Governor and Legislature Step Up for Rutgers

Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday signed into law a key piece of legislation that was sponsored by Senators Ray Lesniak and Tom Kean Jr. and Assemblymen Pat Diegnan and John Wisniewski that will support Rutgers' recently announced athletics facilities plan by providing $25 million in tax credits under the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant Program.  President Barchi and Athletics Director Pat Hobbs, board leaders and several thousand Rutgers alumni pressed for enactment of the new law.  To read the full story, including reactions of key legislative and university leaders, click here.

RU-Newark Announces Major Financial Aid Initiative
Rutgers University - Newark (RU-N) Chancellor Nancy Cantor has announced a major new financial aid initiative called the Talent & Opportunity Pathways program-or RU-N to the TOP-which will make college more affordable for wide swaths of New Jersey students, especially residents of Newark, those transferring from county colleges, and those with great potential to make an impact on the world. To read more about this exciting new program, click here.
  
RU-Camden Research Collaboration Targets Diabetes

Researchers from Rutgers University-Camden and Rowan University are collaborating on an interdisciplinary project to accelerate the fight against diabetes and use untapped resources to improve treatment and perhaps even cure the disease.  The joint Rowan University/RU-C Board of Governors approved a $30,000 research grant for the project.  "This valuable collaboration between South Jersey's two most prominent universities has the real potential to change lives," says Kris Kolluri, CEO of the Rowan University/Rutgers-Camden Board of Governors, an organization that promotes advancements in the life sciences in southern New Jersey.  Learn more about this exciting collaboration here. 
Rutgers Makes Major Commitment to Translational Science
  Reynold Panettieri
Reynold Panettieri, a pulmonologist from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has joined Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) to develop the university's first clinical and translational science institute and serve as its director. He will also be the vice chancellor for clinical and translational research.  Translational science describes the collaborative process involving a combination of scientists - which may include researchers, clinicians, biologists and members of the pharmaceutical industry - to address an unmet medical need, such as the development of cancer drug therapy with reduced toxicity or a best-practices community approach to treating asthma. More here.