Dear Colleagues:

Interim Dean Michael Palis and I are pleased to present this annual review of the College of Arts and Sciences, University College, and the Graduate School. Generally, this review is done as a report to the provost. Because I was serving as dean for nine months of this past year, and the interim provost for the final three, while Michael Palis was associate dean and then interim dean for the same periods, we are presenting this report jointly.

This past year was marked by the start of a major transition not only for Arts and Sciences, but for the campus as a whole. The beginning of the transformation of Rutgers-Camden from a Master's Level institution to a doctoral one was marked by the acceptance of the campus's first cohort of Ph.D. students. As we move forward on two other Ph.D. programs, and with the Board of Governors' approval of the joint DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) degree with UMDNJ, over the next decade the campus will have evolved from a primarily undergraduate institution with a research faculty, to a doctoral-degree-granting research university.

The dean's task force, which was created to consider initiatives that would enable Rutgers-Camden to become a top-ranked small urban public research university, concluded its work in the spring. The Task Force was charged specifically with addressing five goals: 1) attract high quality undergraduate students and provide additional opportunities for their intellectual growth; 2) expand opportunities for graduate education; 3) increase opportunities for adult learners; 4) enlarge our endowment funds through the Gateway Endowment Campaign; and 5) increase capacity by adding capital and human resources.

The Task Force membership included elected and appointed faculty members, students, alumni/ae, and administrators. It made recommendations in the areas of undergraduate and graduate education, adult learning, academic outreach, faculty recruitment and retention, research, public relations and development. We were able to act on several of the recommendations immediately. We increased the number of scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students, hired a recruiter for our adult learners and the Graduate School, and engaging a top consulting firm to analyze our policies and practices regarding undergraduate recruitment, enrollment, and retention. The other recommendations will be acted upon in the 2007-08 academic year.

In terms of new program development and implementation, a new Department of Childhood Studies was established and is admitting its first Ph.D. students in Fall, 2007. Our new M.A. program in Psychology admitted its first students in Fall, 2006, and the M.F.A. in Creative Writing has been formally approved and will admit its first students in the fall of 2008. The proposal for a Ph.D. in Computational Biology has been sent forward from the campus to the university for approval by the Board of Governors and the state, and we expect approval during this upcoming academic year (2007-08). The program will be housed in the new Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, currently under the direction of Joseph Martin, Chair of the Biology Department. A search has been initiated for a permanent director. A new biomedical research building, owned by Rutgers and managed by a scientific consortium based at Rutgers, the Cancer Institute, Cooper Hospital, and Coriell Institute, has received funding from the state and is currently in the design phase.

These are among the year's highlights. Among the gravest of the year's challenges was the significantly decreased state funding for Rutgers, prompted by a major statewide budget deficit. Arts and Sciences faced a cut of about $1.2 Million. Staff layoffs, deferred searches, and the elimination of classes resulted. We were fortunate, however, that the fund-raising successes of this as well as the past few years made it possible to mitigate some of the effects of the cuts, and to continue to provide opportunities for undergraduate research and to support our international studies courses.

Successful fund raising this year also resulted in the creation of the campus's first endowed professorship as well as more than two million dollars in cash contributions for Arts and Sciences. The Gateway Campaign exceeded its $2.5 Million dollar goal, raising $4 Million in endowment gifts and pledges. The spectacular public art installation by sculptor Clyde Lynds, called Gateways, will be installed in Fall 2007 at the corner of Fourth and Cooper Street, symbolizing the success of the endowment campaign and providing a beautiful southern entrance to the campus.

Throughout this report you will see numerous examples of student and faculty accomplishments. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with either of us if you would like to know more about any of our programs.

Cordially,

Margaret Marsh Interim Provost	Michael Palis    Interim Dean