NEWARK, N.J.
For years, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey had a long reputation for being the place for aspiring minority doctors and dentists to study.
UMDNJ is ranked No. 1 in granting the most medical degrees to minorities in Diverse’s Top 100 Graduate and ranked 19th in total Minority First Professional in dentistry.
But massive layoffs and fiscal mismanagement have led to the Newark-based university being placed under a federal monitoring program.
University officials downplay the worries, pointing out that, not including historically Black colleges and universities, UMDNJ produces more minority physicians than any institution in the country.
But the 51-year-old university, which enrolls 4,500 students and employs 11,000 people throughout five campuses, still has a long way to go before it emerges from its financial problems. Recently, the institution announced the layoffs of more than 100 employees, many of who are minorities. According to interim president Dr. Bruce Vladeck, the layoffs were needed to close a $25.5 million deficit in the university’s annual $1.6 billion budget.
In response that the layoffs affect a disproportionate number of minorities, Anna Farneski, a spokeswoman for UMDNJ, said: “The accusation is baseless and unfortunate. The racial makeup of those laid off is proportional to the diversity of the hospital’s work force.”
