Will they merge athletic programs and remain in the NJAC as a Division III program under the Rowan banner?
Could the merged school ultimately expand its athletic program to the Division I level, offering scholarships and building greatly expanded facilities on those 600 acres of land Rowan owns off Route 55 in Harrison Township?
"Could it happen someday down the road? Absolutely," Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona said of an upgrade of the athletic program to the Division I level. "But that's something that couldn't be further from our minds right now. There are so many other things that need to be worked out and, of course, academics are first.
"But we're very cognizant of the fact that athletics is a community builder and could be a way to unify the new university."
Rowan associate athletic director Dan Gilmore, the coach of the men's soccer team, declined to speculate on the future of athletics at the two schools.
"We're just beginning this process," Gilmore said.
Rutgers-Camden athletic director Jeff Dean conceded that the "unknown" is unsettling to people in his department.
"We really don't know anything," Dean said. "But there's a sense that there could be change. People just aren't sure what's going to happen."
Dean said his coaches have asked what they should tell recruits who wonder about the future of the program.
"I said to tell them what we know, which really isn't much," Dean said. "There are so many unknowns. But certainly we value Rutgers-Camden athletics and Rutgers-Camden student-athletes, and we intend to maintain that."
Cassidy said he spoke with Curbison and other Rutgers-Camden athletic officials before Wednesday night's game between the conference rivals on the Camden campus.
"Nobody seems to be sure how this is going to play out," Cassidy said.
