Dear Colleagues:

I am writing to request that you serve on the Committee on Efficiency and Entrepreneurship at Rutgers. As you may know from the discussion of resources in my recent annual address to the university community, I consider the success of this committee to be among Rutgers’ highest priorities for the coming year.

Current circumstances and a long-term view require that we examine the efficiency of our university’s organization and the opportunities we have to expand our resources.

Where efficiency is concerned, we will need to take an unsparing look at every element of our organization, asking where we can change and save. Equally important is entrepreneurship. Here, it is a matter not only of cataloging new revenue sources but also of fostering a more proactive, incentive-oriented attitude. As I stated in my speech, we need to apply the entrepreneurial spirit to improving Rutgers’ revenues in every area: federal research support, self-supporting and executive education programs, technology transfer, partnerships with the business sector, and private giving. We can do a lot better than we are currently doing to bring in revenues other than state support.

Should you agree to serve, you will be a member of the committee’s central steering group. This group will have overall responsibility for the success of the effort. The steering group’s focus will include such things as developing and staffing subcommittees, creating a framework for inquiry, serving as an intermediary to senior administration, vetting new ideas, ratifying the work of the subcommittees, and attending to the implementation of the recommendations.

Senior Vice President Jeffrey Apfel, whom I have asked to serve as chair, will be in touch with you shortly to describe the work of the committee in greater detail. I appreciate your willingness to assist Rutgers in this important endeavor, and I look forward to working with you in the coming year.

Sincerely yours,

Richard L. McCormick