Montclair State President Susan A. Cole sent the following letter to the campus community in response to the resignation of Rutgers President Francis L. Lawrence on Friday, Feb. 1.

As many of you now know, Francis L. Lawrence has announced his resignation from Rutgers University after a long and successful tenure as president. In recent newspaper articles, both before and since that announcement, there has been some speculation about my interest in or candidacy for the presidency of Rutgers. There may continue to be some speculation in regard to that subject. In light of that public attention, I wanted to say clearly to the Montclair State University community that speculation is all that it is. I have not been asked to consider any other position in New Jersey, nor have I asked to be considered for any other position.

We have a very ambitious educational agenda here at Montclair State University, and I feel both quite useful and very happy in my current position. I intend to continue to be as strong an advocate as I can be for the advancement of public higher education in this state, and for the important role of this University in serving the educational needs of the people of New Jersey.

Never at any time in New Jersey's history have the demands on public higher education been greater or the stakes more important. Despite the hopefully short-term budgetary challenges, this is an exciting time to be at Montclair State University and an exciting time to be engaged in public higher education. It will require the collaborative and visionary efforts of all of the state's colleges and universities, working toward a shared agenda and assisted with leadership from business and government, to plan and implement a course of action that will give New Jersey the prominence it should have in the nation for the quality, the accessibility, and the public engagement of its institutions of higher education.

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