FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2007
FY07-20
ORAU Welcomes Two New Universities to Consortium
Oak Ridge, Tenn.—Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) welcomed Rutgers University and Morgan State University universities as the newest members of its consortium during the 62nd annual meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions held in Oak Ridge. With these additions, the ORAU Consortium now consists of 98 sponsoring institutions and 13 associate members, representing 29 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and London.
Membership in the ORAU consortium provides exclusive opportunities for faculty and students at member institutions to participate in members-only grants and internships, as well as perform laboratory research at federal facilities, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Institutes of Health.
"ORAU is pleased to announce the addition of Rutgers and Morgan State to our growing university consortium," said ORAU President Ron Townsend. "These prestigious universities are joining a diverse group of member institutions committed to providing opportunities to student and faculty researchers who will shape scientific and technological advances and improve our nation's competitiveness on a global scale."
Chartered in 1766, Rutgers is the state university of New Jersey with an enrollment of more than 50,000 across three campuses. The university offers more than 100 degree programs across 30 degree-granting units and has been affiliated with ORAU for many years through leadership in ORAU’s Center of Excellence for Radioactive Ion Beam Studies for Stewardship Science. Founded in 2003 as a partnership between Rutgers and ORAU’s University Radioactive Ion Beam Consortium (UNIRIB), the Center provides nuclear structure input on unstable species of importance to nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics and science-based stockpile stewardship.
Officially known as "Maryland's Public Urban University," Morgan State was founded in 1867 and is located in a residential area of northeast Baltimore. As a historically black institution, Morgan State awards more bachelor's degrees to African-American students than any campus in Maryland and enrolls approximately 6,000 students in more than 60 academic programs. For four decades, Morgan State has also been one of the leading institutions in the Mid-Atlantic States in the production of Fulbright Scholars.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 98 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.