Does the New Jersey State Museum have a future?

UPDATE: Due to ongoing deliberations over the future of the New Jersey State Museum I have decided that it is in the best interest of the museum to remove this post, but I will continue to write about this story as more knowledge becomes publicly available. And, just so there is no misunderstanding, what I stated in the previous version of this post I wrote as a private citizen and not a representative of the museum itself – I am the equivalent of a volunteer and not employed by the museum.

Nevertheless, I feel it appropriate the outline what is publicly known about this controversy in the place of my earlier editorial. As of July 1 the museum will be placed under the care of Rutgers University – it is presently unknown what the intentions of the school are for the museum. Since no funding for the museum was set aside in the state budget for the next fiscal year and Rutgers has had its funding repeatedly slashed by the state over the past several years, this could place the fate of the museum and its unique collections in jeopardy should Rutgers decide it does not want the institution (as well as the state library and Thomas Edison State College, which it is also being given by the state government).

If you care about the future of the museum and the research being actively pursued there, I urge you to voice your support for it through e-mails to New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Rutgers University president Richard McCormick.