Reaping the Rewards of Rowan Expansion
Dr. Sue Lehrman, Dean of the William G. Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University
Last fall, Econsult Solutions, conducted a far-reaching study on the economic impact of Rowan University on the South Jersey region.
The study showed that, in communities where it has campuses—Glassboro, Stratford and Camden—Rowan is stimulating vast private investment, creating jobs, boosting real estate markets and offering a variety of services to the public, including medical care, education and arts and entertainment.
Statewide, Rowan’s impact is at more than $1 billion, according to the report. In Glassboro, home to Rowan’s main campus, the university has an annual impact of more than $108 million, supports more than 1,000 jobs outside of the institution and is a critical partner in the $300 million Rowan Boulevard initiative, a public-private redevelopment project that connects Rowan to Glassboro’s historic downtown.
The tenants on Rowan Boulevard include Inspira and Cooper Health Systems, Barnes & Noble and the South Jersey Federal Credit Union. Popular eateries Tony Luke’s and Chickie’s & Pete’s announced last year they are coming to the boulevard.
In Glassboro, Camden and Stratford, the university is in the midst of $300 million in active design and construction projects, all of which provide construction jobs that stimulate the regional workforce and support the South Jersey economy.
Those projects include, among others: a $145 million, 1,400-bed housing complex for undergraduates adjacent to Rowan Boulevard, which is being built through the university’s first-ever public-private partnership; a $70 million second building for the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering; and a new, $63.2 million building for the William G. Rohrer College of Business.
That’s in addition to the university’s purchase last fall of the 65-acre Rowan University Fossil Quarry in Mantua Township, which will be developed into a center of scientific research and discovery. The quarry, which contains beautifully preserved fossils from the heyday of the dinosaurs, will be a tremendous educational asset and will spur economic development.
Six months ago, I became dean of the Rohrer College of Business. I was drawn to Rowan because of its incredible momentum and its dynamic, forward thinking approach to education. That approach includes a firm commitment to serving as an economic engine in South Jersey.
Our new building will allow us to double our enrollment to more than 2,000 students and to provide them with an education that challenges them, mentors them, emboldens them, connects them with business leaders and provides them with the professional polish they need to stand out in a crowded job market.
To be sure, South Jersey’s economic success depends heavily on business leaders who contribute to the lifeblood of the region through economic development, civic engagement, leadership, creativity and innovation.
SUPPLIES IN DEMAND
Get Organized in the New Year
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has passed. January is a great time to clear away the clutter and start 2016 with all of your information organized and at your fingertips. These gadgets are designed to help you do just that.
Executive Keyboard Tray
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CardScan Sheetfed Scanner
The DYMO CardScan executive scanner features a desktop card scanner and full-featured contact\ management software. It synchronizes easily with Outlook, Outlook Express, PDAs, smart phones, ACT!, Lotus Notes and GoldMine v. 6.7.
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Thinnest Smart Wallet
The Thinnest RFID Travel Wallet uses special technology inside the leather to block the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) signals embedded in your credit cards, driver’s license and passport to keep you safe from hackers and identity thieves. It holds 10 credit cards, with pockets for cash, boarding passes and travel documents.
(SharperImage.com, $99.99)
TAKE FIVE
Jumpstart Corporate Productivity
New Year’s resolutions: So many of us make them, and the New Year is a great time to focus on self-improvement, whether you want to eat better or save more money. As business leaders, we should try to bring the notion of resolutions to our businesses, too. Increasing productivity in the workplace should always be a priority, and why not take the new year as an opportunity to renew this focus? John Garvey, senior vice president of wealth management with UBS Financial Services, Inc. shares his thoughts on the resolution to help increase productivity this year—and how to stick to it.
1. SCHEDULE YOUR TIME. For projects that require a large portion of your day, block time off in your calendar. Booking your calendar can help you stay focused and help you dedicate the time needed for the task. New emails can be distracting and can throw off your productivity, so make a point to postpone checking email if you’re working on a deadline—you can always come back to new requests later in the day.
2. DON’T MULTI-TASK. While it may seem appealing to check several items off of your to-do list at once, multi-tasking is not the best use of your time. In fact, according to a 2006 article from the American Psychological Association, “Multitasking: Switching costs,” switching back and forth between several tasks at once takes a toll on productivity, and mental blocks that occur between switching tasks can waste up to 40 percent of productive time. Instead, focus on one thing at a time to improve efficiency.
3. COMPLETE THE HARDEST WORK IN THE MORNING. Stop wasting your most productive hours. The first two hours after fully waking up is the most productive time of day, according to Dan Ariely, a Duke University professor of psychology and behavioral economics. As such, you should focus your morning on your hardest or most time consuming tasks, rather than beginning the day with your easiest work.
4. DON’T BE A PERFECTIONIST. We all want to produce excellent work, but enough is enough. Instead of reviewing and re-reviewing several times, finish the task and consider it done. You might be able to better allocate that time toward another task, rather than looking for mistakes that likely don’t exist.
5. STAY OFF THE INTERNET. From Twitter to personal email, we’re all guilty of wasting time online when we should be working. According to a June 2014 infographic by CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive, the internet is the third most common time waster at work. What’s more, the infographic shows that 21 percent of workers estimate they spend at least one hour each day on the internet for personal reasons. Imagine what you could do with that time if you focused on an item on your to-do list.
CRUNCHING NUMBERS
550
Number of local families in need who received books and blankets from members of United Way’s Women’s
Leadership Initiative
seventy five thousand
Amount of tuition students can save by attending business management classes at Camden County Community College through a new program-to-program transfer agreement with Widener University in Chester, Pa.
$5,000
Amount Investors Bank granted to The Bancroft School in Haddonfield to support a new dance program
3
New Jersey’s rank among the hardest working states in the nation, according to Zippia, a website of career experts who utilize machine learning to examine career paths
ON THE MOVE
Comings, goings, hirings, retiring and more in South Jersey.
Bowman & Company announced the hiring of Jeff Crosley as their new Marketing Coordinator. Crosley will work with the partners to develop and execute the firm’s marketing, growth and staff development programs.
The law firm of Sherman Silverstein announced that William Mackin, Esq. was recently appointed as Chair of the New Jersey Bankruptcy Lawyers Advisory Committee for a two-year term, after having served as the Vice-Chair of the Committee for the previous two years.
The Joseph Fund has named Ed Hutchinson Board President. He succeeds Bob Kennedy, who will continue to serve on the Board of Trustees. Prior to assuming the role as Board President, Hutchinson was a founding member of The Joseph Fund’s Board of Trustees.
Carol Scott, who has served as President and CEO of AAA New Jersey since 2009, retired after a 28-year career on Dec. 31, 2015. David Antrilli, currently the Chief Operating Officer at AAA South Jersey, has been named as Scott’s successor.
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) recently appointed Mike Dinneen, senior vice president and director of marketing for Sun National Bank, to its Local Board in Burlington County. Dinneen joins other local volunteers to support United Way’s Impact Fund to improve education, financial stability and health and to make sure people can meet their most basic needs— food, shelter and safety.
New Jersey law firm, Parker McCay added five new associates to growing practice areas in its Mount Laurel headquarters:
• Stephanie M. Corcoran, of insurance defense litigation, municipal liability and civil rights litigation
• Tiara J. Greene, labor and employment, public schools and education, and municipal and government relations
• Samantha Reid Gross, health care law
• John Neckonchuk, commercial litigation
• Erin A. Szulewski, of real estate and land use
Andro Zangaladze, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed medical director of the Inspira-Jefferson Neuroscience Program. Double board certified in neurology and clinical neurophysiology and fellowship trained in neurophysiology, Dr. Zangaladze brings more than 27 years of combined experience in patient care, scientific research and academia.
Inspira Health Network has appointed two new vice presidents to lead the organization in the areas of population health and corporate compliance. Carol Thomas has been appointed vice president of Population Health and Joe Piccolo has been appointed vice president of corporate compliance and chief compliance officer.
Albert E. Smith has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Kennedy Health Board of Directors effective Jan. 1, 2016. Previously the Board’s Vice Chairman, Smith is also a member of the Kennedy University Hospital Board of Trustees and served as its chairman from 2007 to 2012.
Inspira Health Network’s LIFE Program has appointed Ankur Patel, M.D. as the program’s new medical director. In this role, Patel will provide medical oversight for the care of all Inspira LIFE program participants. Prior to joining Inspira, Patel served as the medical director for an Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit in Newport News, Va.
Mount Holly Township announced the appointment of Jason Jones as the township’s new mayor and Richard DiFolco as deputy mayor at the Township Council’s Reorganizational Meeting. Both Jones and DiFolco were unanimously elected to their positions by their fellow Township Council members.
Lauletta Birnbaum is pleased to announce the addition of corporate and securities lawyer, Eric D. Schoenborn, as a member of the firm. Prior to joining Lauletta Birnbaum, Schoenborn was partner with Stradley Ronon and served as the Chair or Co- Chair of the firm’s Public Company Practice Group for over nine years.
Elizabeth Sheridan, R.N., M.A., chief operating officer of Inspira Medical Center Elmer and Vineland has been listed on the Becker’s Hospital Review annual list of “Women Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know.”
Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Biz, Volume 6, Issue 1 (January, 2016).
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