You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
The faculty union at Rutgers University has raised objections after New Jersey governor Phil Murphy nominated an athletics booster to the university’s 15-member Board of Governors.
Murphy nominated Amy Towers, a former hedge fund executive who along with her husband, Jeff, has made donations including $5 million toward a football practice facility, NJ.com reported. Amy Towers already serves on the Board of Overseers that governs the university’s foundation.
Her husband has been the source of controversy. He was almost hired for a football recruiting position before NJ.com reported he’d anonymously donated $1 million to increase the salary of the university’s then football coach. Rutgers also reported an incident that involved him tweeting at potential recruits -- a recruiting violation, because boosters are not supposed to directly contact recruits.
The vice president of the faculty union said that giving money to the athletics program does not equal expertise in higher education or help the primary mission of Rutgers. A spokesman for New Jersey’s governor said Amy Towers would bring value because of her experience in running a financial institution and managing philanthropic programs.
She would have to be confirmed by the State Senate.
