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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today voiced his opposition to Rutgers University's proposed plans to eliminate Douglass College. On Monday, a Rutgers University task force announced plans to combine Douglass with three other undergraduate colleges -- Rutgers, Livingston and University College -- effectively eliminating the all women's Douglass College.
In a letter to Rutgers University President Richard McCormick, the New Jersey congressman wrote that, since its inception, Douglass College has provided an important foundation for women's excellence and success in education. Douglass College, founded in 1918, is the only state-supported all women's college in the nation.
"The individuality of Douglass College, as the largest public women's college in the nation as well as the only women's college within a major research university, is unparalleled," Pallone wrote in the letter to President McCormick. "Eliminating Douglass College will surely have a deleterious effect on the young women that benefit so greatly from it."
In the letter, Pallone urged President McCormick to reconsider including Douglass College as part of the new combined College of Arts and Sciences before the plan receives final approval from the Rutgers Board of Governors and Board of Trustees.
"While I understand that streamlining and consolidating the colleges will facilitate the admissions process and will improve the overall perception of Rutgers as a major research university, I cannot disregard the invaluable contributions that Douglass College has made in the field of scholarship and the advancement of women," Pallone wrote. "Douglass College has effectively demonstrated the importance of a women's college experience as a unique and inimitable tool in grappling with fields that historically under-represent women."
Pallone cited the unique nature and skills provided by programs offered at Douglass College. The New Jersey congressman said that programs like the Douglass Project for Women in Math, Science and Engineering have been instrumental in preparing women and promoting their inclusion in the scientific and technological fields. While the Shaping A Life program supplies women with the resources to hone their critical learning and research skills and provides a supportive educational environment that endorses diversity and the remarkable contributions of women throughout the world.
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