Ready or not, Rutgers is about to have a president unlike any other to take up residence on the banks of the old Raritan. He’s a neurologist, scientist, business leader, and, of all things, a precision watchmaker who uses 17th century methods for his craft. And — imagine! — Robert Barchi even says he believes the Rutgers football program should be “balanced” to reflect the needs of the university. Words coming from someone who was captain of his college’s football team.

"The university has to change," says Barchi, the grandson of Italian immigrants who was named last week by the university’s governing board to be the 20th leader of the 236-year-old school. He spoke Friday during a two-hour interview in his office at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Barchi says the consequences of not changing are grim:

"Schools that don’t change now are going to be get left behind. They are going to find themselves in financial distress. It’s happening every day: Schools are closing because they can’t support themselves on the old model. The schools that will be on top of the heap are the schools that evolve, that change, that react to the times."

He talks with a breezy confidence apt to annoy some at New Jersey’s state university — but that’s because the 65-year-old Barchi is breezily confident of what he calls his "skill set and experience."

"There are times when an institution needs a younger individual who brings a certain flavor to it — but then there are times when it needs an experienced individual who has already seen problems and has dealt with them and can help the school manage."

Confident with reason. He has been the chief academic officer of an Ivy League university — the University of Pennsylvania — and the president of a medical school, Jefferson, that managed to build a state-of-the art campus in downtown Philadelphia while keeping an AA bond rating for its loans. That didn’t happen in New Jersey.

Barchi, however, won’t be shy about trying to assert the primacy of the Rutgers brand in New Jersey. In comments about his meeting with Christie, he said he and the governor "have a similar style" — and Barchi is aware of the governor’s style.

His self-assurance is a result of early and continuing success. He finished his undergraduate career at Georgetown in three years while playing varsity football — he was a 210-pound center — and lacrosse. At the University of Pennsylvania, he studied for a medical degree and a Ph.D. at the same time, and was immediately hired by the Ivy League university’s medical school as a faculty member.

All at the same time, he ran a thriving neurology practice, conducted research and taught. His research uncovered how nerves transmitted signals to muscles, research that has led to understanding and treatment of conditions like sudden cardiac arrest and myotonia.

"That was an exciting time," says Barchi. After he became an administrator at Penn, he gave up his medical practice. "It wasn’t fair to my patients," he says.

As a young faculty member, he opened up a shop to restore and repair old watches and clocks while he collected antique timepieces. His father was a mechanical engineer and his grandfather was an inventor of small engines. Barchi is fascinated with the way clocks and other small engines work and cuts gears for them in his workshop, using skills developed centuries ago.

"The thrill is in making something from scratch yourself, with your own hands, something that actually comes together and works. It’s like creating a new life. The clocks I have made will be around in 100 years. Long after people have forgotten everything I accomplished, my clocks will still be there and working."

That sounds like a metaphor for how he views the work he does — including a new job he has taken on when many his age have decided to retire.

"I’m a problem solver. That’s what I do. That’s what I love to do. I love to solve complex academic problems in a complex environment. That’s what I’ve succeeded in doing."

That doesn’t mean he knows exactly how he will change Rutgers in however many years he serves.

"I don’t know where all this is going, but I want to be along for the ride and help it get there."