Board votes to drop 'library' from school name.

The Board of Governors of Rutgers University (New Jersey) has approved a controversial resolution changing the name of the university's School of Communication, Information and Library Studies to the School of Communication and Information, effective 1 July.

The board's decision confirmed an earlier vote by the school's faculty, which approved the name change on 4 February by a 30-10 tally (with one abstention). The faculty vote followed months of discussions within the school and among members of the Rutgers University community dating back to the summer of 2008.

The School of Communication and Information will continue to house the library and information science division. The school offers an undergraduate program in information technology and informatics, a PhD program in communication, information and library studies, and a master's program in library and information science. The school also offers continuing education to working professionals through its Professional Development Studies Program.

"This change will help the residents of New Jersey and the nation's academic community better understand the strengths at Rutgers' School of Communication and Information," said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. "This clarity is pivotal at a time when the fields of communication and information are central to societal changes occurring as we speak."