Date:  March 30, 2005

To:     Members of the Rutgers Community

From:  President Richard L. McCormick

It has been more than a year since we first took a hard, thoughtful look at how Rutgers meets student needs. Since then university staff across all campuses have listened carefully to student concerns and worked vigorously to correct inefficiencies and eliminate bureaucracy.

Charting our progress and assessing our efforts is an important part of this process. In Camden and Newark, administrators have reached out to gain student feedback and suggestions for improvement through surveys, e-mails, and targeted meetings. The New Brunswick/Piscataway campus has held three student services retreats (see http://www.odl.rutgers.edu/retreat), most recently on March 7, to enable students and administrators to exchange information and plot future improvements.

These collaborative endeavors have led to the implementation of fresh ideas and innovative approaches across the university, including one-stop student service centers during the first hectic weeks of the academic year, expanded Web-based information and services, improved security, and better coordination among service providers. Please see http://www.president.rutgers.edu/studentservices0305.shtml for a detailed list of the most recent improvements. Related information is also available on the student services initiative Web page at http://www.president.rutgers.edu/studentserv.shtml.

Hundreds of employees and students in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick/Piscataway contributed to these innovations. They brought enthusiasm and a true spirit of cooperation to the effort, and they have my thanks. But our work is not over. We must maintain our focus on efficient and courteous service by continuing to hold frank discussions that lead to tangible improvements and provide students with a more rewarding Rutgers experience.