Rutgers University
Encyclopedia
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (usually referred to as Rutgers University or just Rutgers, ˈrʌtɡərz), is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey
, United States
. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges
founded before the American Revolution
. Rutgers was originally a private university
affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church
and admitted only male students, but evolved into a coeducation
al public
research university. Rutgers is one of only two colonial colleges
that later became public universities, the other being The College of William and Mary
.
Rutgers was designated The State University of New Jersey by acts of the New Jersey Legislature
in 1945 and 1956. The three campuses of Rutgers are in (1) New Brunswick
and Piscataway
, (2) Newark
and (3) Camden
. The Newark campus
was formerly the University of Newark, which merged into the Rutgers system in 1946, and the Camden campus
was created in 1950 from the College of South Jersey and the South Jersey Law School. Rutgers is the largest university within New Jersey's state university
system. The university offers more than 100 distinct bachelor, 100 master, and 80 doctoral and professional degree programs across 175 academic departments, 29 degree-granting schools and colleges, 16 of which offer graduate programs of study.
(now Princeton University) was established in 1746, ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church
, seeking autonomy in ecclesiastical affairs in the American colonies, sought to establish a college to train those who wanted to become ministers
within the church. Through several years of effort by Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen
(1691–1747) and Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
(1736–1790), later the college's first president, Queen's College was chartered on 10 November 1766. Established as the trustees of Queen's College, in New-Jersey in honor of King George III
's Queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
(1744–1818). The charter was signed and the young college was supported by William Franklin
(1730–1813), the last Royal Governor of New Jersey
and illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin
. The original charter specified the establishment both of the college, and of an institution called the Queen's College Grammar School, intended to be a preparatory school
affiliated and governed by the college. This institution, today the private Rutgers Preparatory School
, was a part of the college community until 1959. The location of New Brunswick was chosen over Hackensack because the New Brunswick Dutch had the support of the Anglican population as well, making the royal charter easier to obtain.
The original purpose of Queen's College was to "educate the youth in language, liberal, the divinity, and useful arts and sciences" and for the training of future ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church The college admitted its first students in 1771—a single sophomore and a handful of first-year students taught by a lone instructor—and granted its first degree in 1774, to Matthew Leydt
. Despite the religious nature of the early college, the first classes were held at a tavern
called the Sign of the Red Lion. When the Revolutionary War broke out and taverns were suspected by the British as being hotbeds of rebel activity, the college abandoned the tavern and held classes in private homes.
In its early years, due to a lack of funds, Queen's College was closed for two extended periods. Early trustees considered merging the college with the College of New Jersey
, in Princeton (the measure failed by one vote) and later considered relocating to New York City. In 1808, after raising $12,000, the college was temporarily reopened and broke ground on a building of its own, affectionately called "Old Queens
" designed by architect John McComb, Jr. The college's third president, the Rev. Ira Condict
, laid the cornerstone on April 27, 1809. Shortly after, the New Brunswick Theological Seminary
, founded in 1784, relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to New Brunswick, and shared facilities with Queen's College (and the Queen's College Grammar School
, as all three institutions were then overseen by the Reformed Church in America
). During those formative years, all three institutions fit into Old Queens. In 1830, the Queen's College Grammar School moved across the street, and in 1856, the Seminary relocated to a seven-acre (28,000 m2) tract less than one-half mile (800 m) away.
After several years of closure resulting from an economic depression after the War of 1812
, Queen's College reopened in 1825 and was renamed Rutgers College in honor of American Revolutionary War
hero Colonel Henry Rutgers
(1745–1830). According to the Board of Trustees, Colonel Rutgers was honored because he epitomized Christian values
(he was known for his philanthropy
, although it should be noted the Colonel, the child of New Netherland
Dutch settlers, was both a wealthy bachelor, and a devout member of the Reformed Church). A year after the school was renamed, it received 2 donations from its namesake: a $200 bell still hanging from the cupola of Old Queen's and a $5,000 bond which placed the college on sound financial footing.
Rutgers College became the land-grant college of New Jersey in 1864 under the Morrill Act of 1862
, resulting in the establishment of the Rutgers Scientific School, featuring departments of agriculture
, engineering
, and chemistry
. The Rutgers Scientific School would expand over the years to grow into the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (1880) and divide into the College of Engineering
(1914) and the College of Agriculture (1921). Rutgers created the New Jersey College for Women
in 1918, and the School of Education in 1924. With the development of graduate education, and the continued expansion of the institution, the collection of schools became Rutgers University in 1924. Rutgers College continued as a liberal arts college within the university. Later, University College
(1945) was founded to serve part-time, commuting students and Livingston College
(1969) was created by the Rutgers Trustees, ensuring that the interests of ethnically diverse New Jersey students were met.
Rutgers was designated the State University of New Jersey by acts of the New Jersey Legislature
in 1945 and 1956. Shortly after, the University of Newark (1935) was merged with Rutgers in 1946, as were the College of South Jersey and South Jersey Law School, in 1950. These two institutions became Newark
and Camden
. On September 10, 1970, after much debate, the Board of Governors voted to admit women into the previously all-male Rutgers College.
Prior to 1982, separate liberal arts faculties existed amongst various "residential college
s", (Rutgers, Douglass, Livingston, University, and Cook colleges) at Rutgers-New Brunswick. In 1982, under president Edward J. Bloustein, the faculties were centralized into one college, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, but the residential colleges persisted for students, along with disparate standards for admission, good standing, and graduation, as well as a confusing network of bureaucracies. Finally in the fall of 2007, the residential colleges and Faculty of Arts and Sciences were merged into the new School of Arts and Sciences
with one set of admissions criteria, curriculum and graduation requirements. Cook College continued, though changing its name to the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and shedding the option to major in liberal arts. The merger ended the 241 year history of Rutgers College as a distinct institution.
Rutgers University has three campuses across the state of New Jersey
, with its largest campus located mainly in the City of New Brunswick
and adjacent Piscataway Township, and two smaller campuses in the cities of Newark
and Camden
. These campuses comprise 27 degree-granting schools and colleges, offering undergraduate, graduate and professional levels of study. The university is centrally administered from New Brunswick, although Chancellors at the Newark
and Camden
campuses hold significant autonomy for some academic issues. Rutgers Fact Book
The New Brunswick-Piscataway Campus (or Rutgers-New Brunswick
) is the largest campus of Rutgers; it is the site of the original Rutgers College. It is spread across six municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey
, chiefly in the City of New Brunswick and Piscataway Township. It is composed of five smaller campuses, and a few buildings in downtown New Brunswick. The original and historic College Avenue campus is adjacent to downtown New Brunswick, and includes the seat of the University, Old Queens. On the other side of the city, Douglass Campus and Cook Campus are adjacent and intertwined with each other, and are often referred to collectively as the Cook/Douglass Campus. Cook Campus has extensive farms and woods that reach into North Brunswick and East Brunswick Townships. Separated by the Raritan river are Busch Campus, in Piscataway, and Livingston Campus, also mainly in Piscataway but including remote sections of land extending into Edison Township and the Borough of Highland Park.
As of the Fall 2010, the New Brunswick-Piscataway campuses include 19 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including the School of Arts and Sciences
, the School of Communication and Information, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
, the School of Engineering
, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
, the Graduate School, the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, the Graduate School of Education, the School of Management and Labor Relations
, Mason Gross School of the Arts
, the College of Nursing, the Rutgers Business School
and the School of Social Work. As of 2010, 30,351 undergraduates and 8,561 graduate students (total 38,912) are enrolled at the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus.
The Newark Campus (or Rutgers-Newark
), consists of 8 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including: Newark College of Arts and Sciences, University College, School of Criminal Justice, Graduate School, College of Nursing, School of Public Affairs and Administration
, Rutgers Business School
and Rutgers School of Law - Newark. As of 2010, 7,479 undergraduates and 4,319 graduate students (total 11,798) are enrolled at the Newark campus.
The Camden Campus (or Rutgers-Camden
) consists of five undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including: Camden College of Arts and Sciences, University College, Graduate School, Rutgers School of Business - Camden
and Rutgers School of Law - Camden
. As of 2010, 4,497 undergraduates and 1,661 graduate students (total 6,158) are enrolled at the Camden campus.
Rutgers has several off campus sites located at community colleges throughout the state.
The Rutgers Campus Buses
, an intricate network of intra-campus buses that runs roughly between 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. the following morning, transports students from each campus. The Knight Mover is an individualized service that operates from 3am - 6:45am. The school has 11 different bus routes, including the "New Brunsquick Shuttle" that on a continuous loop between the College Avenue Campus and Downtown New Brunswick.
Governance at Rutgers University rests with a Board of Trustees consisting currently of 59 members and a Board of Governors consisting of 11 members: 6 appointed by the Governor of New Jersey
and 5 chosen by the Board of Trustees. The trustees constitute chiefly an advisory body to the Board of Governors and are the fiduciary overseers of the property and assets of the University that existed before the institution became the State University of New Jersey in 1945. The initial reluctance of the trustees (still acting as a private corporate body) to cede control of certain business affairs to the state government for direction and oversight caused the state to establish the Board of Governors in 1956. Today, the Board of Governors maintains much of the corporate control of the University.
The members of the Board of Trustees are voted upon by different constituencies or appointed. "Two faculty and two students are elected by the University Senate as nonvoting representatives. The 59 voting members are chosen in the following way as mandated by state law: 28 charter members (of whom at least three shall be women), 20 alumni members nominated by the Nominating Committee of the Board of Trustees, and five public members appointed by the governor of the state with confirmation by the New Jersey State Senate. The six members of the Board of Governors appointed by the governor also serve as members of the Board of Trustees. Of the 28 charter seats, three are reserved for students with full voting rights."
The president of Rutgers University
, chosen by and answerable to the Trustees and Governors, sits as an ex-officio member of both governing boards. He, as the chief administrator of the university, is charged with its day-to-day operations. Since 2002, the president of Rutgers University has been Richard Levis McCormick
(born 1947).
(1766), a land-grant institution (1864), and a state university
(1945/1956). Rutgers is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
(1921), and in 1989, became a member of the Association of American Universities
, an organization of the 62 leading research universities in North America. Rutgers-New Brunswick
is classified by the Carnegie Foundation
as "RU/VH", which stands for Research Intensive University, Very High research activity. Rutgers-Newark
is classified by the same organization as "RU/H", meaning Research Intensive University, High research activity and Rutgers-Camden
is given the classification of "Master's M", signifying the university's inclusion in the Master's Colleges and Universities category as a medium-sized institution.
Rutgers was ranked 38th nationwide and 54th worldwide in the 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities
by the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
. According to the Washington Monthly's 2006 rankings, Rutgers ranks 53rd in the United States. The Top American Research Universities an annual statistical report by The Center at the University of Florida
ranks Rutgers 39th. In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report
ranking of American national universities, Rutgers is ranked 64th. In 2003, the Wall Street Journal conducted a study of the undergraduate institutions that most frequently feed students placements at elite professional and graduate programs, such as Yale
and Harvard; Rutgers was ranked 20th in the rankings they compiled for state universities. On a side note, Forbes ranked Rutgers as being the 20th best public university in the United States for "getting rich", as judged by its students' median salaries upon graduation.
Eleven of Rutgers' graduate departments are ranked by the National Research Council in the top 25 among all universities: Philosophy
(2nd), Geology
Ranked 9th Nationally based on NSF
funding 9th, Geography
(13th), Statistics
(17th), English
(17th), Mathematics
(19th), Art History
(20th), Physics
(20th), History
(20th) Comparative Literature
(22nd), French
(22nd), and Materials Science Engineering
(25th).
The Rutgers Business School
is ranked 39th in the Wall Street Journal's Ranking of Top Business Schools.
The Philosophy Department ranked first in 2002–04 tied with New York University
and Princeton University, and second in 2004–06 (NYU was first, Princeton 3rd, Oxford 4th) in the Philosophical Gourmet's biennial report on Philosophy
programs in the English-speaking world.
The Division of Global Affairs (DGA)http://dga.rutgers.edu/ Ph.D. program at Rutgers University-Newark was ranked fifth in the nation in the Benchmarking Academic Excellence survey of Top Universities in Social and Behavioral Sciences Disciplines in the combined category of International Affairs and Development for 2006-07.
According to U.S. News & World Report, in the top 25 among all universities: Food Science (2nd), Library Science
(6th), Drama
/Theater (12th), Mathematics
(16th), English
(18th), History
(19th, with the subspecialty of African-American History ranked 4th and Women's History ranked 1st), Applied Mathematics
(21st) and Physics
(24th). Also in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report ranking of Computer Science Ph.D. programs, Rutgers was ranked 29th.
On September 13, 2010, the Wall Street Journal ranked Rutgers University #21 out of 25 schools whose graduates are top-rated by recruiters.
considers the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University to be a "more selective" school in terms of the rigour of its admissions processes. For 2006, 56% of undergraduate applicants were accepted, and average SAT
scores of enrolling students ranged from 530–630 on the critical reading section, 560–670 for the mathematics section, and 530-640 for the writing section.
As a state university, Rutgers charges two separate rates for tuition and fees depending on whether an enrolled student is a resident of the State
of New Jersey
(in-state) or not (out-of-state). The Office of Institutional Research and Academic Planning estimates that costs in-state student of attending Rutgers would amount to $18,899 for an undergraduate living on-campus and $22,395 for a graduate student. For an out-of-state student, the costs rise to $26,497 and $27,476 respectively.
Undergraduate students at Rutgers, through a combination of federal (50%), state (22%), university (22%), and private (6%) scholarship, loans, and grants, received $291,956,597 of financial aid in the 2004–2005 academic year. Of 37,429 undergraduate students at Rutgers, 30,398 (or 81.2%) receive financial aid. During the same period, 73.2%, or 9,604 graduate students out of a population of 13,124, received assistance in the total of $121,269,211 in financial aid sourced chiefly from federal (33%) and university (65%) funds.
ranks the Rutgers University Library system as the 44th largest library in the United States in terms of volumes held.
The Archibald S. Alexander
Library, in New Brunswick
, is the oldest and the largest library of the University. It houses several million volumes focusing on an extensive humanities
and social science collection. It mainly supports the sort of research done in the School of Arts and Sciences, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work, and the School of Communication and Information. Alexander Library also maintains a large collection of government documents, which contains United States, New Jersey, foreign, and international government publications. The Library of Science and Medicine on the Busch Campus in Piscataway houses the University's collection in behavioral, biological
, earth
, and pharmaceutical sciences and engineering
. The LSM also serves as a designated depository library for government publication regarding science, and owns a U.S. patent collection and patent search facility. It was officially established as the Library of Science and Medicine in July 1964 although the beginning of the development of a library for science started in 1962. The LSM currently has two administrative structures since it is a joint library serving both Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
(UMDNJ). UMDNJ, which was briefly known as Rutgers Medical School, separated from Rutgers in 1970. The current character of the LSM is a university science library also serving a medical school. On the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, in addition to Alexander Library, many individual disciplines have their own libraries, including alcohol studies, art history
, Chemistry
, Mathematical studies, Music
, and Physics
. Special Collections and University Archives houses the Sinclair New Jersey Collection, manuscript collection, and rare book collection, as well as the University Archives. Although located in the Alexander Library building, Special Collections
and University Archives actually comprises a distinct unit unto itself. Also located within the Alexander Library is the East Asian Library which holds a sizable collection of Chinese, Japanese and Korean monographs and periodicals. In Newark
, the John Cotton Dana Library, the Institute of Jazz Studies
(located within the Dana Library), and the Paul Robeson
Library in Camden
, serve their respective campuses with a broad collection of volumes.
Rutgers oversees several museums and collections that are open to the public.
Rutgers is home to the Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science, also known as RUCCS. Researchers in psychology
, linguistics
, computer science
, philosophy
, electrical engineering
, and anthropology
combine resources to advance the study of the mind at this state of the art institution.
It was at Rutgers that Selman Waksman
(1888–1973) discovered several antibiotic
s, including actinomycin
, clavacin, streptothricin, grisein, neomycin
, fradicin, candicidin
, candidin, and others. Waksman, along with graduate student Albert Schatz
(1920–2005), discovered streptomycin
—a versatile antibiotic that was to be the first applied to cure tuberculosis
. For this discovery, Waksman received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1952.
Rutgers developed water-soluble sustained release polymers, tetraploids
, robotic hands, artificial bovine insemination
, and the ceramic tiles for the heat shield
on the Space Shuttle
. In health related field, Rutgers has the Environmental & Occupational Health Science Institute (EOHSI).
Rutgers is also home to the RCSB Protein Data bank, 'an information portal to Biological Macromolecular Structures' cohosted with the San Diego Supercomputer Center
. This database is the authoritative research tool for bioinformaticists using protein primary, secondary and tertiary structures world wide.'
Rutgers is home to the Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension office, which is run by the Agricultural and Experiment Station with the support of local government. The institution provides research & education to the local farming and agro industrial community in 19 of the 21 counties of the state and educational outreach programs offered through the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education
.
Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR) is the largest university based repository in the world and has received awards worth more than $57.8 million from the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). One will fund genetic studies of mental disorders and the other will support investigations into the causes of digestive, liver and kidney diseases, and diabetes. RUCDR activities will enable gene discovery leading to diagnoses, treatments and, eventually, cures for these diseases. RUCDR assists researchers throughout the world by providing the highest quality biomaterials, technical consultation, and logistical support.
Rutgers-Camden is home to the nation's PhD granting Department of Childhood Studies. This department, in conjunction with the Center for Children and Childhood Studies, also on the Camden campus, conducts interdisciplinary research which combines methodologies and research practices of sociology, psychology, literature, anthropology and other disciplines into the study of childhoods internationally.
Rutgers University offers a variety of housing options. On the New Brunswick
-Piscataway campus, students are given the option of on-campus housing in both traditional dorms or apartments. Despite some overcrowding, most students seeking on-campus housing will be accommodated with a space, yet in 2008/2009 students were placed in a nearby hotel. The hotel situation is expected to grow into 2009/2010 and students are encouraged to look off campus. Many Rutgers students opt to rent apartments or houses off-campus within the city of New Brunswick. Similar setups are to be found in Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden, however a substantial portion of the students on those campuses commute and are enrolled on a part-time basis.
Rutgers University's three campuses are in the culturally-diverse, redeveloping urban areas (Newark
, Camden
, and New Brunswick
) with convenient access to New York City and Philadelphia by either automobile
, Amtrak
or New Jersey Transit
. US News & World Report ranked Rutgers-Newark
the most diverse university campus in the United States. Because the area of Rutgers' New Brunswick-Piscataway campus—which is composed of several constituent colleges and professional schools—is sprawled across six municipalities
, the individual campuses are connected by an inter-campus bus
system.
, written by Howard Fullerton (Class of 1874) in 1873. It is often sung at University occasions, including concerts of the Rutgers University Glee Club
, at Convocation and Commencement exercises, and especially at the conclusion of athletic events. The university's fight song
is The Bells Must Ring
, which features the school's spirit chant: "R-U Rah Rah, R-U Rah Rah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah Rutgers Rah! Upstream Red Team, Red Team Upstream, Rah! Rah! Rutgers Rah!." Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement
, convocation
, and athletic games are: The Bells Must Ring the Rutgers University fight song
.
Scarlet
was made the official school color of Rutgers University in 1900. Initially, students sought to make orange
the school color, citing Rutgers' Dutch
heritage and in reference to the Prince of Orange
. The Daily Targum
first proposed that scarlet be adopted in May 1869, claiming that it was a striking color and because scarlet ribbon was easily obtained. During the first intercollegiate football game with Princeton
on 6 November 1869, the players from Rutgers wore scarlet-colored turban
s and handkerchief
s to distinguish them as a team from the Princeton players. Although Rutgers incorporates the colors black and white on their signs, symbols, athletic uniforms as accent colors, scarlet is the one and only color of the university. The current mascot is the Scarlet Knight. In its early days, Rutgers athletes were known as "Queensmen" in reference to the institution's first name, Queen's College. However, in 1925, the mascot
was changed to Chanticleer, a fighting rooster from the medieval
fable
Reynard the Fox (Le Roman de Renart) which was used by Geoffrey Chaucer
's in the Canterbury Tales. However, this mascot was often the subject of ridicule because of its association with "being chicken
." In 1955, the mascot was changed to the Scarlet Knight after a campus-wide election. The names (and mascots) of the athletic teams at Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden are the "Scarlet Raiders" and the "Scarlet Raptors", respectively.
Rutgers' motto
, Sol iustitiae et occidentem illustra (translated as "Sun of righteousness, shine upon the West also") is derived from the motto of the University of Utrecht
in the Netherlands, which is Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos (translated as "Sun of Justice, shine upon us"). It is a reference to the biblical texts
of Malachi
4:2 and Matthew
13:43. This motto appears in the University's seal
(pictured above), which is also derived from that of the University of Utrecht, and depicts a multi-pointed sun.
At Commencement exercises in the Spring, tradition leads undergraduates to break clay pipes over the Class of 1877 Cannon monument in front of Old Queens
, symbolizing the breaking of ties with the college, and leaving behind the good times of one's undergraduate years. This symbol
ic gesture dates back to when pipe-smoking was fashionable among undergraduates, and many college memories were of evenings of pipe smoking and revelry with friends. Unfortunately, in recent years under President McCormick, the university administration has decided to stop funding this tradition, despite strong outcry from students and alumni. During commencement exercises, graduating seniors walk in academic procession
under the Class of 1902 Memorial Gateway (erected in 1904) on Hamilton Street leading to the Voorhees Mall
where the ceremonies are held for Rutgers College. Traditionally, students are warned to avoid walking beneath the gate before commencement over a superstition
that one who does will not graduate. Due to the new commencement at Rutgers Stadium, students are no longer given the opportunity to walk through the gates during commencement.
appears on the university gonfalon, and is at the head of all processions. The first quarter bears the arms of Nassau, the House of Orange, and recognizes the Dutch founders. The arms in the upper sinister quarter are those of George III combined with Queen Charlotte's. It was George III who granted the Charter of 1766 to Queen's College, named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg, King George's consort. The arms shown on the sinister half are Queen Charlotte's. The third quarter from the Seal of the State of New Jersey. The fourth quarter is the coat of arms of Colonel Henry Rutgers
.
Rutgers hosts over 700 student organizations, covering a wide range of interests. Among the first student groups was the first college newspaper in the United States of America. The Political Intelligencer and New Jersey Adviser began publication at Queen's College in 1783, and ceased operation in 1785. Continuing this tradition is the university's current college newspaper, The Daily Targum
, established in 1869, which is the second-oldest college newspaper currently published in the United States, after The Dartmouth
(1843). Both poet Joyce Kilmer
and economist Milton Friedman
served as editors. Also included are The Medium
, Rutgers Entertainment Weekly, Rutgers Centurion
, a conservative newspaper, the Rutgers University Glee Club
, a male choral singing group established in 1872 (among the oldest in the country), as well as the Rutgers University Debate Union
. More recently there has been increased national exposure among Rutgers a capella groups as they have routinely placed well in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
, including 2010 when The OrphanSporks
placed second in the semifinals. Governed by the Student Activities Council, and funded by student fees disbursed through student government associations, students can organize groups for practically any political ideology or issue, ethnic or religious affiliation, academic subject, activity, or hobby.
Rutgers University is home to chapters of many Greek organizations, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. Several fraternities and sororities
maintain houses for their chapters in the area of Union Street (known familiarly as "Frat Row") in New Brunswick
, within blocks of Rutgers' College Avenue Campus. Chapters of Zeta Psi
and Delta Phi
organized at Rutgers as early as 1845. There are over 50 fraternities and sororities on the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, ranging from traditional to historically African-American, Hispanic
, Multicultural
, and Asian
interest organizations. The New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University has a chapter of the only active co-ed Pre-medical Fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon
, as of 2008. Greek organizations are governed by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Twelve organizations maintain chapters in New Brunswick without sanction by the University's administration.
In the late 19th century, the University banned fraternities because of their unusual hazing practices. This caused them to go underground as secret societies. It also sparked the interest of some students to create their own societies. Cap and Skull
was founded at Rutgers before the turn of the 20th century.
Today, Rutgers is well known for 4 of its vocal ensembles: Voorhees Choir (the university's women's ensemble), Kirckpatrick Choir (the university's most selective coed ensemble), Glee Club (the university's most esteemed male ensemble), and University Choir (a larger mixed choir).
athletic teams are called the Scarlet Raptors. The Rutgers-Newark
athletic teams are called the Scarlet Raiders. The Scarlet Raiders and the Scarlet Raptors both compete within NCAA Division III.)
Rutgers was among the first American institutions to engage in intercollegiate athletics, and participated in a small circle of schools that included Yale University
, Columbia University
and long-time rival, Princeton University
(then called The College of New Jersey). The four schools met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Manhattan
on 19 October 1873 to establish a set of rules governing their intercollegiate competition, and particularly to codify the new game of football
. Though invited, Harvard
chose not to attend. In the early years of intercollegiate athletics, the circle of schools that participated in these athletic events were located solely in the American Northeast. However, by the turn of the 20th century, colleges and universities across the United States began to participate.
In 1864, rowing became the first organized sport at Rutgers. Six mile races were held on the Raritan River among six-oared boats. In 1870, Rutgers held its first intercollegiate competition, against the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard, the then top-ranked amateur crew of the time. Since the start in 1864, Rutgers has built a strong crew program consisting of heavyweight and lightweight men. Women's crew was added to the program in 1974. Men's crew was recently discontinued as a varsity sport at Rutgers, though it continues as a strong club program.
The first intercollegiate athletic event at Rutgers was a baseball game on 2 May 1866 against Princeton in which they suffered a 40-2 loss.
Rutgers University is often referred to as The Birthplace of College Football as the first intercollegiate football
game was held on College Field between Rutgers and Princeton on 6 November 1869 in New Brunswick, New Jersey
on a plot of ground where the present-day College Avenue Gymnasium
now stands. Rutgers won the game, with a score of 6 runs to Princeton's 4. According to Parke H. Davis
, the 1869 Rutgers football team shared the national title with Princeton. (This game is believed to have been closer to soccer than to modern American football.)
Since 1866, Rutgers remained unaffiliated with any formal athletic conference and was classified as "independent". From 1946 to 1951, the university was a member of the Middle Three Conference, and from 1958 to 1961, was a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference. In 1978, Rutgers became a member of the Atlantic 10 conference. In 1991, it joined the Big East Conference
for football. All sports programs at Rutgers subsequently became affiliated with the Big East in 1995.
The first intercollegiate competition in Ultimate Frisbee
(now called simply "Ultimate") was held between students from Rutgers and Princeton
on November 6, 1972 to mark the one hundred third anniversary of the first intercollegiate football game. Rutgers won 29–27. The Rutgers Men's Basketball Team was among the "Final Four" and ended the 1976 season ranked fourth in the United States, after an 86–70 loss against the University of Michigan
in the semifinals, and a 106–92 loss against UCLA in the consolation round of the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
.
Since 1991, Rutgers is a member of the Big East Conference
, a collegiate athletic conference consisting of 16 colleges and universities from the East Coast and Midwestern
regions of the United States. The Big East Conference is a member of the Bowl Championship Series
. Rutgers currently fields 27 intercollegiate sports programs and is a Division I school as sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association
. Rutgers fields thirty teams in NCAA Division I sanctioned sports, including Football
, Baseball
, Basketball
, Crew
, Cross Country
, Fencing, Field Hockey
, Golf
, Gymnastics
, Lacrosse
, Soccer, Softball
, Tennis
, Track and Field
, Swimming
and Diving
, Wrestling
, Volleyball
.
Since joining the Big East, the Scarlet Knights have won five Big East Conference tournament titles: men's soccer (1997), men's track & field (2005), baseball
(2000, 2007), women's basketball
(2007). Several other teams have won regular season titles but failed to win the conference's championship tournament.
Most recently, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights' football team has achieved success on the gridiron after several years of losing seasons, being invited to the Insight Bowl
on 27 December 2005 in which they lost 45 to 40 against Arizona State University
. This was Rutgers' first bowl appearance since the 16 December 1978 loss against Arizona State, 34–18, at the Garden State Bowl
. The 2006 football season also saw Rutgers being ranked within the Top 25 teams in major college football polls. After the 9 November 2006 victory over the #3 ranked, undefeated Louisville Cardinals
, Rutgers jumped up to seventh in the AP Poll
, eighth in the USA Today/Coaches poll, seventh in the Harris Interactive Poll
, and sixth in the Bowl Championship Series
rankings. These were Rutgers' highest rankings in the football polls since they were ranked fifteenth in 1961. Rutgers ended the season 11–2 after winning the inaugural Texas Bowl
on 28 December 2006, defeating the Wildcats
of Kansas State University
by a score of 37–10 and finishing the season ranked twelfth in the final Associated Press
poll of sportswriters, the team's highest season-ending ranking.
Under Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer
, the Women's Basketball program is among the elite programs in the country as they remain consistently ranked in the Top 25, consistently making the NCAA Women's Championship Tournament, and sometimes winning the Big East regular season championship. In 2006-2007, Rutgers won their first ever Big East Conference Tournament Championship. The program has been highly competitive since its inception, winning the 1982 AIAW National Championship, reaching the 2000 Final Four, and reaching the Final Four and national championship game in 2007.
Rutgers maintains athletic rivalries with other collegiate institutions. The university has historic rivalries with Princeton University
, Columbia University
(formerly King's College), Lafayette College
, Lehigh University
and New York University
originating from the early days of college football. While they maintain this rivalry in other sports, neither of them have met in football since 1980. Rutgers has a basketball rivalry with Seton Hall University
, and has developed a growing three-way rivalry with the University of Connecticut
and Syracuse University
, both fellow Big East Conference members.
In the fall of 2007, six Rutgers New Brunswick/Piscataway's NCAA Division I sports were discontinued by the University, including men's swimming and diving, men's heavyweight and lightweight crew, men's tennis, and men's and women's fencing. Some continued as club teams, while some were disbanded completely. The University claims this change was due to budget cuts, while others claim it was a politically motivated move designed to protest state's funding changes.
Most recently, current Big East schools, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia have made a decision to leave the Big East conference for other athletic conferences. Syracuse and Pittsburgh have decided to enter the Atlantic Coast Conference, as West Virginia will enter the Big 12 conference, taking effect as of the 2012-2013 season. It has been mentioned that the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference have talking with Rutgers about inviting the school into their conference.
, Jerry Fodor
, Mark Baker
, Jane Grimshaw, Jacob Feldman, Julien Musolino, Alan Leslie, John Ciardi
, George Hammell Cook, Michael Curtis, Ralph Ellison
, Paul Fussell
, Robert Trivers
, Francis Fergusson
, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
, Mason W. Gross
, Leonid Khachiyan
, Michael Lesk
, David Levering Lewis
, Roy Lichtenstein
, George Segal
, Endre Szemerédi
, Jerrold Tunnell
, and Selman Waksman
. During his 20 year tenure at Rutgers, David Levering Lewis
(born 1936), a professor in the Department of History was twice awarded the Pultizer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
(1994 and 2001) for both volumes of his biography
of W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) and was also the winner of the Bancroft
and Parkman prizes.
Five Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Rutgers as either faculty or students (Milton Friedman
, Toni Morrison
, David A. Morse
, Heinrich Rohrer
and Selman Waksman
).
Many members of the faculty at Rutgers have achieved top honors in their disciplines, including Michael R. Douglas
, a prominent string theorist
and the director of the New High Energy Theory Center and winner of the Sackler Prize
in theoretical physics in 2000. Jerry Fodor
, Zenon Pylyshyn
and Stephen Stich
were awarded the Jean Nicod Prize
in philosophy
and cognitive science
.
Furthermore, Rutgers ranks among the top three public AAU institutions in the overall percentage of women faculty.
sincluding the Rutgers Alumni Association founded in 1831annual Reunions and Homecomings, and other events. Rutgers has graduated two Nobel Laureates: Selman A. Waksman (A.B. 1915) in Medicine and Milton Friedman
(A.B. 1932) in Economics. Alumni awarded the Pulitzer Prize
include Michael Shaara
(A.B. 1951), author of The Killer Angels
, journalist Richard Aregood (B.A. 1965), Roy Franklin Nichols
(A.B. 1918), and Junot Díaz
.
Alumni of Rutgers have had a considerable impact in the arts, including those by two noted modern sculptors, George Segal
(M.A. 1963) and Alice Aycock
(B.A. 1968). Many notable buildings in Boston
(the Copley Plaza Hotel
), and New York City including the The Dakota
, Plaza Hotel
, the Waldorf and Astoria Hotels (demolished in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building
) as well as several of the oldest buildings on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, were designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenburgh (A.B. 1871). Poet Joyce Kilmer
(Class of 1908), attended Rutgers for two years before transferring to Columbia University
, was famous for his poem "Trees" and later died in World War I, and Robert Pinsky
(B.A. 1962), was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
in 1997. Filmmaker and critic Wheeler Winston Dixon
(Ph.D. 1982) has written more than twenty five books on film history, theory and criticism, and his collected films are housed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Many Rutgers graduates have gone on to careers in public service, including former U.S. Secretary of State and Senator Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
(A.B. 1836), former U.S. Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary (J.D. 19??), former FBI
director Louis Freeh
(B.A. 1971), Vice President of the United States
Garret A. Hobart (A.B. 1863), and former Representative and Senator Clifford P. Case
(A.B. 1925). Among the first students enrolled at Rutgers (when it was Queen's College), Simeon DeWitt (A.B. 1776) became the Surveyor-General for the Continental Army (1776–1783) during the American Revolution
and classmate James Schureman
(A.B. 1775), served in the Continental Congress
and as a United States Senator. Seven Rutgers graduates have served as Governor of New Jersey
: Charles C. Stratton
(A.B. 1814), William A. Newell
(A.B. 1836; A.M. 1839), George C. Ludlow
(A.B. 1850, A.M. 1850), Foster M. Voorhees (A.B. 1876, A.M. 1879), A. Harry Moore
(J.D. 1922), Richard Hughes
(J.D. 1931), and James J. Florio (J.D. 1967). Alumnus Joseph P. Bradley (A.B. 1836) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
(1870–1891) and cast the tie-breaking vote on the bipartisan commission that decided the contested American presidential election in 1876.
Alumni have founded or headed businesses, including Leonor F. Loree
(A.B. 1877), President of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Bernard Marcus
(B.S. 1951), Founder of the Home Depot, Ernest Mario (B.S. 1961), former Chief Executive Officer of GlaxoSmithKline
, Duncan McMillan (B.S. 1966), co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.
, and Barry Schuler
(B.A. 1976), former Chairman and CEO of AmericaOnline (AOL)
. Marc Milecofsky, aka Marc Ecko
, founded the clothing brand Eckō
in 1993 and launched a special, limited edition collection that specifically pays homage to the Scarlet Knights, Mary Baglivo (B.A. 1979), Chairman and CEO of the Americas, Saatchi & Saatchi.
Graduates of Rutgers have gone on to make advances in medicine, mathematics and science, most notably Nobel Laureate Selman A. Waksman (B.Sc. 1915), but also including Peter C. Schultz (B.S. 1967), co-inventor of fiber optics, geneticist Stanley N. Cohen (B.Sc. 1956) who pioneered in the field of gene splicing, Louis Gluck (B.S. 1930) the "father of neonatology
", and computer pioneer Nathan M. Newmark
(B.S. 1948) who won the National Medal of Science
.
Rutgers alumni have entertained Americans on the silver screen as well as the small screen, including most notably James Gandolfini
(B.A. 1983), known for his role on The Sopranos
, and Oswald "Ozzie" Nelson
(B.A. 1927), fondly remembered for The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
. Porn film star Asia Carrera
(B.A. 1996) became the most famous porn actress of her generation. The Food Network has rocketed Chef and Restaurateur Mario Batali
(B.A. 1982) into America's homes. Other notable thespian alumni include Avery Brooks
(B.A. 1973) (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
), Kristin Davis
(B.F.A. 1987), (Sex and the City
), and Calista Flockhart
(B.F.A. 1988) (The Birdcage
, Ally McBeal
).
In athletics, graduates of Rutgers include Major League Baseball
manager Jeff Torborg (B.A. 1963); Eddie Jordan
(B.A. 1977), coach of the Philadelphia 76ers
; Sonny Werblin
(A.B. 1932), former owner of the New York Jets
; and David Stern
(B.A. 1963), Commissioner of the National Basketball Association
. Alumni in the National Football League include Ray Rice
(Baltimore Ravens
), Brian Leonard
(Bengals
), Shaun O'Hara
(New York Giants
), L.J. Smith
(Philadelphia Eagles
), Clark Harris
(Houston Texans
), Nate Jones (Denver Broncos
), Eric Foster
(Indianapolis Colts
), Jeremy Zuttah
(Tampa Bay Buccaneers
), and Pedro Sosa
(Miami Dolphins
). Early African-American footballer Paul Robeson
also graduated from Rutgers.
Fictitious alumni include Quincy Magoo
(degree unknown, 1903), a lovable cartoon character from the 1950s and 1960s, was among the proudest of Rutgers' "Loyal Sons."
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges
Colonial colleges
The Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
founded before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Rutgers was originally a private university
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
and admitted only male students, but evolved into a coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al public
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
research university. Rutgers is one of only two colonial colleges
Colonial colleges
The Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
that later became public universities, the other being The College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
.
Rutgers was designated The State University of New Jersey by acts of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
in 1945 and 1956. The three campuses of Rutgers are in (1) New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
and Piscataway
Piscataway Township, New Jersey
The township consists of the following historic villages and areas: New Market, known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century, Randolphville, Fieldville and North Stelton...
, (2) Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
and (3) Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. The Newark campus
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
was formerly the University of Newark, which merged into the Rutgers system in 1946, and the Camden campus
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
was created in 1950 from the College of South Jersey and the South Jersey Law School. Rutgers is the largest university within New Jersey's state university
State university system
A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country...
system. The university offers more than 100 distinct bachelor, 100 master, and 80 doctoral and professional degree programs across 175 academic departments, 29 degree-granting schools and colleges, 16 of which offer graduate programs of study.
History
Two decades after the College of New JerseyPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(now Princeton University) was established in 1746, ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
, seeking autonomy in ecclesiastical affairs in the American colonies, sought to establish a college to train those who wanted to become ministers
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
within the church. Through several years of effort by Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen
Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen
Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen was a German-American Dutch-Reformed minister, theologian and the progenitor of the Frelinghuysen family in the United States of America. Frelinghuysen is most remembered for his religious contributions in the Raritan Valley during the beginnings of the First...
(1691–1747) and Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was a Dutch Reformed minister and the first President of Queen's College from 1785 to his death in 1790. -Biography:...
(1736–1790), later the college's first president, Queen's College was chartered on 10 November 1766. Established as the trustees of Queen's College, in New-Jersey in honor of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
's Queen consort, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
(1744–1818). The charter was signed and the young college was supported by William Franklin
William Franklin
William Franklin was an American soldier and colonial administrator. He served as the last Colonial Governor of New Jersey. Franklin was a steadfast Loyalist throughout the American War of Independence, despite his father Benjamin Franklin's role as one of the most prominent Patriots during the...
(1730–1813), the last Royal Governor of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
. The original charter specified the establishment both of the college, and of an institution called the Queen's College Grammar School, intended to be a preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
affiliated and governed by the college. This institution, today the private Rutgers Preparatory School
Rutgers Preparatory School
Rutgers Preparatory School is a private, coeducational, university preparatory day school located in Somerset, New Jersey serving students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade...
, was a part of the college community until 1959. The location of New Brunswick was chosen over Hackensack because the New Brunswick Dutch had the support of the Anglican population as well, making the royal charter easier to obtain.
The original purpose of Queen's College was to "educate the youth in language, liberal, the divinity, and useful arts and sciences" and for the training of future ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church The college admitted its first students in 1771—a single sophomore and a handful of first-year students taught by a lone instructor—and granted its first degree in 1774, to Matthew Leydt
Matthew Leydt
Matthew Leydt was the first graduate of Queen's College in New Brunswick, New Jersey.Matthew was the son of Syntje Slegt and the Rev...
. Despite the religious nature of the early college, the first classes were held at a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
called the Sign of the Red Lion. When the Revolutionary War broke out and taverns were suspected by the British as being hotbeds of rebel activity, the college abandoned the tavern and held classes in private homes.
In its early years, due to a lack of funds, Queen's College was closed for two extended periods. Early trustees considered merging the college with the College of New Jersey
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, in Princeton (the measure failed by one vote) and later considered relocating to New York City. In 1808, after raising $12,000, the college was temporarily reopened and broke ground on a building of its own, affectionately called "Old Queens
Old Queens
Old Queens is the oldest building at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey and the seat of the university's administration. Designed by noted architect John McComb, Jr., Old Queens is regarded by architectural experts as one of the finest examples of Federal...
" designed by architect John McComb, Jr. The college's third president, the Rev. Ira Condict
Ira Condict
Reverend Ira Condict was the third President of Queen's College serving in a pro tempore capacity from 1795 to 1810.-Biography:...
, laid the cornerstone on April 27, 1809. Shortly after, the New Brunswick Theological Seminary
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a professional and graduate school founded in 1784, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to educate ministers for the congregations of the Reformed Church in America...
, founded in 1784, relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to New Brunswick, and shared facilities with Queen's College (and the Queen's College Grammar School
Rutgers Preparatory School
Rutgers Preparatory School is a private, coeducational, university preparatory day school located in Somerset, New Jersey serving students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade...
, as all three institutions were then overseen by the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
). During those formative years, all three institutions fit into Old Queens. In 1830, the Queen's College Grammar School moved across the street, and in 1856, the Seminary relocated to a seven-acre (28,000 m2) tract less than one-half mile (800 m) away.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Queen's College reopened in 1825 and was renamed Rutgers College in honor of American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero Colonel Henry Rutgers
Henry Rutgers
Henry Rutgers was a United States Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist from New York City, New York.-Biography:...
(1745–1830). According to the Board of Trustees, Colonel Rutgers was honored because he epitomized Christian values
Christian values
The term Christian values historically refers to the values found in the teachings of Jesus.The biblical teachings of Jesus include:* love of God: "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" ,...
(he was known for his philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
, although it should be noted the Colonel, the child of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
Dutch settlers, was both a wealthy bachelor, and a devout member of the Reformed Church). A year after the school was renamed, it received 2 donations from its namesake: a $200 bell still hanging from the cupola of Old Queen's and a $5,000 bond which placed the college on sound financial footing.
Rutgers College became the land-grant college of New Jersey in 1864 under the Morrill Act of 1862
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...
, resulting in the establishment of the Rutgers Scientific School, featuring departments of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. The Rutgers Scientific School would expand over the years to grow into the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (1880) and divide into the College of Engineering
School of Engineering (Rutgers University)
The School of Engineering at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was founded in 1914 as the College of Engineering. It was originally a part of the Rutgers Scientific School, which was founded in 1864. The school has seven academic departments, with a combined undergraduate student...
(1914) and the College of Agriculture (1921). Rutgers created the New Jersey College for Women
Douglass College (Rutgers University)
Douglass Residential College, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is a part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and is the successor of acclaimed Douglass College . It offers a four-year, women-centered community that focuses on developing women's success...
in 1918, and the School of Education in 1924. With the development of graduate education, and the continued expansion of the institution, the collection of schools became Rutgers University in 1924. Rutgers College continued as a liberal arts college within the university. Later, University College
School of Arts and Sciences (Rutgers University)
The School of Arts and Sciences is an undergraduate constituent school at the New Brunswick-Piscataway area campus of Rutgers University. Established in 2007 from the merger of Rutgers' undergraduate liberal arts colleges and the non-student college known as the "Faculty of Arts and Sciences," the...
(1945) was founded to serve part-time, commuting students and Livingston College
Livingston College
From 1969 to 2007 Livingston College was one of the residential colleges that comprised Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey's undergraduate liberal arts programs. It was located on Livingston Campus in Piscataway, NJ. In the Fall of 2007 the New Brunswick-area liberal arts undergraduate...
(1969) was created by the Rutgers Trustees, ensuring that the interests of ethnically diverse New Jersey students were met.
Rutgers was designated the State University of New Jersey by acts of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
in 1945 and 1956. Shortly after, the University of Newark (1935) was merged with Rutgers in 1946, as were the College of South Jersey and South Jersey Law School, in 1950. These two institutions became Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
and Camden
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
. On September 10, 1970, after much debate, the Board of Governors voted to admit women into the previously all-male Rutgers College.
Prior to 1982, separate liberal arts faculties existed amongst various "residential college
Residential college
A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...
s", (Rutgers, Douglass, Livingston, University, and Cook colleges) at Rutgers-New Brunswick. In 1982, under president Edward J. Bloustein, the faculties were centralized into one college, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, but the residential colleges persisted for students, along with disparate standards for admission, good standing, and graduation, as well as a confusing network of bureaucracies. Finally in the fall of 2007, the residential colleges and Faculty of Arts and Sciences were merged into the new School of Arts and Sciences
School of Arts and Sciences (Rutgers University)
The School of Arts and Sciences is an undergraduate constituent school at the New Brunswick-Piscataway area campus of Rutgers University. Established in 2007 from the merger of Rutgers' undergraduate liberal arts colleges and the non-student college known as the "Faculty of Arts and Sciences," the...
with one set of admissions criteria, curriculum and graduation requirements. Cook College continued, though changing its name to the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and shedding the option to major in liberal arts. The merger ended the 241 year history of Rutgers College as a distinct institution.
Campuses
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, with its largest campus located mainly in the City of New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
and adjacent Piscataway Township, and two smaller campuses in the cities of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
and Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. These campuses comprise 27 degree-granting schools and colleges, offering undergraduate, graduate and professional levels of study. The university is centrally administered from New Brunswick, although Chancellors at the Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
and Camden
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
campuses hold significant autonomy for some academic issues. Rutgers Fact Book
The New Brunswick-Piscataway Campus (or Rutgers-New Brunswick
Rutgers-New Brunswick
Rutgers–New Brunswick is the largest campus of Rutgers University . It is chiefly located in the City of New Brunswick and Piscataway Township...
) is the largest campus of Rutgers; it is the site of the original Rutgers College. It is spread across six municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
, chiefly in the City of New Brunswick and Piscataway Township. It is composed of five smaller campuses, and a few buildings in downtown New Brunswick. The original and historic College Avenue campus is adjacent to downtown New Brunswick, and includes the seat of the University, Old Queens. On the other side of the city, Douglass Campus and Cook Campus are adjacent and intertwined with each other, and are often referred to collectively as the Cook/Douglass Campus. Cook Campus has extensive farms and woods that reach into North Brunswick and East Brunswick Townships. Separated by the Raritan river are Busch Campus, in Piscataway, and Livingston Campus, also mainly in Piscataway but including remote sections of land extending into Edison Township and the Borough of Highland Park.
As of the Fall 2010, the New Brunswick-Piscataway campuses include 19 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including the School of Arts and Sciences
School of Arts and Sciences (Rutgers University)
The School of Arts and Sciences is an undergraduate constituent school at the New Brunswick-Piscataway area campus of Rutgers University. Established in 2007 from the merger of Rutgers' undergraduate liberal arts colleges and the non-student college known as the "Faculty of Arts and Sciences," the...
, the School of Communication and Information, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning and public policy scholarship. The school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was named in honor of the former Rutgers University president,...
, the School of Engineering
School of Engineering (Rutgers University)
The School of Engineering at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was founded in 1914 as the College of Engineering. It was originally a part of the Rutgers Scientific School, which was founded in 1864. The school has seven academic departments, with a combined undergraduate student...
, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy is a constituent of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. It was founded in 1892 as the New Jersey College of Pharmacy in Newark, NJ and merged with Rutgers University in 1927 as the Rutgers College of Pharmacy. In 1971, the school moved to its current...
, the Graduate School, the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, the Graduate School of Education, the School of Management and Labor Relations
School of Management and Labor Relations
The School of Management and Labor Relations is a part of one of the United States' oldest and largest institutions of higher learning, Rutgers University...
, Mason Gross School of the Arts
Mason Gross School of the Arts
Mason Gross School of the Arts is the arts conservatory at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is named for Mason W. Gross, the sixteenth president of Rutgers...
, the College of Nursing, the Rutgers Business School
Rutgers Business School
Rutgers Business School is the graduate and undergraduate business school tied to the Newark and New Brunswick campuses of Rutgers University. It was founded in 1929.Rutgers Business School offers bachelor, masters, and Ph.D. degrees...
and the School of Social Work. As of 2010, 30,351 undergraduates and 8,561 graduate students (total 38,912) are enrolled at the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus.
The Newark Campus (or Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
), consists of 8 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including: Newark College of Arts and Sciences, University College, School of Criminal Justice, Graduate School, College of Nursing, School of Public Affairs and Administration
Rutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration
The School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark was founded in 2006 after providing doctoral and master’s public administration education for over 30 years to pre-service, in-service, and executive students through the Rutgers-Newark Graduate School.Guided by the principles of...
, Rutgers Business School
Rutgers Business School
Rutgers Business School is the graduate and undergraduate business school tied to the Newark and New Brunswick campuses of Rutgers University. It was founded in 1929.Rutgers Business School offers bachelor, masters, and Ph.D. degrees...
and Rutgers School of Law - Newark. As of 2010, 7,479 undergraduates and 4,319 graduate students (total 11,798) are enrolled at the Newark campus.
The Camden Campus (or Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
) consists of five undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including: Camden College of Arts and Sciences, University College, Graduate School, Rutgers School of Business - Camden
Rutgers School of Business - Camden
The Rutgers School of Business in Camden teaches accounting, management, organizational behavior, marketing, and related arts of the business world in Camden, New Jersey, United States, not too far from Adventure Aquarium, the River Line and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.-See also:*List of United...
and Rutgers School of Law - Camden
Rutgers School of Law - Camden
Rutgers School of Law–Camden is a public law school of Rutgers University located in Camden, New Jersey on the Delaware Waterfront. It is one of two law schools of Rutgers University and one of only three law schools in the state of New Jersey...
. As of 2010, 4,497 undergraduates and 1,661 graduate students (total 6,158) are enrolled at the Camden campus.
Rutgers has several off campus sites located at community colleges throughout the state.
The Rutgers Campus Buses
Rutgers Campus Buses
Rutgers Campus Buses is the shuttle service used by students at Rutgers – New Brunswick to get around the different campuses. It is the second-largest bus service in New Jersey, after NJ Transit. Service is provided by First Transit all year round, including weekends and holidays...
, an intricate network of intra-campus buses that runs roughly between 7 a.m. and 3 a.m. the following morning, transports students from each campus. The Knight Mover is an individualized service that operates from 3am - 6:45am. The school has 11 different bus routes, including the "New Brunsquick Shuttle" that on a continuous loop between the College Avenue Campus and Downtown New Brunswick.
Governance
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
and 5 chosen by the Board of Trustees. The trustees constitute chiefly an advisory body to the Board of Governors and are the fiduciary overseers of the property and assets of the University that existed before the institution became the State University of New Jersey in 1945. The initial reluctance of the trustees (still acting as a private corporate body) to cede control of certain business affairs to the state government for direction and oversight caused the state to establish the Board of Governors in 1956. Today, the Board of Governors maintains much of the corporate control of the University.
The members of the Board of Trustees are voted upon by different constituencies or appointed. "Two faculty and two students are elected by the University Senate as nonvoting representatives. The 59 voting members are chosen in the following way as mandated by state law: 28 charter members (of whom at least three shall be women), 20 alumni members nominated by the Nominating Committee of the Board of Trustees, and five public members appointed by the governor of the state with confirmation by the New Jersey State Senate. The six members of the Board of Governors appointed by the governor also serve as members of the Board of Trustees. Of the 28 charter seats, three are reserved for students with full voting rights."
The president of Rutgers University
President of Rutgers University
The President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is the chief administrator of Rutgers University and—in an ex officio capacity—a presiding officer within the University's 59-member Board of Trustees and its eleven-member Board of Governors...
, chosen by and answerable to the Trustees and Governors, sits as an ex-officio member of both governing boards. He, as the chief administrator of the university, is charged with its day-to-day operations. Since 2002, the president of Rutgers University has been Richard Levis McCormick
Richard L. McCormick
Richard Levis McCormick is a historian, professor and university administrator currently serving as the nineteenth president of Rutgers University.-Early Life:...
(born 1947).
Profile
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is a colonial chartered collegeColonial colleges
The Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
(1766), a land-grant institution (1864), and a state university
State university
In the United States, a state college or state university is one of the public colleges or universities funded by or associated with the state government. In some cases, these institutions of higher learning are part of a state university system, while in other cases they are not. Several U.S....
(1945/1956). Rutgers is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
(1921), and in 1989, became a member of the Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
, an organization of the 62 leading research universities in North America. Rutgers-New Brunswick
Rutgers-New Brunswick
Rutgers–New Brunswick is the largest campus of Rutgers University . It is chiefly located in the City of New Brunswick and Piscataway Township...
is classified by the Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
as "RU/VH", which stands for Research Intensive University, Very High research activity. Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
is classified by the same organization as "RU/H", meaning Research Intensive University, High research activity and Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
is given the classification of "Master's M", signifying the university's inclusion in the Master's Colleges and Universities category as a medium-sized institution.
Rutgers was ranked 38th nationwide and 54th worldwide in the 2008 Academic Ranking of World Universities
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
by the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University or SJTU), sometimes referred to as Shanghai Jiaotong University , is a top public research university located in Shanghai, China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is known as one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China...
. According to the Washington Monthly's 2006 rankings, Rutgers ranks 53rd in the United States. The Top American Research Universities an annual statistical report by The Center at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
ranks Rutgers 39th. In the 2009 U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
ranking of American national universities, Rutgers is ranked 64th. In 2003, the Wall Street Journal conducted a study of the undergraduate institutions that most frequently feed students placements at elite professional and graduate programs, such as Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and Harvard; Rutgers was ranked 20th in the rankings they compiled for state universities. On a side note, Forbes ranked Rutgers as being the 20th best public university in the United States for "getting rich", as judged by its students' median salaries upon graduation.
Eleven of Rutgers' graduate departments are ranked by the National Research Council in the top 25 among all universities: Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
(2nd), Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
Ranked 9th Nationally based on NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
funding 9th, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
(13th), Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
(17th), English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
(17th), Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(19th), Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
(20th), Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(20th), History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
(20th) Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
(22nd), French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(22nd), and Materials Science Engineering
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
(25th).
The Rutgers Business School
Rutgers Business School
Rutgers Business School is the graduate and undergraduate business school tied to the Newark and New Brunswick campuses of Rutgers University. It was founded in 1929.Rutgers Business School offers bachelor, masters, and Ph.D. degrees...
is ranked 39th in the Wall Street Journal's Ranking of Top Business Schools.
The Philosophy Department ranked first in 2002–04 tied with New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and Princeton University, and second in 2004–06 (NYU was first, Princeton 3rd, Oxford 4th) in the Philosophical Gourmet's biennial report on Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
programs in the English-speaking world.
The Division of Global Affairs (DGA)http://dga.rutgers.edu/ Ph.D. program at Rutgers University-Newark was ranked fifth in the nation in the Benchmarking Academic Excellence survey of Top Universities in Social and Behavioral Sciences Disciplines in the combined category of International Affairs and Development for 2006-07.
According to U.S. News & World Report, in the top 25 among all universities: Food Science (2nd), Library Science
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
(6th), Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
/Theater (12th), Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(16th), English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
(18th), History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
(19th, with the subspecialty of African-American History ranked 4th and Women's History ranked 1st), Applied Mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
(21st) and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(24th). Also in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report ranking of Computer Science Ph.D. programs, Rutgers was ranked 29th.
On September 13, 2010, the Wall Street Journal ranked Rutgers University #21 out of 25 schools whose graduates are top-rated by recruiters.
Admissions and financial aid
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
considers the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University to be a "more selective" school in terms of the rigour of its admissions processes. For 2006, 56% of undergraduate applicants were accepted, and average SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores of enrolling students ranged from 530–630 on the critical reading section, 560–670 for the mathematics section, and 530-640 for the writing section.
As a state university, Rutgers charges two separate rates for tuition and fees depending on whether an enrolled student is a resident of the State
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(in-state) or not (out-of-state). The Office of Institutional Research and Academic Planning estimates that costs in-state student of attending Rutgers would amount to $18,899 for an undergraduate living on-campus and $22,395 for a graduate student. For an out-of-state student, the costs rise to $26,497 and $27,476 respectively.
Undergraduate students at Rutgers, through a combination of federal (50%), state (22%), university (22%), and private (6%) scholarship, loans, and grants, received $291,956,597 of financial aid in the 2004–2005 academic year. Of 37,429 undergraduate students at Rutgers, 30,398 (or 81.2%) receive financial aid. During the same period, 73.2%, or 9,604 graduate students out of a population of 13,124, received assistance in the total of $121,269,211 in financial aid sourced chiefly from federal (33%) and university (65%) funds.
Libraries and museums
The Rutgers University library system consists of 26 libraries and centers located on the University's three campuses, housing a collection of over 10.5 million holdings, including 3,522,359 volumes, 4,517,726 microforms, 2,544,126 documents, and subscriptions to 42,875 periodicals, and ranking among the nation's top research libraries. The American Library AssociationAmerican Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
ranks the Rutgers University Library system as the 44th largest library in the United States in terms of volumes held.
The Archibald S. Alexander
Archibald S. Alexander
Archibald Stevens Alexander was an American lawyer, civil servant, and Democratic politician. He served as Under Secretary of the United States Army in the Truman Administration and as New Jersey State Treasurer....
Library, in New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, is the oldest and the largest library of the University. It houses several million volumes focusing on an extensive humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and social science collection. It mainly supports the sort of research done in the School of Arts and Sciences, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work, and the School of Communication and Information. Alexander Library also maintains a large collection of government documents, which contains United States, New Jersey, foreign, and international government publications. The Library of Science and Medicine on the Busch Campus in Piscataway houses the University's collection in behavioral, biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, earth
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
, and pharmaceutical sciences and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. The LSM also serves as a designated depository library for government publication regarding science, and owns a U.S. patent collection and patent search facility. It was officially established as the Library of Science and Medicine in July 1964 although the beginning of the development of a library for science started in 1962. The LSM currently has two administrative structures since it is a joint library serving both Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is the state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It has eight distinct academic units...
(UMDNJ). UMDNJ, which was briefly known as Rutgers Medical School, separated from Rutgers in 1970. The current character of the LSM is a university science library also serving a medical school. On the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, in addition to Alexander Library, many individual disciplines have their own libraries, including alcohol studies, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Mathematical studies, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. Special Collections and University Archives houses the Sinclair New Jersey Collection, manuscript collection, and rare book collection, as well as the University Archives. Although located in the Alexander Library building, Special Collections
Special collections
In library science, special collections is the name applied to a specific repository or department, usually within a library, which stores materials of a "special" nature, including rare books, archives, and collected manuscripts...
and University Archives actually comprises a distinct unit unto itself. Also located within the Alexander Library is the East Asian Library which holds a sizable collection of Chinese, Japanese and Korean monographs and periodicals. In Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
, the John Cotton Dana Library, the Institute of Jazz Studies
Institute of Jazz Studies
The Institute of Jazz Studies is the largest and most comprehensive library and archive of jazz and jazz-related materials in the world, located at the Newark campus of Rutgers University.-History:...
(located within the Dana Library), and the Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
Library in Camden
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
, serve their respective campuses with a broad collection of volumes.
Rutgers oversees several museums and collections that are open to the public.
- Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art MuseumJane Voorhees Zimmerli Art MuseumThe Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum is located on the Voorhees Mall of the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1966...
, on the College Avenue Campus maintains a collection of over 50,000 works of art, focusing on Russian and SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
art, French 19th-century art and American 19th- and 20th-century art with a concentration on early-20th-century and contemporary prints. - Rutgers University Geology MuseumRutgers University Geology MuseumThe Rutgers University Geology Museum is a geology museum located on the College Avenue camputs of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1872 by New Jersey State Geologist George Cook. It contains geologic samples, fossils, a mastodon skeleton, native american...
in Geology Hall features exhibits on geologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and anthropologyAnthropologyAnthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, with an emphasis on the natural history of New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The largest exhibits include a dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
trackwayFossil trackwayA fossil trackway is a type of trace fossil, a trackway made by an organism. Many fossil trackways were made by dinosaurs, early tetrapods, and other quadrupeds and bipeds on land...
from Towaco, New JerseyTowaco, New JerseyTowaco is an unincorporated area within Montville Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07082...
; a mastodonMastodonMastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
from Salem CountySalem County, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 64,285 people, 24,295 households, and 17,370 families residing in the county. The population density was 190 people per square mile . There were 26,158 housing units at an average density of 77 per square mile...
; and a Ptolomaic era EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian mummyMummyA mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
. - New Jersey Museum of AgricultureNew Jersey Museum of AgricultureThe New Jersey Museum of Agriculture, located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, focuses on the evolution of agriculture in New Jersey. The museum's exhibits include farm tools and machinery, household implements, scientific instruments, trade tools, farm vehicles, early electrical appliances and a...
on Cook Campus, houses an extensive collection of agricultural, scientific and household tools that spans 350 years of New Jersey's history. The bulk of the collection rests on the 8,000-item Wabun C. Krueger Collection of Agricultural, Household, and Scientific Artifacts, and over 30,000 glass negatives and historic photographsPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. - Rutgers Gardens, which features 50 acres (20.2 ha) of horticultural, display, and botanical gardens, as well as arboretumArboretumAn arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
s.
Research
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
combine resources to advance the study of the mind at this state of the art institution.
It was at Rutgers that Selman Waksman
Selman Waksman
Selman Abraham Waksman was an American biochemist and microbiologist whose research into organic substances—largely into organisms that live in soil—and their decomposition promoted the discovery of Streptomycin, and several other antibiotics...
(1888–1973) discovered several antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
s, including actinomycin
Actinomycin
The actinomycins are a class of polypeptide antibiotics isolated from soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces, of which the most significant is actinomycin D. It was the first antibiotic isolated by Selman Waksman and his co-worker H. B. Woodruff in 1940.-Mechanism:Actinomycin D is primarily used...
, clavacin, streptothricin, grisein, neomycin
Neomycin
Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that is found in many topical medications such as creams, ointments, and eyedrops. The discovery of Neomycin dates back to 1949. It was discovered in the lab of Selman Waksman, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and medicine in 1951...
, fradicin, candicidin
Candicidin
Candicidin is an antibiotic....
, candidin, and others. Waksman, along with graduate student Albert Schatz
Albert Schatz (scientist)
Albert Schatz was the co-discoverer of streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy used to treat tuberculosis and a number of other diseases...
(1920–2005), discovered streptomycin
Streptomycin
Streptomycin is an antibiotic drug, the first of a class of drugs called aminoglycosides to be discovered, and was the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis. It is derived from the actinobacterium Streptomyces griseus. Streptomycin is a bactericidal antibiotic. Streptomycin cannot be given...
—a versatile antibiotic that was to be the first applied to cure tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. For this discovery, Waksman received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1952.
Rutgers developed water-soluble sustained release polymers, tetraploids
Polyploidy
Polyploid is a term used to describe cells and organisms containing more than two paired sets of chromosomes. Most eukaryotic species are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes — one set inherited from each parent. However polyploidy is found in some organisms and is especially common...
, robotic hands, artificial bovine insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
, and the ceramic tiles for the heat shield
Space Shuttle thermal protection system
The Space Shuttle thermal protection system is the barrier that protects the Space Shuttle Orbiter during the searing heat of atmospheric reentry...
on the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
. In health related field, Rutgers has the Environmental & Occupational Health Science Institute (EOHSI).
Rutgers is also home to the RCSB Protein Data bank, 'an information portal to Biological Macromolecular Structures' cohosted with the San Diego Supercomputer Center
San Diego Supercomputer Center
The San Diego Supercomputer Center is an organized research unit of the University of California, San Diego . Physically, SDSC is located on the east end of Eleanor Roosevelt College on the campus of UCSD....
. This database is the authoritative research tool for bioinformaticists using protein primary, secondary and tertiary structures world wide.'
Rutgers is home to the Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension office, which is run by the Agricultural and Experiment Station with the support of local government. The institution provides research & education to the local farming and agro industrial community in 19 of the 21 counties of the state and educational outreach programs offered through the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education
New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education
The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education seeks to measurably improve the quality of life of the residents of New Jersey and beyond through providing continuing professional education to fulfill the objective set by the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant...
.
Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (RUCDR) is the largest university based repository in the world and has received awards worth more than $57.8 million from the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(NIH). One will fund genetic studies of mental disorders and the other will support investigations into the causes of digestive, liver and kidney diseases, and diabetes. RUCDR activities will enable gene discovery leading to diagnoses, treatments and, eventually, cures for these diseases. RUCDR assists researchers throughout the world by providing the highest quality biomaterials, technical consultation, and logistical support.
Rutgers-Camden is home to the nation's PhD granting Department of Childhood Studies. This department, in conjunction with the Center for Children and Childhood Studies, also on the Camden campus, conducts interdisciplinary research which combines methodologies and research practices of sociology, psychology, literature, anthropology and other disciplines into the study of childhoods internationally.
Residential life
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
-Piscataway campus, students are given the option of on-campus housing in both traditional dorms or apartments. Despite some overcrowding, most students seeking on-campus housing will be accommodated with a space, yet in 2008/2009 students were placed in a nearby hotel. The hotel situation is expected to grow into 2009/2010 and students are encouraged to look off campus. Many Rutgers students opt to rent apartments or houses off-campus within the city of New Brunswick. Similar setups are to be found in Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden, however a substantial portion of the students on those campuses commute and are enrolled on a part-time basis.
Rutgers University's three campuses are in the culturally-diverse, redeveloping urban areas (Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, and New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
) with convenient access to New York City and Philadelphia by either automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
or New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
. US News & World Report ranked Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
the most diverse university campus in the United States. Because the area of Rutgers' New Brunswick-Piscataway campus—which is composed of several constituent colleges and professional schools—is sprawled across six municipalities
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, the individual campuses are connected by an inter-campus bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
system.
Traditions and symbols
The school song of Rutgers University is On the Banks of the Old RaritanOn the Banks of the Old Raritan
"On the Banks of the Old Raritan" is the alma mater of Rutgers University. The lyrics and music were written by Howard N. Fuller, a member of the Rutgers College Class of 1874, in 1873. The mp3 of this can be downloaded...
, written by Howard Fullerton (Class of 1874) in 1873. It is often sung at University occasions, including concerts of the Rutgers University Glee Club
Rutgers University Glee Club
Founded in 1872, the Rutgers University Glee Club is the eighth oldest Glee Club in the United States of America, a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr...
, at Convocation and Commencement exercises, and especially at the conclusion of athletic events. The university's fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
is The Bells Must Ring
The Bells Must Ring
The Bells Must Ring is the fight song of the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. It is available in mp3 format .-Lyrics:While there are five verses to the song, typically only the third and fourth are sung....
, which features the school's spirit chant: "R-U Rah Rah, R-U Rah Rah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah Rutgers Rah! Upstream Red Team, Red Team Upstream, Rah! Rah! Rutgers Rah!." Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
, convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
, and athletic games are: The Bells Must Ring the Rutgers University fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
.
Scarlet
Scarlet (color)
Scarlet is a bright red color with a hue that is somewhat toward the orange. It is redder than vermilion. It is a pure chroma on the color wheel one-fourth of the way between red and orange. Scarlet is sometimes used as the color of flame...
was made the official school color of Rutgers University in 1900. Initially, students sought to make orange
Orange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
the school color, citing Rutgers' Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
heritage and in reference to the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
. The Daily Targum
The Daily Targum
The Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 18,000...
first proposed that scarlet be adopted in May 1869, claiming that it was a striking color and because scarlet ribbon was easily obtained. During the first intercollegiate football game with Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
on 6 November 1869, the players from Rutgers wore scarlet-colored turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
s and handkerchief
Handkerchief
A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...
s to distinguish them as a team from the Princeton players. Although Rutgers incorporates the colors black and white on their signs, symbols, athletic uniforms as accent colors, scarlet is the one and only color of the university. The current mascot is the Scarlet Knight. In its early days, Rutgers athletes were known as "Queensmen" in reference to the institution's first name, Queen's College. However, in 1925, the mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
was changed to Chanticleer, a fighting rooster from the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
Reynard the Fox (Le Roman de Renart) which was used by Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
's in the Canterbury Tales. However, this mascot was often the subject of ridicule because of its association with "being chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
." In 1955, the mascot was changed to the Scarlet Knight after a campus-wide election. The names (and mascots) of the athletic teams at Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden are the "Scarlet Raiders" and the "Scarlet Raptors", respectively.
Rutgers' motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
, Sol iustitiae et occidentem illustra (translated as "Sun of righteousness, shine upon the West also") is derived from the motto of the University of Utrecht
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
in the Netherlands, which is Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos (translated as "Sun of Justice, shine upon us"). It is a reference to the biblical texts
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
of Malachi
Book of Malachi
Malachi is a book of the Hebrew Bible, the last of the twelve minor prophets and the final book of the Neviim...
4:2 and Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
13:43. This motto appears in the University's seal
Seal (device)
A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
(pictured above), which is also derived from that of the University of Utrecht, and depicts a multi-pointed sun.
At Commencement exercises in the Spring, tradition leads undergraduates to break clay pipes over the Class of 1877 Cannon monument in front of Old Queens
Old Queens
Old Queens is the oldest building at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, New Jersey and the seat of the university's administration. Designed by noted architect John McComb, Jr., Old Queens is regarded by architectural experts as one of the finest examples of Federal...
, symbolizing the breaking of ties with the college, and leaving behind the good times of one's undergraduate years. This symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic gesture dates back to when pipe-smoking was fashionable among undergraduates, and many college memories were of evenings of pipe smoking and revelry with friends. Unfortunately, in recent years under President McCormick, the university administration has decided to stop funding this tradition, despite strong outcry from students and alumni. During commencement exercises, graduating seniors walk in academic procession
Academic procession
An academic procession is a traditional ceremony in which university dignitaries march together wearing traditional academic dress. An academic procession forms a usual part of college and university graduation exercises. At many U.S...
under the Class of 1902 Memorial Gateway (erected in 1904) on Hamilton Street leading to the Voorhees Mall
Voorhees Mall
Voorhees Mall is a large grassy area with stately shade trees on a block of about 28 acres located on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University near downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey. An eclectic mix of architectural styles, Voorhees Mall is lined by many historic academic buildings...
where the ceremonies are held for Rutgers College. Traditionally, students are warned to avoid walking beneath the gate before commencement over a superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
that one who does will not graduate. Due to the new commencement at Rutgers Stadium, students are no longer given the opportunity to walk through the gates during commencement.
Coat of arms
The shield of the Rutgers coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
appears on the university gonfalon, and is at the head of all processions. The first quarter bears the arms of Nassau, the House of Orange, and recognizes the Dutch founders. The arms in the upper sinister quarter are those of George III combined with Queen Charlotte's. It was George III who granted the Charter of 1766 to Queen's College, named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg, King George's consort. The arms shown on the sinister half are Queen Charlotte's. The third quarter from the Seal of the State of New Jersey. The fourth quarter is the coat of arms of Colonel Henry Rutgers
Henry Rutgers
Henry Rutgers was a United States Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist from New York City, New York.-Biography:...
.
Seal
The University Seal based on that of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands whose motto around a sun is " Sol iustitiae nos illustra":"Sun of righteousness, shine upon us". Rutgers modified the Utrecht seal to read "Sol iustitiae et occidentem illustra"; embracing the Western world, meaning "Sun of righteousness, shine upon the West also." The boards of governors and trustees approved a revised seal for the University 1997 that includes the words "Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey" and adds the 1766 founding date.Student organizations and activities
Rutgers University has a student government which controls funding to student groups. The student government is made up of campus councils and professional school councils. Those councils then send representatives to the student assembly as well as the university senate. An example of these campus councils is the College Avenue Council, which represents students on the College Avenue Campus.Rutgers hosts over 700 student organizations, covering a wide range of interests. Among the first student groups was the first college newspaper in the United States of America. The Political Intelligencer and New Jersey Adviser began publication at Queen's College in 1783, and ceased operation in 1785. Continuing this tradition is the university's current college newspaper, The Daily Targum
The Daily Targum
The Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 18,000...
, established in 1869, which is the second-oldest college newspaper currently published in the United States, after The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth
The Dartmouth is the daily student newspaper at Dartmouth College. Founded in 1799, it is America's oldest college newspaper. It is published by The Dartmouth, Inc., an independent, nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire.-History:...
(1843). Both poet Joyce Kilmer
Joyce Kilmer
Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" , which was published in...
and economist Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
served as editors. Also included are The Medium
The Medium (Rutgers)
The Medium is the student-run weekly entertainment and comedy newspaper at Rutgers University. The paper refers to itself as "The Entertainment Weekly of Rutgers University."...
, Rutgers Entertainment Weekly, Rutgers Centurion
Rutgers Centurion
The Centurion is a conservative magazine focused on Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Its motto is "veritas vos liberabit," which is Latin for "the truth shall set you free." The magazine attempts to counterbalance that which its staff perceive as a predominant orthodoxy of social...
, a conservative newspaper, the Rutgers University Glee Club
Rutgers University Glee Club
Founded in 1872, the Rutgers University Glee Club is the eighth oldest Glee Club in the United States of America, a nationally recognized men's chorus based at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is currently conducted by Dr...
, a male choral singing group established in 1872 (among the oldest in the country), as well as the Rutgers University Debate Union
Rutgers University Debate Union
The Rutgers University Debate Union is Rutgers University's intercollegiate debate team. Re-founded in 2001, its roots extend back to the 1700s and the King's-Queen's Debates with Columbia University when Rutgers was known under its founding name of Queen's College...
. More recently there has been increased national exposure among Rutgers a capella groups as they have routinely placed well in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella , is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year...
, including 2010 when The OrphanSporks
The OrphanSporks
The OrphanSporks are the second of six a cappella groups at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Founded in 1999 by Tom Mullaney, the group features approximately fifteen male and female Rutgers students who arrange and sing pop, rock, and soul melodies to audiences around campus and the greater...
placed second in the semifinals. Governed by the Student Activities Council, and funded by student fees disbursed through student government associations, students can organize groups for practically any political ideology or issue, ethnic or religious affiliation, academic subject, activity, or hobby.
Rutgers University is home to chapters of many Greek organizations, and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. Several fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
maintain houses for their chapters in the area of Union Street (known familiarly as "Frat Row") in New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, within blocks of Rutgers' College Avenue Campus. Chapters of Zeta Psi
Zeta Psi
The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...
and Delta Phi
Delta Phi
Delta Phi is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Founded as part of the Union Triad, along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, Delta Phi was the third and last member of the Triad...
organized at Rutgers as early as 1845. There are over 50 fraternities and sororities on the New Brunswick-Piscataway campus, ranging from traditional to historically African-American, Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, Multicultural
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, and Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
interest organizations. The New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University has a chapter of the only active co-ed Pre-medical Fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon
Phi Delta Epsilon
- History :In October 1904, Aaron Brown and eight of his friends founded Phi Delta Epsilon at Cornell University Medical College. During the first decade of this century there were many doors closed to Jewish medical students and physicians, doors which would not fully open until after World War II...
, as of 2008. Greek organizations are governed by the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Twelve organizations maintain chapters in New Brunswick without sanction by the University's administration.
In the late 19th century, the University banned fraternities because of their unusual hazing practices. This caused them to go underground as secret societies. It also sparked the interest of some students to create their own societies. Cap and Skull
Cap and Skull
Cap and Skull is a senior-year coeducational honors society at Rutgers University, founded on January 18, 1900.Admission to Cap and Skull is dependent upon excellence in academics, athletics, the arts, and public service. Leadership as well as character are also considered crucial factors for...
was founded at Rutgers before the turn of the 20th century.
Today, Rutgers is well known for 4 of its vocal ensembles: Voorhees Choir (the university's women's ensemble), Kirckpatrick Choir (the university's most selective coed ensemble), Glee Club (the university's most esteemed male ensemble), and University Choir (a larger mixed choir).
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
The center was established in the 1970s as the Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Program. During the mid-1980s, the program was changed into the Middle Eastern Studies Program and a Major and Minor was officially defined and offered to the University's undergraduate students. The Center's present form was established in 2002 when it became known as the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Students at Rutgers currently have a choice of over 70 different courses offered regularly through the Center.Athletics
(Note: The Rutgers-CamdenRutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
athletic teams are called the Scarlet Raptors. The Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers-Newark
Rutgers University in Newark is one of three campuses of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest college in the United States and a member of the Association of American Universities...
athletic teams are called the Scarlet Raiders. The Scarlet Raiders and the Scarlet Raptors both compete within NCAA Division III.)
Rutgers was among the first American institutions to engage in intercollegiate athletics, and participated in a small circle of schools that included Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and long-time rival, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(then called The College of New Jersey). The four schools met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on 19 October 1873 to establish a set of rules governing their intercollegiate competition, and particularly to codify the new game of football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. Though invited, Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
chose not to attend. In the early years of intercollegiate athletics, the circle of schools that participated in these athletic events were located solely in the American Northeast. However, by the turn of the 20th century, colleges and universities across the United States began to participate.
In 1864, rowing became the first organized sport at Rutgers. Six mile races were held on the Raritan River among six-oared boats. In 1870, Rutgers held its first intercollegiate competition, against the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard, the then top-ranked amateur crew of the time. Since the start in 1864, Rutgers has built a strong crew program consisting of heavyweight and lightweight men. Women's crew was added to the program in 1974. Men's crew was recently discontinued as a varsity sport at Rutgers, though it continues as a strong club program.
The first intercollegiate athletic event at Rutgers was a baseball game on 2 May 1866 against Princeton in which they suffered a 40-2 loss.
Rutgers University is often referred to as The Birthplace of College Football as the first intercollegiate football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game was held on College Field between Rutgers and Princeton on 6 November 1869 in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
on a plot of ground where the present-day College Avenue Gymnasium
College Avenue Gymnasium
The College Avenue Gymnasium is an athletic facility on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.It is the second gymnasium built on the site. The first was built in 1892 on the site of College Field, the former RU football field...
now stands. Rutgers won the game, with a score of 6 runs to Princeton's 4. According to Parke H. Davis
Parke H. Davis
Parke Hill Davis was an American football player, coach and historian who retroactively named the national championship teams in American college football from the 1869 through the 1932 seasons. He also named co-national champions at the conclusion of the 1933 season...
, the 1869 Rutgers football team shared the national title with Princeton. (This game is believed to have been closer to soccer than to modern American football.)
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
for football. All sports programs at Rutgers subsequently became affiliated with the Big East in 1995.
The first intercollegiate competition in Ultimate Frisbee
Ultimate (sport)
Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
(now called simply "Ultimate") was held between students from Rutgers and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
on November 6, 1972 to mark the one hundred third anniversary of the first intercollegiate football game. Rutgers won 29–27. The Rutgers Men's Basketball Team was among the "Final Four" and ended the 1976 season ranked fourth in the United States, after an 86–70 loss against the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the semifinals, and a 106–92 loss against UCLA in the consolation round of the 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1976, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, a collegiate athletic conference consisting of 16 colleges and universities from the East Coast and Midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
regions of the United States. The Big East Conference is a member of the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
. Rutgers currently fields 27 intercollegiate sports programs and is a Division I school as sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. Rutgers fields thirty teams in NCAA Division I sanctioned sports, including Football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, Crew
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, Cross Country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, Fencing, Field Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, Lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, Soccer, Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Track and Field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, Swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and Diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, Wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
, Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
.
Since joining the Big East, the Scarlet Knights have won five Big East Conference tournament titles: men's soccer (1997), men's track & field (2005), baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(2000, 2007), women's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
(2007). Several other teams have won regular season titles but failed to win the conference's championship tournament.
Most recently, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights' football team has achieved success on the gridiron after several years of losing seasons, being invited to the Insight Bowl
Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium...
on 27 December 2005 in which they lost 45 to 40 against Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. This was Rutgers' first bowl appearance since the 16 December 1978 loss against Arizona State, 34–18, at the Garden State Bowl
Garden State Bowl
The Garden State Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from 1978 to 1981...
. The 2006 football season also saw Rutgers being ranked within the Top 25 teams in major college football polls. After the 9 November 2006 victory over the #3 ranked, undefeated Louisville Cardinals
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, Rutgers jumped up to seventh in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, eighth in the USA Today/Coaches poll, seventh in the Harris Interactive Poll
Harris Interactive College Football Poll
The Harris Interactive College Football Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. The rankings are compiled by Harris Interactive, a market research company that specializes in Internet research....
, and sixth in the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
rankings. These were Rutgers' highest rankings in the football polls since they were ranked fifteenth in 1961. Rutgers ended the season 11–2 after winning the inaugural Texas Bowl
Texas Bowl
The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, formerly known as the Texas Bowl, is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that was held for the first time in 2006 in Houston, Texas. The bowl replaced the now-defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005...
on 28 December 2006, defeating the Wildcats
Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State University's athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools that have only one official color; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.Kansas State participates in...
of Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
by a score of 37–10 and finishing the season ranked twelfth in the final Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll of sportswriters, the team's highest season-ending ranking.
Under Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer
C. Vivian Stringer
Charlaine Vivian Stringer is a prominent African American basketball coach, with one of the best records in the history of women's basketball...
, the Women's Basketball program is among the elite programs in the country as they remain consistently ranked in the Top 25, consistently making the NCAA Women's Championship Tournament, and sometimes winning the Big East regular season championship. In 2006-2007, Rutgers won their first ever Big East Conference Tournament Championship. The program has been highly competitive since its inception, winning the 1982 AIAW National Championship, reaching the 2000 Final Four, and reaching the Final Four and national championship game in 2007.
Rutgers maintains athletic rivalries with other collegiate institutions. The university has historic rivalries with Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(formerly King's College), Lafayette College
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
, Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
originating from the early days of college football. While they maintain this rivalry in other sports, neither of them have met in football since 1980. Rutgers has a basketball rivalry with Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, and has developed a growing three-way rivalry with the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
and Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, both fellow Big East Conference members.
In the fall of 2007, six Rutgers New Brunswick/Piscataway's NCAA Division I sports were discontinued by the University, including men's swimming and diving, men's heavyweight and lightweight crew, men's tennis, and men's and women's fencing. Some continued as club teams, while some were disbanded completely. The University claims this change was due to budget cuts, while others claim it was a politically motivated move designed to protest state's funding changes.
Most recently, current Big East schools, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia have made a decision to leave the Big East conference for other athletic conferences. Syracuse and Pittsburgh have decided to enter the Atlantic Coast Conference, as West Virginia will enter the Big 12 conference, taking effect as of the 2012-2013 season. It has been mentioned that the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference have talking with Rutgers about inviting the school into their conference.
Faculty
For the August 2005 to May 2006 academic year. Rutgers University had 2,261 full-time and part-time academic faculty members. Among Rutgers notable current and former professors are Karin Stromswold, Alan PrinceAlan Prince
Alan Sanford Prince is a professor of linguistics at Rutgers University. Prince, along with Paul Smolensky, developed Optimality Theory, which was originally applied to phonology, but has been extended to other areas of linguistics such as syntax and semantics...
, Jerry Fodor
Jerry Fodor
Jerry Alan Fodor is an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. He holds the position of State of New Jersey Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University and is the author of many works in the fields of philosophy of mind and cognitive science, in which he has laid the groundwork for the...
, Mark Baker
Mark Baker (linguist)
Mark C. Baker is an American linguist. He received his Ph. D. from MIT in 1985 and has taught at Rutgers since 1998. Prof. Baker has frequently been a faculty member at the Linguistic Society of America's Summer Institute and, prior to coming to Rutgers, was a faculty member at McGill University...
, Jane Grimshaw, Jacob Feldman, Julien Musolino, Alan Leslie, John Ciardi
John Ciardi
John Anthony Ciardi was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily known as a poet, he also translated Dante's Divine Comedy, wrote several volumes of children's poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the Saturday Review as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, and...
, George Hammell Cook, Michael Curtis, Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison
Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
, Paul Fussell
Paul Fussell
Paul Fussell is an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings cover a variety of genres, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentary on America’s class system...
, Robert Trivers
Robert Trivers
Robert L. Trivers is an American evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist and Professor of Anthropology and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. Trivers is most noted for proposing the theories of reciprocal altruism , parental investment , facultative sex ratio determination , and...
, Francis Fergusson
Francis Fergusson
Francis Fergusson was an American academic and critic, a theorist of drama and mythology. Fergusson taught for a time on the faculty of the department of English at Rutgers University and is regarded as an influence on poet Robert Pinsky....
, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She is the second female justice and the first Jewish female justice.She is generally viewed as belonging to...
, Mason W. Gross
Mason W. Gross
Mason Welch Gross was an American television quiz show personality and academic who served as the sixteenth President of Rutgers University, serving from 1959 to 1971.-Biography:...
, Leonid Khachiyan
Leonid Khachiyan
Leonid Genrikhovich Khachiyan was a Soviet mathematician of Armenian descent who taught Computer Science at Rutgers University. He was most famous for his Ellipsoid algorithm for linear programming, which was the first such algorithm known to have a polynomial running time...
, Michael Lesk
Mike Lesk
Michael E. Lesk is a computer programmer.In the 1960s, Michael Lesk worked for the SMART Information Retrieval System project, wrote much of its retrieval code and did many of the retrieval experiments, as well as obtaining a PhD in Chemical Physics....
, David Levering Lewis
David Levering Lewis
David Levering Lewis is the Julius Silver University Professor and Professor of History at New York University. He is twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, for part one and part two of his biography of W. E. B. Du Bois...
, Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
, George Segal
George Segal (artist)
George Segal was an American painter and sculptor associated with the Pop Art movement. He was presented with a National Medal of Arts in 1999.-Works:...
, Endre Szemerédi
Endre Szemerédi
Endre Szemerédi is a Hungarian mathematician, working in the field of combinatorics and theoretical computer science. He is the State of New Jersey Professor of computer science at Rutgers University since 1986...
, Jerrold Tunnell
Tunnell's theorem
In number theory, Tunnell's theorem gives a partial resolution to the congruent number problem, and under the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, a full resolution. The congruent number problem asks which rational numbers can be the area of a right triangle with all three sides rational...
, and Selman Waksman
Selman Waksman
Selman Abraham Waksman was an American biochemist and microbiologist whose research into organic substances—largely into organisms that live in soil—and their decomposition promoted the discovery of Streptomycin, and several other antibiotics...
. During his 20 year tenure at Rutgers, David Levering Lewis
David Levering Lewis
David Levering Lewis is the Julius Silver University Professor and Professor of History at New York University. He is twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, for part one and part two of his biography of W. E. B. Du Bois...
(born 1936), a professor in the Department of History was twice awarded the Pultizer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
(1994 and 2001) for both volumes of his biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) and was also the winner of the Bancroft
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948 by a bequest from Frederic Bancroft...
and Parkman prizes.
Five Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Rutgers as either faculty or students (Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
, Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
, David A. Morse
David A. Morse
David Abner Morse was an American bureaucrat who worked for the International Labor Organization.-Biography:...
, Heinrich Rohrer
Heinrich Rohrer
Heinrich Rohrer is a Swiss physicist who shared half of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics with Gerd Binnig for the design of the scanning tunneling microscope .-Biography:...
and Selman Waksman
Selman Waksman
Selman Abraham Waksman was an American biochemist and microbiologist whose research into organic substances—largely into organisms that live in soil—and their decomposition promoted the discovery of Streptomycin, and several other antibiotics...
).
Many members of the faculty at Rutgers have achieved top honors in their disciplines, including Michael R. Douglas
Michael R. Douglas
Michael R. Douglas is an American theoretical physicist and professor currently at Stony Brook University.Michael R. Douglas was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Nancy and Ronald G. Douglas, a mathematician specializing in operator algebras. He received his bachelor's degree in physics...
, a prominent string theorist
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
and the director of the New High Energy Theory Center and winner of the Sackler Prize
Sackler Prize
The Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize is a $40,000 prize in the disciplines of either physics or chemistry awarded by Tel Aviv University each year for young scientists who have made outstanding and fundamental contributions in their fields. It was created through the generosity of...
in theoretical physics in 2000. Jerry Fodor
Jerry Fodor
Jerry Alan Fodor is an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. He holds the position of State of New Jersey Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University and is the author of many works in the fields of philosophy of mind and cognitive science, in which he has laid the groundwork for the...
, Zenon Pylyshyn
Zenon Pylyshyn
Zenon Pylyshyn is a Canadian cognitive scientist and philosopher.He holds degrees in Engineering-Physics from McGill University and in Control Systems and Experimental Psychology , both from the University of Saskatchewan. His dissertation was on the application of information theory to studies...
and Stephen Stich
Stephen Stich
Stephen Stich is a professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He is also currently an Honorary Professor of the department of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. Stich's main philosophical interests are in the philosophy of mind, cognitive science, epistemology, and moral psychology. He...
were awarded the Jean Nicod Prize
Jean Nicod Prize
The Jean Nicod Prize is awarded annually in Paris to a leading philosopher of mind or philosophically-oriented cognitive scientist. The lectures are organized by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique as part of its effort to promote interdisciplinary research in cognitive science in...
in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and cognitive science
Cognitive science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine...
.
Furthermore, Rutgers ranks among the top three public AAU institutions in the overall percentage of women faculty.
Alumni
There have been over 335,000 graduates of Rutgers University. Many alumni remain active through alumni associationAlumni association
An alumni association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools , fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation...
sincluding the Rutgers Alumni Association founded in 1831annual Reunions and Homecomings, and other events. Rutgers has graduated two Nobel Laureates: Selman A. Waksman (A.B. 1915) in Medicine and Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
(A.B. 1932) in Economics. Alumni awarded the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
include Michael Shaara
Michael Shaara
Michael Shaara was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne division...
(A.B. 1951), author of The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels
The Killer Angels is a historical novel by Michael Shaara that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. The book tells the story of four days of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War: June 30, 1863, as the troops of both the Union and the Confederacy move into battle around...
, journalist Richard Aregood (B.A. 1965), Roy Franklin Nichols
Roy Franklin Nichols
Roy Franklin Nichols was an American historian and a Pulitzer Prize winner. He won the Pulitzer Prize for History for The Disruption of American Democracy.-Biography:...
(A.B. 1918), and Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience...
.
Alumni of Rutgers have had a considerable impact in the arts, including those by two noted modern sculptors, George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
(M.A. 1963) and Alice Aycock
Alice Aycock
-Biography:Aycock studied at Douglass College in New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1968. She then went to New York City where she studied for her masters at Hunter College, and where she was taught and supervised by Robert Morris; she graduated in 1971...
(B.A. 1968). Many notable buildings in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
(the Copley Plaza Hotel
Copley Plaza Hotel
The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel is a Forbes three-star, AAA four-diamond hotel in downtown Boston, Massachusetts owned by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It stands on Copley Square, by the John Hancock Tower.-Construction and opening:...
), and New York City including the The Dakota
The Dakota
The Dakota, constructed from October 25, 1880 to October 27, 1884, is a co-op apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City...
, Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
, the Waldorf and Astoria Hotels (demolished in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
) as well as several of the oldest buildings on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, were designed by architect Henry Janeway Hardenburgh (A.B. 1871). Poet Joyce Kilmer
Joyce Kilmer
Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" , which was published in...
(Class of 1908), attended Rutgers for two years before transferring to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, was famous for his poem "Trees" and later died in World War I, and Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most of which are collections of his own poetry...
(B.A. 1962), was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the nation's official poet. During his or her term, the Poet Laureate seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of...
in 1997. Filmmaker and critic Wheeler Winston Dixon
Wheeler Winston Dixon
Wheeler Winston Dixon is best known as a writer of film history, theory and criticism. He is the author of numerous books on film, as well as a professor who has taught at Rutgers University, New Brunswick; The New School in New York; and the University of Amsterdam, Holland. He received his Ph.D....
(Ph.D. 1982) has written more than twenty five books on film history, theory and criticism, and his collected films are housed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Many Rutgers graduates have gone on to careers in public service, including former U.S. Secretary of State and Senator Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen was a member of the United States Senate representing New Jersey and a United States Secretary of State.-Early life and education:...
(A.B. 1836), former U.S. Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary (J.D. 19??), former FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
director Louis Freeh
Louis Freeh
Louis Joseph Freeh was the 5th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving from September 1993 to June 2001....
(B.A. 1971), Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Garret A. Hobart (A.B. 1863), and former Representative and Senator Clifford P. Case
Clifford P. Case
Clifford Philip Case was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives and the State of New Jersey in the United States Senate .-Biography:Clifford P. Case was born in Franklin Park in Somerset County, New Jersey...
(A.B. 1925). Among the first students enrolled at Rutgers (when it was Queen's College), Simeon DeWitt (A.B. 1776) became the Surveyor-General for the Continental Army (1776–1783) during the American Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and classmate James Schureman
James Schureman
James Schureman was an American merchant and statesman from New Brunswick, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress as well as the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate....
(A.B. 1775), served in the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and as a United States Senator. Seven Rutgers graduates have served as Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
: Charles C. Stratton
Charles C. Stratton
Charles Creighton Stratton was a politician from New Jersey, who served in the United States House of Representatives and was later the 15th Governor of New Jersey.-Biography:...
(A.B. 1814), William A. Newell
William A. Newell
William Augustus Newell , was an American physician and politician, who was a three-term member of the United States House of Representatives, served as a Republican as the 18th Governor of New Jersey, and as Governor of the Washington Territory from 1880-1884...
(A.B. 1836; A.M. 1839), George C. Ludlow
George C. Ludlow
George Craig Ludlow was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 25th Governor of New Jersey from 1881 to 1884.-Biography:...
(A.B. 1850, A.M. 1850), Foster M. Voorhees (A.B. 1876, A.M. 1879), A. Harry Moore
A. Harry Moore
Arthur Harry Moore was a Democrat who was the 39th Governors of New Jersey, serving three terms between 1926 and 1941. He was the longest-serving New Jersey Governor in the 20th century and the only New Jersey Governor elected to serve three separate non-consecutive terms...
(J.D. 1922), Richard Hughes
Richard J. Hughes
Richard Joseph Hughes was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 45th Governor of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970, and as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973–1979...
(J.D. 1931), and James J. Florio (J.D. 1967). Alumnus Joseph P. Bradley (A.B. 1836) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
(1870–1891) and cast the tie-breaking vote on the bipartisan commission that decided the contested American presidential election in 1876.
Alumni have founded or headed businesses, including Leonor F. Loree
Leonor F. Loree
Leonor Fresnel Loree was an executive of railroads in the United States.*Baltimore and Ohio Railroad: president 1901 - 1904*Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad president - 1904...
(A.B. 1877), President of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Bernard Marcus
Bernard Marcus
Bernard "Bernie" Marcus is an American pharmacist and retail entrepreneur.He was born to Jewish-Russian immigrant parents in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in a tenement and wanted to become a doctor. He couldn’t afford the tuition, so he worked for his father as a cabinet maker through Rutgers...
(B.S. 1951), Founder of the Home Depot, Ernest Mario (B.S. 1961), former Chief Executive Officer of GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, Duncan McMillan (B.S. 1966), co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
, and Barry Schuler
Barry Schuler
Barry Martin Schuler is an American Internet entrepreneur and former chairman and CEO of America Online Inc...
(B.A. 1976), former Chairman and CEO of AmericaOnline (AOL)
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. Marc Milecofsky, aka Marc Ecko
Marc Ecko
Marc Eckō is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, investor, artist, and philanthropist. He is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Marc Eckō Enterprises, a billion-dollar global fashion and lifestyle company...
, founded the clothing brand Eckō
Ecko
Eckō unltd. is a brand of urban lifestyle clothing founded by fashion designer Marc Ecko, that has been popular since the late 1990s, and moved into the mainstream urban culture in the early 2000s. It is most often associated with hip-hop people. The style is based on graffiti art.The creation of...
in 1993 and launched a special, limited edition collection that specifically pays homage to the Scarlet Knights, Mary Baglivo (B.A. 1979), Chairman and CEO of the Americas, Saatchi & Saatchi.
Graduates of Rutgers have gone on to make advances in medicine, mathematics and science, most notably Nobel Laureate Selman A. Waksman (B.Sc. 1915), but also including Peter C. Schultz (B.S. 1967), co-inventor of fiber optics, geneticist Stanley N. Cohen (B.Sc. 1956) who pioneered in the field of gene splicing, Louis Gluck (B.S. 1930) the "father of neonatology
Neonatology
Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn infant. It is a hospital-based specialty, and is usually practiced in neonatal intensive care units...
", and computer pioneer Nathan M. Newmark
Nathan M. Newmark
Nathan Mortimore Newmark was an American structural engineer and academic. He was awarded the National Medal of Science for engineering.-Early life:...
(B.S. 1948) who won the National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
.
Rutgers alumni have entertained Americans on the silver screen as well as the small screen, including most notably James Gandolfini
James Gandolfini
James J. Gandolfini, Jr. is an Italian American actor. He is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series The Sopranos, about a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia...
(B.A. 1983), known for his role on The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, and Oswald "Ozzie" Nelson
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George "Ozzie" Nelson was an American entertainer and band leader who originated and starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet radio and television series with his wife and two sons.-Early life:...
(B.A. 1927), fondly remembered for The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 to September 3, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years...
. Porn film star Asia Carrera
Asia Carrera
Asia Carrera is a former American pornographic actress.- Early life and education :Asia Carrera was born in New York City to a Japanese father and German mother, the eldest of four siblings. She was raised in Little Silver, New Jersey, attending the Little Silver School District and Red Bank...
(B.A. 1996) became the most famous porn actress of her generation. The Food Network has rocketed Chef and Restaurateur Mario Batali
Mario Batali
Mario Batali is an American chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality. In addition to his classical culinary training, he is an expert on the history and culture of Italian cuisine, including regional and local variations. Batali co-owns restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,...
(B.A. 1982) into America's homes. Other notable thespian alumni include Avery Brooks
Avery Brooks
Avery Franklin Brooks is an American actor, television director, jazz musician, opera singer and college professor. Brooks is perhaps best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and in the...
(B.A. 1973) (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
), Kristin Davis
Kristin Davis
Kristin Landen Davis is an American actress.She first rose to prominence and achieved fame for playing the role of Charlotte York Goldenblatt on HBO's Sex and the City. She has achieved success appearing in roles in film and television.-Early life and education:Davis was born in Boulder, Colorado...
(B.F.A. 1987), (Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
), and Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart
Calista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
(B.F.A. 1988) (The Birdcage
The Birdcage
The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, and stars Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski. The script was written by Elaine May...
, Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
).
In athletics, graduates of Rutgers include Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
manager Jeff Torborg (B.A. 1963); Eddie Jordan
Eddie Jordan (basketball)
Edward Montgomery "Eddie" Jordan is a retired American professional basketball player and former coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings in the NBA.-Collegiate and pro career:...
(B.A. 1977), coach of the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
; Sonny Werblin
Sonny Werblin
David Abraham "Sonny" Werblin was a prominent entertainment industry executive and sports impresario who was an owner of the New York Jets, Chairman of Madison Square Gardens, and who built and managed the Meadowlands Sports Complex.A graduate of Rutgers University, Werblin went to work for Music...
(A.B. 1932), former owner of the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
; and David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
(B.A. 1963), Commissioner of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Alumni in the National Football League include Ray Rice
Ray Rice
Raymell Maurice Rice is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. He is currently ranked as the Baltimore Ravens third all-time rusher in...
(Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
), Brian Leonard
Brian Leonard
-St. Louis Rams:On April 28, 2007, Leonard was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft. Leonard signed a four-year, $2.8 million contract on July 24, 2007, that includes $1.55 million in guaranteed money. Coach Scott Linehan decided to use...
(Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
), Shaun O'Hara
Shaun O'Hara
Shaun O'Hara is an American football center in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Rutgers University, and has been in the NFL since 2000, having begun his pro career as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns...
(New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
), L.J. Smith
L.J. Smith
John Smith III , commonly known as L.J., which stands for "Little John", is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
(Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Clark Harris
Clark Harris
Clark Harris is an American football long snapper and tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
(Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Nate Jones (Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Eric Foster
Eric Foster
Eric Jerome Foster is an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. Undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft, Foster signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts...
(Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
), Jeremy Zuttah
Jeremy Zuttah
Jeremy Kwasi Zuttah is an American football offensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers....
(Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
), and Pedro Sosa
Pedro Sosa
Pedro Sosa is an American football offensive tackle for the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
(Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
). Early African-American footballer Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
also graduated from Rutgers.
Fictitious alumni include Quincy Magoo
Mr. Magoo
Quincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
(degree unknown, 1903), a lovable cartoon character from the 1950s and 1960s, was among the proudest of Rutgers' "Loyal Sons."
See also
- List of American state universities
- Post-secondary education in New JerseyPost-secondary education in New JerseyA large number of post-secondary education options are available in the State of New Jersey. Currently, 31 four-year colleges and universities are located in New Jersey...
- Presidents of Rutgers University
- Public IvyPublic IvyPublic Ivy is a term coined by Richard Moll in his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities to refer to universities which "provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price." Public Ivies are considered, according to the...
Books and printed materials
- Demarest, William Henry Steele. History of Rutgers College: 1776–1924. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers College, 1924). (No ISBN)
- History of Rutgers College: or an account of the union of Rutgers College, and the Theological Seminary of the General Synod of the Reformed Dutch Church. Prepared and published at the request of several trustees of the College, by a trustee. (New York: Anderson & Smith, 1833). (No ISBN)
- Lukac, George J. (ed.), Aloud to Alma Mater. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University PressRutgers University PressRutgers University Press is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in Piscataway, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University.-History:...
, 1966), 70–73. (No ISBN) - McCormick, Richard P. Rutgers: a Bicentennial History. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1966). ISBN 0-8135-0521-6
- Schmidt, George P. Princeton and Rutgers: The Two Colonial Colleges of New Jersey. (Princeton, New Jersey: Van Nostrand, 1964). (No ISBN)