, the Office for Student Affairs processed 230 petitions for the Scholastic Standing Committee during the ‘03-‘04 academic year.

Disability Services. Continually increasing numbers of students were provided accommodations for a wide array of physical, psychological and learning disabilities in accordance with recommendations provided by appropriate university subcommittees. There were eighty-six students registered for disability services during the ‘03-‘04 academic year, with even a greater number of daily inquiries. We have continued to strive to best meet each student’s individual needs in order to afford them the opportunity to meet the rigorous academic requirements in a wide array of curriculum areas.

Commencement Ceremony 2004. The Commencement Ceremony was held at the Tweeter Center on Friday, May 21. Dean Margaret Marsh presided over the ceremony where Dr. E. Roger Cowley was the Grand Marshal and Associate Dean Marie Cornelia, the reader.

President Richard McCormick and Dean Margaret Marsh greeted the graduates.
Chris Wolk, the president of the Student Governing Association also shared his hopes for the Class of 2004.

James Rhodes, a CCAS ’94 graduate and president of the Rutgers University Camden Alumni Association reminisced about his pursuit of a Rutgers degree and introduced George Mamo, the Commencement Speaker. Mr. Mamo, a CCAS ’76 graduate and 2004 inductee into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni emphasized the importance of Rutgers-Camden, family, friends and the spiritual side of life. He told graduates that a life well lived is what we look back on. “When you look back – cherish the good, learn from the rest and look forward”, said Mamo, a noted humanitarian and chief operating officer and executive vice president of the International Fellowship of Jews and Christians.

President McCormick congratulated the Class of 2004 as he conferred the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Dean Margaret Marsh praised the outstanding students. Three students received the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Awards. Those honored for their research were: David Healy for his project “Reforming Automobile Insurance in New Jersey,” conducted with Dr. Alan Tarr of the Political Science Department; Vicki Hewitt for her project “Pacifists Abroad in a Total War : The American Friends Service Committee and its Allies in Germany, 1919-1947”, conducted with Dr. Andrew Lees of the History Department; and Stephen Gardiner for his project “Animating Printmaking,” conducted with LiQin Tan of the Fine Arts Department. 779 graduates received degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences/University College (602), the Graduate School Camden (103), the School of Nursing-Newark (MSN-5) and the School of Social Work-New Brunswick (MSW-69). Martin Dillon and seniors, Adam Halpin and Bethany Sipe concluded the ceremony with the singing of Bob Dylan’s Forever Young and were joined by the Repertory Singers and the audience for the Rutgers Alma Mater, On the Banks of the Old Raritan.

EOF PROGRAM
Daniel Hart, Acting Director

The Rutgers-Camden EOF Program provides outreach, access, academic support, and financial assistance to New Jersey residents who have traditionally been excluded from higher education. Through these services, the Rutgers-Camden EOF Program contributes to the academic success of Rutgers students. Our graduates repay our investment in them through their contributions to the economic growth and civic vitality of communities throughout New Jersey.

The staff and students of the EOF Program labored through the 2003-2004 while grieving for Leland Butler, the director of the Program. Mr. Butler’s entire professional career was dedicated to providing educational opportunity to New Jersey’s underserved students. He is remembered by generations of students as a mentor and role model, and by his colleagues at Rutgers for his missionary zeal for his students and his gentle, warm sense of humor.

Working in the shadow of Leland Butler’s death, the staff and students of the EOF Program persevered and succeeded. Sixty-four students in the EOF Program graduated in 2003-2004, a testament to their dedication to their educational goals and to the support offered by the professional counseling staff of the EOF Program. In 2003-2004, a record number of EOF-eligible students accepted offers of admission, and consequently the entering EOF class was 20% larger than that of 2002-2003.

The EOF Program continues to expand its services, with planning underway to offer increased support for students aspiring to graduate school and greater assistance to Camden high school students interested in attending college. The addition of a new director for the 2004-2005 year, Dr. Christopher Dougherty, plus the expected hiring of an additional staff member, will strengthen the program and allow it to deepen its commitment to serving New Jersey students who have the greatest difficulties in gaining access to higher education.