NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Robert Barchi was named the 20th President of Rutgers University on April 11.  He is a medical doctor and currently the President of Thomas Jefferson University, a medical school in Philadelphia.

The Rutgers Board of Governors unanimously selected Barchi based on the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee, which was chaired by Motorola CEO Greg Brown.

His base salary will be $650,000, $100K more than his predacessor Richard McCormick made.  There is no set term for the President, so Barchi will serve at the pleasure of the Board of Governors indefinitely.

McCormick will be retiring to take a position on the faculty that will him a cool $330,000 a year.

Rutgers will be the first public school to employ Barchi.  Prior to taking the helm at Thomas Jefferson, Barchi served as a provost and chief academic officer at University of Pennsylvania.

He advocated for a “public-private” hybrid model to fund the University going forward, and said the future of the University “includes Rutgers-Camden and Rutgers-Newark,” in his first after being officially named the next President.

“We are a single University.  Our three campuses all contribute to what makes this University great,” he said in his first speech after being voted in.

The University’s Media Relations department prematurely revealed the selection of Dr. Barchi by posting his image to the University website the day before the official announcement.

No mention was made of the gaffe at the special meeting to approve his selection the next morning.

Editor at New Brunswick Today | 732-993-9697 | editor@newbrunswicktoday.com | Website

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate, a community organizer, and a former independent candidate for mayor of New Brunswick.