UMDNJ’s Board of Trustees is charged by statute with the responsibility of running all University operations — no small task even in the best of times. Restoring effective governance and regaining the confidence and trust of the constituencies we serve — internal and external — are the tasks at hand. When I was named chair of the Board of this University in March, I vowed to use my best efforts to meet the expectations of the Governor and the Legislature, who appointed and confirmed me, and the University community, which looked to the Board for direction through a difficult period.

The Board is committed to ensuring that UMDNJ operates only according to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and transparency. Fortunately, we have leadership that shares unequivocally my faith in UMDNJ as a marvelous teaching, research, and clinical service resource and shares as well my resolve to change what needs changing.

Six new trustees joined the Board this year. They bring a wealth of experience and vision to complement the skills of those who remained on the Board. In addition, UMDNJ was fortunate to attract Dr. Bruce Vladeck to the president’s office. Though his post is interim, the mark he is making is indelible. He has put in place an administrative team that, working with the Trustees, is setting a new course for this University.

During these last months we have been actively moving forward. The Board adopted a charter for a new Audit Committee, based largely on the principles of Sarbanes-Oxley, and also created a new Governance and Ethics Committee to, among other things, monitor and improve corporate governance and to provide ethical oversight of the University as a whole. The Board also took the necessary steps to expand and strengthen the compliance function at UMDNJ and approved the creation of a new post, vice president/chief compliance officer. It has reorganized its own committee structure and has supported the reorganization of the University’s senior administrative structure to increase not only efficiency, but also accountability. Be assured that we shall continue to explore additional systematic changes in governance.

Obviously, the changes at UMDNJ constitute a work in progress. But I have full confidence in a reinvigorated Board and a recommitted University community. I thank all for their efforts and for the energy with which they adapted to change, embraced excellence, and reprioritized our institutional goals.

Robert J. Del Tufo, Esq.
Chair, Board of Trustees