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TRENTON, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday proposed turning a former teacher’s college into New Jersey’s second major public research university in a shake-up of the state’s higher education system that’s intended to raise the standing of Rutgers University and other institutions from “good to great.”

The first-term Republican governor has long been concerned that top high school graduates go elsewhere for college and often stay there rather than staying put in New Jersey, one of the few states where the flagship public university doesn’t contain the state name.

Part of the problem is a shortage of slots for students, and part is the reputation of Rutgers, a school of 58,000 students spread across three campuses.

Under the governor’s plan, fast-growing Rowan University, which 20 years ago was largely a teacher’s college known as Glassboro State College, would take over the Rutgers-Camden campus, including its law school, in suburban Philadelphia.

Rutgers, whose main campuses are 30 miles from New York City, would absorb parts of the scandal-stained University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, gaining a medical school. The remaining parts of the University of Medicine and Dentistry would be renamed the New Jersey Health Sciences University.

“We cannot compete economically in this state with good but not great institutions at any level,” Christie said at a news conference. “We need to make the steps happen to allow us to go from good to great.”

Officials at Rowan are excited about the idea,wholesale Dsquared, but it’s causing consternation at Rutgers-Camden. Rutgers officials at other campuses say they need more time to study the plan.

Christie said the moves would strengthen New Jersey’s entire higher education system, giving southern New Jersey a major research university, improving the links between research and patient treatment, and strengthening ties to the state’s pharmaceutical industry at Rutgers’ main campus in New Brunswick and Piscataway.

He said they would also give a new start and more focused mission to the University of Medicine and Dentistry, which spent years mired in scandal related to no- or low-show jobs being given in exchange for steering patients or taxpayer money to the school, billing irregularities and employees accepting favors from contractors.

The idea of major university reconfiguration has been around for a decade, but university officials and politicians have never mustered the will to make it happen.

The strong-willed governor cited one major difference this time around that he said will result in real change: “It’s me.”

Christie said that the cost has not yet been calculated but that most of it would be absorbed by the current university budgets. He said there would not need to be deep layoffs anywhere, as long as the universities as constituted now aren’t overstaffed but he said there might be.

At Rutgers-Camden, third-year law student Wali Rushdan said many students were concerned about whether losing the Rutgers brand would make it harder to attract top faculty or make it more difficult for graduates to get jobs.

“The general mood is that people are completely against it and we wonder where the authority for it even comes from,” said Rushdan, 29.

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Follow Mulvihill at http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill.

Have Prince William and Kate Middleton chosen a wedding dress designer for the royal nuptials? With April 29 fast approaching, work on the gown needs to get started. Even though mum’s the word, there are some interesting rumors that point to the late Alexander McQueen’s fashion house as having been given the commission.

* March 2011 — Alexander McQueen Fashion House. In what might be termed a case of “loose lips sink ships,” the fashion house’s CEO Jonathan Akeroyd is said to have told a professional contact that the British design house had received the commission. This would put the late fashion designer’s right-hand assistant and current Alexander McQueen label creative director, Sarah Burton,Cheap Ed hardy belts, in charge of Middleton’s wedding gown.

* March 2011 — Bruce Oldfield. If the name sounds familiar, royal watchers are sure to remember that Bruce Oldfield was credited with being the late Princess Diana’s favorite designer. Eagle-eyed reporters keeping an eye on the premises of notable British fashion houses reported that Middleton’s sister (the maid of honor), her mother and also the Countess of Wessex have been seen frequenting the establishment. The latter is the mother of 7-year-old Lady Louise Windsor, who is one of the bridesmaids at Prince William and Kate’s wedding.

* February 2011 — Erdem Moralioğlu. A powerhouse in the British fashion industry, his fashion house was rumored to be perfect for Middleton’s sense of style. Not outrageous or controversial, Erdem fashions are known to flatter slimmer models who can carry a traditional look. In the same breath, fashion gossips pooh-poohed the idea of the bride’s hiring Bruce Oldfield and putting herself in competition with Prince William’s late mother.

* December 2010 — David Emanuel. The designer of Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding gown was thought to be the natural choice for Prince William’s bride. While the dress made of antique lace, ivory silk and taffeta was a breathtaking creation for the Princess of Wales, it is difficult to imagine the much more independent and less demure Middleton in these types of traditional trappings. David Emanuel has not been mentioned recently when discussing the royal wedding gown.

* November 2010 — Phillipa Lepley. She was an early favorite among the betting public. The fact Middleton chose an Issa creation when facing the press after the engagement announcement was thought to speak volumes. Close in style to Lepley gown looks, the designer who is billed as “London’s leading couture bridal designer” would have been a logical choice for the royal bride’s fashion style.

Alexander McQueen’s fashion house categorically denies being involved with the April wedding or its gown. This, of course, is par for the course.

Ever since the world found out that Prince William was in love, people’s fascination with Kate Middleton went beyond her common status. With her printed pencil skirts, elaborate hats and tailored coats, the 29-year-old bride-to-be has been crowned as a bona fide fashionista.

Middleton did,Replica Ed hardy hoodies, of course, work as an accessory buyer for high-end U.K. clothing boutique Jigsaw. And with what seems like every major fashion geniuses from Karl Lagerfeld and Jason Wu to the design houses of Valentino and Alexander McQueen wanting the chance to design her wedding dress, it is pretty safe to say she’s a fashion force to be reckoned with. People has noticed her fashion sense way before she started sporting the iconic sparkly sapphire and diamond engagement ring. The magazine named her one of its British fashion favorites in 2007. Style.com has also named Middleton a “beauty icon.”

And even though Middleton has been known for her simplistic style, clean lines and just enough of a deep neckline that never shows too much, she recently trumped avant garde popstar Lady Gaga and took the number one spot on this year’s “Top Fashion Buzzwords” list. Noted stylist and fashion expert Sharon Haver said it best when expressed that people are tired of Gaga’s edible or see-through outfits on the red carpet. So Middleton’s prep-girl style is a nice change of pace.

“Kate is British, but she looks like a classic, all-American girl,” Haver told AOL News. “She looks like she could be a Ralph Lauren model. She’s classy but not dowdy — modern, approachable and effortless. I think she’s a good fashion icon for young girls to look up to globally.”

Middleton has already made an impact on women’s shopping habits since she got engaged to a prince. The blue dress that she wore to the couple’s official announcement to the press about their engagement flew off the racks literally in minutes despite the fact that the Issa-designed frock retailed for $500. Fashionistas and fans of the couple were disappointed to find out that the cream ruffled blouse Middleton wore in one of her engagement photos was from the fall 2008 collection of U.K. brand Whistles — meaning it was no longer on sale. And lastly, a white, knee-length dress from Reiss’ fall 2009 line also became a hot item even though it’ll set you back $300. But like the top, this too was sold out. However the British brands have announced that they will be reissuing the two pieces in the following year due to high demands.

While Middleton seems to be fitting nicely into her role as a trendsetter, she does have some big shoes to fill. Princess Diana was probably one of the most fashionable royals of her time and to take her place is quite a feat. However designer Diane Von Furstenberg thinks that Middleton will do well in that department. “She reminds me more and more of Diana,” she told the Telegraph. “Everything about her. I think she’s there to avenge Diana’s memory — that’s clearly what William wants. Giving Kate his mother’s ring was a great gesture, and I think that theirs will be a happy version of his parents’ marriage. But he absolutely chose a woman who was like his mother — that was deliberate.”

However Vivienne Westwood begs to differ. “I would have loved to have dressed Kate Middleton but I have to wait until she kind of catches up a bit somewhere with style,” the fashion designer said during London Fashion Week.

Clearly the jury is still out on this one, and only time will tell how she’ll impact fashion. But no matter how much you like her style, there’s no doubt that all eyes will be on her when she steps out in her wedding dress on April 29.

Spring ‘12 sketches, binoculars, his kid’s artwork, a large and growing collection of Air Jordans and Adidas sneakers. That’s only part of the inventory of Rag & Bone designer and co-founder Marcus Wainwright. It’s also what you’ll find on the label’s new blog, relaunching tomorrow at Rag-bone.com. “While we have had our blog since the launch of our Web site, we are evolving our format to incorporate new features and more robust, original content,” Wainwright tells Style.com. “Our regular posts will include contributing friends of the brand who share their interests and inspirations.” Those friends include everyone from editor-slash-DJ Andrew Bevan (who shares 50 favorite tracks) to blogger Sean Sullivan of the Impossible Cool (who ticks off his picks for the first “Stuff We Love” column), as well as Hanneli Mustaparta, Wainwright, and partner David Neville. Before tomorrow’s launch, Style.com snagged the preview above.

Photo: Courtesy of Rag & Bone