Women: Don’t Be Afraid of the MBA
Fixing Princeton For the Future: Bob Hillier
Deadliest Road? Try Route 1 in Northern Jersey
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Kathleen Spring and Bart Jackson were prepared for the July 2, 2003 issue of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Internet Resources for Job Hunters: Vidhya Srinivasan
Job hunters who think of the Internet primarily as a
place to look for job postings may well be taking a shortcut that
leads nowhere. “Job seekers should not go only to job sites,”
declares Vidhya Srinivasan, a human resources pro. “The
Internet will not get you a job,” she continues, “but it will
lead you to a job.”
Srinivasan gives a free talk on “Job Searching on the World Wide
Web” on Tuesday, July 8, at 1 p.m. at the Lawrence branch of the
Mercer County Library. Call 609-989-6920 for more information.
Insatiably curious, Srinivasan has ferreted out a bounty of websites
that help job hunters with everything from resume preparation to
networking
to salary negotiation. She began mining the Internet as a college
student in Chennai, India, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in
applied mathematics before going on earn an advanced degree in human
resources management. Stints with an Indian branch of an Australian
bank and with a recruitment firm followed.
Two years ago, Srinivasan moved to the United States, where her new
husband, Ramesh Lakshminarayanan, works as a software engineer for
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. The two met through their families. “It
was an arranged marriage,” she says. And it has worked out well.
“It is interesting to know a person more after marriage,”
she says, explaining that she and her husband enjoy learning more
about each other every day.
But while Srinivasan’s marriage was in keeping with tradition, her
courtship had 21st century elements. “We communicated through
E-mail,” she says with a laugh.
In everything she does, Srinivasan says, she seeks to be innovative
and creative. This shows in her adaptation to her new homeland, where
she not only gives lectures at the library, but also teaches computer
skills at SeniorNet. Using skills she obtained after becoming
interested
in web design, she works on websites for both Young Achievers and
for the Association of Women in Science.
Almost ready to head for full-time employment herself, Srinivasan
shares these strategies for making full use of the Internet in landing
the perfect job:
Use company websites to guide cover letters. Corporations,and some small companies too, take their mission statements veryseriously— at least in theory. A job candidate who can talk the talk hasan edge. Go to a company website not just to look for open positions,but to scrutinize its mission statement — and more. To whatcharitiesdoes the company contribute? How strongly does it value diversity?Into what countries is it expanding?Use all of this information in crafting a custom cover letter andin deciding what experiences to include in a resume. Read pressreleaseson the site for news of product launches and new initiatives.Scrutinizeexecutive biographies. Take notice of the schools from whichexecutivesgraduated.Drill deeper. Moving beyond official company websites,Srinivasan recommends WetFeet (www.wetfeet.com). Here job seekersfind company profiles, interviews with decision makers at prominentcompanies, in-depth case histories of how employees in dozens of jobtitles landed their current gigs, city guides, information oninternships,and strategies targeted specifically at MBAs, career changers, andundergraduates.Find out what you are worth. Another of Srinivasan’sfavoritesis Salary.com (www.salary.com). Plug in zip code or region (Trentonarea, Middlesex County) and job title and learn what others in thejob to which you aspire are making. Here we learn, for example, thatinsurance adjusters in area code 08540 (Princeton) make between$40,492and $52,517, that landscape architects in the Trenton area makebetween$42,186 and $61,839, and that editors in Princeton Junction makebetween$46,602 and $63,824.There is a warning that actual salaries can vary widely based uponeducation, experience, and company size. A custom salary evaluation,taking all of these factors into account, is available for a fee.The site has a number of other tools, including advice on instantmessaging, telephone etiquette, negotiating benefits and options,and saving enough for college — and then saving enough to becomea millionaire.Choose your employer. Srinivasan points out a neat featureon Fortune.com’s (www.fortune.com) website. Go to the”Careers”heading, scroll down and look for the fairly small “careeropportunities”heading on the far right-hand side. A click pulls up a short quiz,asking for some basic employer preferences. Answer, for example, thatyou would like to work for a large, ethnically diverse company withlow turnover where there is no significant job training and a listof employers pops up. For those criteria, Fortune.com suggests thatStarbucks, Medtronic, FedEx, Charles Schwab, Agilent Technologies,and Goldman Sachs could be a good fit.The site contains lots more for job hunters — and for those whosoon will be job hunters. There is a 12-question quiz to help thenervous determine how likely it is that they are about to be fired.Should the worst happen, there are also lists of the best companiesto work for, and best states in which to work. New Jersey appearsto have made the cut because of Merck’s presence within its borders.Build up your network. Srinivasan likes ExpertCentral(www.expertcentral.com) for a couple of reasons. It is site whereself-styled experts offer information and advice on almost anything— federal contracting, frugal living, Internet appliances, actionfigure collecting, sports gambling, labor safety, and on and on.”It’sfree,” she says. “It’s amazing.”Experts — volunteers all — are ranked by users on the clarity,thoroughness, and timeliness of their responses. Srinivasan has alwaysgotten the information she was seeking in less than 24 hours.This site could well be used by job hunters looking for informationon a company, an industry, a locale, or a trend. But, adds Srinivasan,it is also a fine networking tool. Those asking questions tend tostrike up an E-acquaintance with those who answer them.Internet friendships can also grow up among subscribers to news groupsfocusing on jobs as well as on any number of general interest chatsites. If marriages can be made on the Internet, why not job matchesbetween E-buddies?Srinivasan does not keep the good job hunting sites to herself.She and her husband have built up a list of some 100 premier siteswith the help of their friends, who circulate links, constantly addnew finds, and share the wealth. In addition to talking about thebest way to use these resources during her upcoming talk, Srinivasanis creating links to the sites for the Mercer County Library(www.mcl.org).Top Of PageWomen: Don’t Be Afraid of the MBAYour internist may well be a woman. There is a prettygood chance that your divorce lawyer is a female, too. It is notunusualto find a veterinarian in a skirt when you bring in your puppy forhis shots. It does not seem strange anymore to hear sound bites fromwomen politicos — or to predict that it is only a matter of timebefore we have a Ms. President in the Oval Office.Despite the mainstreaming of women in top tier professions, thechild-bearingsex is still seriously under-represented in one discipline. Whilewomen make up at least half the entering classes in college and inmost graduate programs, including law and medicine, they take up just29 percent of the seats in MBA programs — and far fewer than thatin fast track Executive MBA programs. What’s more, the percentage,while more than double that of the 1970s, has not budged in more thana decade.Faced with this statistic, and eager to tap into a promising market,Princeton Review, a test prep company with headquarters in New Yorkand offices at 252 Nassau Street, is holding its first ever “Women& MBA” seminar on Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m. at the AlexanderLibrary on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers. There is no charge.For more information, call 609-683-0082.J.T. Levier, assistant director of marketing for PrincetonReview,is still putting together the panel for the event. One definite isLiz McCormick, an MBA who teaches courses on preparing for theGMAT, the SAT-like test many business schools rely upon to evaluateprospective students. Others addressing those curious about MBAprogramsinclude current MBA students and representatives of area women’sbusinessgroups.Levier says there will be ample time for questions. He anticipatesthat the number one question will be “why is the studentpopulation(in MBA programs) only 29 percent?”A much-cited study, published in 2000, supplies some of the answers.”Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity” is a two-yearstudy undertaken by Catalyst, a non-profit research and advisoryorganizationthat works to advance women in business professions, and theUniversityof Michigan Business School. Sponsors of the study include ChaseManhattan,Eli Lilly, Ford, Whirlpool, and Proctor & Gamble. The paucity of womenin MBA programs drew this attention because those who hold thesedegreesmake up a good share of the talent pool for corporate leadership.Careers in corporate management are among the most lucrative and,at the top levels, confer power that extends into the community andinto government.While no more rigorous than law school or medicalschool,business school is different in a way that is key to women. Otherprofessional schools draw most of their students directly fromcolleges,but business schools prefer that their students spend time in thereal world before enrolling. In many of the most elite programs, andin virtually all of the Executive MBA programs, significant workexperienceis a requirement.A recent article in the Wall Street Journal’s CollegeJournal explainswhy this timetable is a problem for women. “Students typicallyare about 28 years old when they enroll for their MBA degree, creatingwhat one business school official calls `a biological collision.’As they near 30, many women are focusing on marriage and childrenand are reluctant to begin a demanding MBA program. Medical and lawschools attract more women, in part because they tend to begin rightafter college, while most business schools seek applicants with atleast four or five years work experience.”Beyond less-than-ideal timing, business schools often are shunnedby women because of math fear. In many female minds, business equalsmath, and math is the enemy. At a premier business school, Chicago’sGraduate School of Business, where only 23 percent of students arefemale, Dean Don Martin, quoted by CollegeJournal, says “We’rea full-menu school offering 13 concentrations including generalmanagementand entrepreneurship, but people think only quant jocks comehere.”While women have pushed aside the glass ceiling over the operatingroom and the judicial bench, they appear to lack the tools — orthe will — to climb into the corporate suite in any great numbers.The Catalyst/University of Michigan study found that nearly one-thirdof all women MBA graduates and nearly half of all African Americanwomen graduates find the business school culture “aggressive andcompetitive.” The women reported that they often could not relateto case studies, and were discouraged to find so few women mentors.After the study was published, many business schools launched effortsto up their female enrollment. But they found that targeted marketingwas not enough. The CollegeJournal reports that “snagging morewomen has been a maddening seesaw experience for many schools.”After an aggressive push to enroll more women, Southern MethodistUniversity upped its percentage of female MBA students to 36 percent,only to see it fall again — to 28 percent. Stanford Universityjumped to 41 percent after the study was published, only to drop backto 38 percent.Keeping up the push to enroll women is worth the effort, theCatalyst/Universityof Michigan study concludes. Those who earn the degree, while oftenstill uneasy in corporate careers, generally report that the degreeis a valuable asset.Top Of PageFixing Princeton For the Future: Bob HillierThe Boomers have hit 50 and the demographics havechanged.More and more this ex-hippie generation is looking less and lesskindlyat that showy suburban estate plopped atop an acre of crabgrass. Thatwas their parents’ dream — not theirs. Increasingly, middle-ageBoomers are trading in the large yard with endless upkeep, forsmaller,better situated digs. They seek a base camp close to the action —whether it be athletic, cultural, social, or educational action. Inshort, they are rediscovering the easy access of city life.Ranking high on the Boomer scale of desirability, Princeton has begunto bulge with popularity and abundant new business opportunities,and the resulting density is causing some angst. Choices need to bemade, an issue at the forefront of an upcoming talk on “Princeton,the Best Little City in the World,” which takes place on Thursday,July 10, at 11:30 a.m. at the Doral Forestal. Cost: $45. Call609-521-1776.Sponsored by the Princeton Chamber of Commerce(www.princetonchamber.org.)this meeting features Bob Hillier, founder of the HillierArchitecturalGroup. He promises to present “a bit of a forecast, a few of thechallenges, and several of the future benefits” Princeton hasin store.Few families have witnessed so much change in their hometown, andhave had such a great hand in it as the Hilliers. Hillier, son ofJ.Robert Hillier, an inventor who ran RCA Laboratories for a decade,attendedPrinceton Country Day School, Princeton public schools, and theLawrencevilleSchool. In l929 hismother opened the Flower Basket, which she later expandedto three flower shops. After graduating from Princeton University,Hillier based his architectural firm in town and today Hillier(www.Hillier.com)employs more than 300 people in six offices around the world. Currentprojects include the restoration of the U.S. Supreme Court buildingand the Virginia Capitol.”What really gets people upset,” says Hillier, “is whenI label Princeton a city. But Princeton is a very vital place to livein an very urban sense.” He points out that the name”Princeton”has cache around the globe, and, for some, is even more attractivethan Manhattan.Residential draw. Without the exceptionally high densityof a big city, Princeton offers residents and visitors plentifulaccessto restaurants, continuing education, healthcare, and a high levelof cultural activity. The streets are safe. Commutation to New Yorkis, well, doable, yet growing numbers of residents, finding jobs closeto home, are able to cut out the train commute. And best of all,Princetonhas a real downtown — a central place where most items on ashoppinglist can be found and most recreational and social needs can be met.It is these factors that have are creating a Renaissance in Newarkand other East Coast cities, but, as Hillier notes “Princetonis more idyllic and less expensive” than many other choices.Prestige and business. Princeton’s 3,565 businesses boastan enormously high percentage of research and development endeavorsin everything from software to space travel. These are centered ona hub formed by Princeton University, the Institute for AdvancedStudy,the Theological Seminary, and Westminster Choir College. Over theyears, parallel businesses have naturally moved into the area to takeadvantage of this brain-and-expertise trust. Professional artists,financiers, and inventors continue to find fertile soil and similarminds here.Pressures of success. Hillier says that “it is abouttime Princeton began to admit to itself that it is a city. A smallcity, with plenty of unique character, but a city nonetheless.”This challenge immediately divides its citizenry into camps.Populationgrowth around the Princeton area has been exponential and shows littlesign of slowing. But the idea of transforming the village of nostalgicmemory into an urbanized center is taking some getting used to.Inherent in the process of city living is the problem of traffic.Cars require ample roadways and storage (preferably not on the samestrip of macadam). In the late l980s plans were developed to replacetraffic lights with eight new overpasses on Route 1. With some ofthe work done, traffic is moving more smoothly, but rush hours stillfeature 5-mile-an-hour crawls and fender benders aplenty. As for carstorage, one has only to witness the library expansion for whichparkinghas been the prime problem. Parking is a problem for the hospital,too, and has long been a major headache for merchants. Yet any mentionof a new parking garage causes an outcry, complete with lawn signsproclaiming that Princeton “is Not a city!”Some modest proposals. “It is clear that whatPrincetonneeds to do is sit down and plan long range its demographicfuture,”says Hillier. “Where will Witherspoon Street be 20 years fromnow? What sort of housing will be required for how many?” Thistype of planning can go smoothly, and the town can retain itscharacterif constant community input is solicited, he insists.Quality housing is one area in which Hillier sees a desperate needfor new zoning. Any Princetonian satisfied with the status quo mightwant to take a walk down Witherspoon Street at the start of the workday, and watch the dozen or more people who head for work out of eachrundown house. “For the landlord, these houses are not worth thecapitalization,” explains Hillier. “Roughly 20 percent ofany building’s value is the land cost. So, to generate any incomestream, these people must be crammed into these houses.”He suggests that if zoning allowed three story structures on theseproperties, apartments could be built, and the family unit cost couldbe cut by one-sixth. The structure would become worth the lot.”Thesame number of people would live on the same space,” says Hillier,”but they’d be living there in apartments, in much better quality— and in legal density.”Hillier says that higher housing density would also be a boonaround the Princeton Shopping Center, Palmer Square, and the stretchof Route 206 near Bayard Lane. In the past, several opportunitieswere missed through lack of forethought. Hillier laughs and pointsout that it is currently impossible to cross Princeton without makinga left turn — the prime initiator of traffic jams. Today,Princetonis as an ultra-desirable, high quality place to live. To maintainthat, Hillier states, “we need to face the facts of growth andplan well. This town can retain its charm and it will continue towork.”— Bart JacksonTop Of PageDeadliest Road? Try Route 1 in Northern JerseyJuly 4th, one of the biggest getaway weekends of theyear, is upon us. It brings, as usual, pleas for sane driving andprojections of expected highway fatalities. Yet, a new study indicatesthat a drive to the shore can be a lot safer than a drive to work— especially for those whose offices line Route 1.With 7,329 crashes and 20 fatalities in 2001, Route 1 leads the listof New Jersey’s most dangerous highways, according to a studyundertakenby the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration, and the National Motor Carrier Association.The next most dangerous road, Route 9, did not even come close toRoute 1’s record for vehicular mayhem. That road saw 4,114 crashesand 12 fatalities during 2001. In fourth place was another road thatpasses through Princeton, Route 206, on which there were 2,726accidentsand 15 fatalities. Close behind was another area artery, Route 130,on which there were 2,209 accidents and 7 fatalities.Danger on New Jersey’s highways has spurred passage of a “SafetyFirst” initiative. Passed on June 25, the legislation doublesfines for speeding and aggressive driving on the state’s mostdangerousroads. It also increases fines for out-of-state overweight trucks,and earmarks cash collected from fines for the establishment of aHighway Safety Fund to be used for highway safety programs andenforcementby state and local police departments.Other safety measures on the horizon, or already in place, includehighlighting the Aggressive Driver Hotline. Signs on Route 1 arealreadyexhorting drivers to report aggression by dialing #77 on their cellphones. (But one has to wonder how hunting for a pencil, getting closeenough to read a wild driver’s license plate, and dialing a phonewill add to highway safety.)In addition to publicizing the bad-driver hotline, there are plansto expand the 100-mile safety barrier program, allocate $20 millionfor engineering and technological highway improvements, add 500 milesof raised pavement reflectors over the next two years, and expanddriver education programs.While the new report puts Route 1 squarely in the spotlight, the newsis not as bad as it could be for Princeton-area commuters. The longroute, which runs through more than half of the state, is the mostdangerous. But no section of Route 1 between Trenton and New Brunswickmade the list of the top 10 most dangerous 5-mile stretches of roadwayin the state. A team of reporters from News 12 New Jersey analyzedaccident data and determined that the McCarter Highway in Newark takesthat honor, claiming the lives of 24 of the 748 people who died onNew Jersey’s roads in 2002. The Garden State Parkway in Woodbridgeand a stretch of Routes 1 and 9 in Linden tied for second place with19 traffic deaths each.Meanwhile, some are placing blame for Route 1’s woes on trucks. Truckswere involved in 35 percent of the accidents along that road, agreaterpercentage — by six percentage points — than were involvedin fatalities on the New Jersey Turnpike during the same period. Thereis some sentiment in favor of banning trucks from Route 1 unless theyare making local deliveries. It is thought that some trucks choosethe road, already clogged with commuters and shoppers, as a way tobeat tolls on the Turnpike. While some favor the ban, others pointout that the trucks could well just divert to other roads, roads likeRoute 206, which passes through Lawrence, where residents, worriedthat trucks are shaking their historic home apart, have organizedto move the multi-wheel vehicles elsewhere.The debate will continue, as traffic — from both cars and trucks— promises to only get worse. The new report on some of its mostserious effects is sobering — for both vacation drivers andcommuters.Best to be alert and aware, no matter what the route.Top Of PageBrownfields RedevelopmentThe New Jersey Economic Development Authority hasestablisheda Brownfields Redevelopment Office to make it easier formunicipalities,developers, and businesses to access financial resources availablefrom the EDA for the remediation and redevelopment of brownfieldprojectsin the state.”The new office is an outgrowth of Governor James E.McGreevey’sannouncement to consolidate brownfield financing programs within theEDA and supports the state’s commitment to provide easy access tothe financing tools that can help municipalities, developers, andbusinesses clean up contaminated and underutilized sites and makethem usable again,” EDA Executive Director Caren S. Franzinisays in a prepared statement.The EDA Brownfields Redevelopment Office can be reached at609-341-2723or by E-mail at brownfields@njeda.com You can also learn moreabout EDA brownfield programs at www.njeda.comIn early May Governor McGreevey signed legislation appropriating anadditional $40 million to replenish the Hazardous Discharge SiteRemediationFund (HDSRF), which is managed by the EDA in conjunction with theNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The programoffers grants and loans to municipalities and private parties forinvestigation and remediation of contaminated sites.Under the HDSRF program, municipalities may apply for grants and loansup to $2 million per year for investigation and remedial activitiesfor properties they own or for which they hold a tax sale certificateand have a comprehensive plan or realistic opportunity to developwithin a three-year period. Private parties required to performremedialactivities and individuals who want to conduct such actionsvoluntarilymay qualify for loans up to $1 million per year if they are unableto obtain private funding.The Brownfields Redevelopment Office also administers two recentlyintroduced lending programs that make up to $10 million in short-termloans available to developers to offset predevelopment funding gapsfor projects in older communities and to meet funding requirementsfor brownfield site remediation.One program provides smart growth predevelopment loans and guaranteesup to $1 million for noncontamination-related site preparation costs,including, but not limited to, land assemblage, demolition, removalof materials and debris, and engineering costs. Eligible projectsinclude commercial, industrial, office, and mixed-use projects inurban and developed suburban communities. Projects must have municipalsupport and be part of a local development plan.The second program, the Brownfields Redevelopment Loan Program,enablesdevelopers who have a signed Brownfield Reimbursement Agreement withthe Commerce and Economic Growth Commission to borrow up to $750,000for up-front, interim remediation funding. The anticipated brownfieldreimbursement must be pledged to pay principal and interest on theEDA loan.Financing under both programs is available for up to three years atbelow-market interest rates, adjusted quarterly with a 3 percentfloor.The maximum amount that can be lent to a single borrower under thetwo programs is $1 million.The EDA Brownfields Redevelopment Office also administers thePetroleumUnderground Storage Tank Remediation, Upgrade and Closure Programin conjunction with the DEP. Business owners and operators who havefewer than 10 petroleum underground storage tanks in New Jersey, havea net worth of less than $2 million and cannot obtain a commercialloan for all or a portion of the costs may qualify for 100 percentof the eligible project costs. Homeowners in need of remediation dueto a discharge from a home heating oil tank may also qualify forfinancingassistance.The Brownfields Redevelopment Office will also be able to connectbusinesses and developers to the various EDA low-interest bond, loanand guarantee programs available for the development of projects oncecleanup has been completed.Top Of PageErnst & Young WinnersThree entrepreneurs from the greater Princeton communitywon honors last month in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Yearprogram: Gregory Besner, CEO of Restricted Stock Systems Inc.at Research Park, and Richard and George Rebh, CEO andexecutive vice president of FLOORgraphics Inc. on Vaughn Drive. TheRebh brothers won in the marketing, manufacturing, and distributioncategory, and Besner won in the emerging growth category (see storyon page 37).”On behalf of the entire team at RSS, we’re honored to have beenchosen for this award for entrepreneurial leadership,” saysBesner.”The work we’re doing and the systems we’ve been developing areresulting in a better way to manage complex restricted stockprocedures,and we’re very grateful to be recognized for that.”Thirty-one finalists competed for prizes in seven categories. OtherNew Jersey winners included Stephen DePalma, CEO of Schoor DePalmain Manalapan; Gregory E. Murphy, chairman, president, and CEO ofSelectiveInsurance Group in Branchville; Mark E. Kolb, CEO of TaratecDevelopmentCorporation in Bridgewater; Sal Torre, president of Bon Chef inLafayette;Clive Meanwell, executive chairman, and David Stack, CEO, of theMedicinesCompany in Parsippany; and Peter J. Cocoziello, president & CEO ofAdvance Realty Group in Bedminster.To be eligible, the nominee must be an owner/manager of a privateor public company who is primarily responsible for the recentperformanceof the company (or organization) and an active member of topmanagement.The winners demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in suchareas as innovation, financial performance, level and nature of riskstaken and obstacles overcome, and personal commitment to theirbusinessesand communities. New Jersey’s award recipients now compete with thewinners of 37 other regional programs for the national awards, tobe announced November 22 in Palm Springs, California.Previous Princeton area winners of the state contest have includedMartin Levine of MarketSource. The most recent national winneris Florida-based Jeno F. Paulucci, nicknamed the “frozen foodking” for creating such brands as Chun King Chinese cuisine andMichelina’s frozen entrees.”These outstanding owners and CEOs of New Jersey companies werehonored for the ingenuity, hard work and perseverance that has allowedthem to create and sustain successful, growing business ventures,”says Keith L. Brownlie, program director of the state Ernst & Youngcontest.Top Of PageCorporate Angelsd>Bristol-Myers Squibb has underwritten part ofthe cost of expanding a community-based health education programcalled”Lighten Up, Princeton!” The program ran for 90 days lastfall. The expanded program, which includes a computer work stationand a public health nurse on site at specified hours, will be basedat the Wild Oats Market on Nassau Street beginning Tuesday, July 1.It will then move to the Princeton Senior Resource Center for twomore months.The Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies has given a$625,000 grant to Rutgers to support 21 programs across variousdisciplineson its Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick/Piscataway campuses. Threenew and 18 existing programs will benefit.Of the total grant amount, $345,000 goes for research purposes.Fellowshipand other student support programs account for $175,000, and theremaining$100,000 is earmarked for support outreach programs.New Rutgers projects to receive support under the grant include thesummer undergraduate internships at the Center for Molecular andBehavioralNeuroscience at Rutgers-Newark. The internships will allow studentsto work year-round on research, instead of suspending their work whenthe school year ends.The grant also will fund a research study by Rutgers’ Center for StateHealth Policy to assess the quality and effectiveness of optionsavailablefor moving the elderly from institutional to community-based care.The study’s results will be shared with state and local policymakers,advocacy groups, and the healthcare industry.The third new beneficiary is “Mason Gross Presents,” aperformingand visual arts series run by Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts.The grant will support educational outreach and assist the schoolin producing performances and exhibits, including a show in downtownNew Brunswick of artworks by Asian artists.The grant brings total gifts from Johnson & Johnson to Rutgers infiscal year 2003 to more than $1.5 million.The American Red Cross of Central New Jersey raised $60,000during its 11th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, June 2. Remarkably,the event took place under sunny skies, start to finish.Nearly 200 golfers participated in the event, which took place atBedens Brook Club and also at Cherry Valley Country Club. All proceedsof the event helped benefit community programs and services in Mercerand Middlesex counties.Major sponsors were Fleet Bank, Johnson & Johnson ConsumerCompany, and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.Fleet Bank announced a $15,000 grant to Rider University’s”Minding Our Business” summer youth entrepreneur program inthe Wednesday, June 4, opening ceremonies for its new branch at 200East State Street in Trenton.The “Minding Our Business” program provides instruction tomiddle school students in Trenton.Montgomery Friends of Open Space, which was formed one yearago to preserve land in Montgomery Township, has had its firstsuccess.Earlier this month, the township purchased the 39-acre Platz farmon Dutchtown-Harlingen Road, near the foothills of the SourlandMountains,and permanently protected this land as open space.Montgomery Friends faced a challenge, because the property was alreadyunder contract to a developer, Wildflower Estates, which had plannedto put 10 houses on the tract. Wade Martin of USB PaineWebber,a financial advisor to both D&R Greenway and Montgomery Friends, wasable to provide the financial planning tools that created a case forpreservation that both the landowner and the developer couldunderstand.Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative extends thanks to membersof the National Association of Letter Carriers for collectingfood during the recent Stamp Out Hunger food drive. More thanhalf-a-billionpounds of donations have been taken to food banks and food pantriesover the past 10 years as a result of the letter carriers’ efforts.Trenton Postmaster Joseph Sautello provided the trailers thattransportedthe food to the Mercer Friends’ warehouse. Help in loading andunloadingthe trucks was provided by area letter carriers and mail handlers,members of the Mercer County Central Labor Council, studentsfrom Lawrenceville School, and the crew from the RescueMission of Trenton.Top Of PagePatriotic GivingThe Lost and Found Gallery at 20 Nassau Street issponsoringHappy Birthday America, a benefit exhibition for the Trenton AreaSoup Kitchen.Throughout the month of July, Lost and Found will feature workscreatedby nationally-known artists and designers that showcase such patrioticthemes as Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty, and the American flag. Art formsinclude flag sculptures, quilts, pillows, rugs, folk art whirly gigs,dolls, clocks, and home furnishings.Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of these items, which willbe on display at area stores as well as at the gallery, will go tothe Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. To donate art or to make a contributionto the soup kitchen, call Kerri Nichols at 609-695-5456.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
