New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry, A Guide to the Records of the

New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry was established May 3, 1965 by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. The State of New Jersey agreed to purchase for $4 million and take over the privately operated Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry (SHCMD). A seven-member Board of Trustees was named by Governor Richard Hughes, with appointments terminating on July 1, 1970, prior to which time the organization of the College was to be reviewed. During its first few years of operation, NJCMD faced the loss of its accreditation. Fortunately, the efforts of Governor Hughes, Board Chairman George F. Smith, and then-president Robert R. Cadmus, MD., averted the threatened action. As time passed, major problems were resolved and the College was fully accredited.

In November 1966, a Public Hearing was held in Trenton concerning the location of a permanent site for the College, which was then located at the Jersey City Medical Center. In December 1966 the Trustees voted to relocate to the City of Newark, after rejecting a site in Madison. NJCMD applied for Federal funds for its permanent facilities, which had been under planning and architectural development since 1967. Prior to completing the relocation, the Newark Riots occurred in the summer of 1967. One reason for the Riots was the proposed location of the campus in Newark's Central Ward. The location would displace local residents, and their homes would fall prey to urban renewal. What resulted was quite extraordinary. A series of meetings held between local residents and community organizations, and state officials resulted in the formulation of the Newark Agreements. The Agreements outlined both the State's and College's responsibility to the community to provide, among other things, primary health care for Newark residents, and offer significant educational and employment opportunities to the local population.

On June 10, 1969, a $35 million construction award was announced in Washington. NJCMD had used the Newark City Hospital as a training facility for several departments during 1966 and 1967. The State purchased the hospital for one dollar from the City of Newark. On July 1, 1968, NJCMD assumed operation of Newark City Hospital and its Nursing School. The name was changed to Harrison S. Martland Medical Center, and it became the College's principal teaching facility.

Prefabricated interim facilities were constructed in June 1969. They were completed and occupied during the 1969-1970 academic year, while planning for permanent facilities continued. On May 4, 1970 the Medical and Dental Act of 1970 was introduced into the New Jersey Assembly. Subsequently, the Act established the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (CMDNJ), combining the NJCMD and the Rutgers Medical School into one administrative organization. Groundbreaking for a new permanent Newark campus on an additional 45.7 acre site occurred on July 6, 1971.