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Board approves $20 million Phase IV‑A preconstruction work for NJMS as school integration and LCME timeline advance
Summary
Rutgers authorized up to $20.0 million for Phase IV‑A preconstruction work on the New Jersey Medical School Medical Science Building in Newark, bringing the approved project budget to $54 million; university deans said the merged Rutgers School of Medicine aims to submit LCME materials by September 2026 and seek accreditation by June 2027.
The Rutgers Board of Governors on April 24 approved Phase IV‑A preconstruction work for the New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) Medical Science Building in Newark, granting spending authority not to exceed $20.0 million and increasing the total approved project budget to $54 million.
The project is intended to finalize construction documents for educational program spaces (including a Clinical Skills Testing and Simulation Center for NJMS and a Preclinical Simulation Lab for the School of Dental Medicine), continue preconstruction activities, and support relocations needed to prepare for larger renovation phases. University materials describe Phase IV‑A as preparing “shovel‑ready” documents that would allow the university to solicit construction bids once funding is identified.
Administrators emphasized the work’s connection to the ongoing effort to integrate Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the New Jersey Medical School into a single Rutgers School of Medicine. Deans Amy Murtha and Robert Johnson told governors that the integration team plans to submit full Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation materials by September 2026 and—if the process proceeds as expected—seek accreditation in June 2027. Both deans highlighted the LCME requirement that the campuses have comparable facilities and said Phase IV work supports that requirement.
Under the resolution, the Phase IV‑A costs may be financed by an internal loan from the university’s internal bank or by debt issued at a later date. The resolution declares the university’s official intent to reimburse pre‑debt expenditures with future bond proceeds if debt is issued. It also authorized the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer—working with the CFO and general counsel—to negotiate and execute all agreements necessary for the Phase IV‑A work.
The motion was placed on the consent agenda, seconded, and approved by the Board without recorded debate. Board materials attached project summaries, prior resolutions approving earlier phases, and noted that the project was reviewed by the Committee on Finance and Facilities.
