Rutgers University

Rutgers University
Name	Rutgers University
Established	1766
Type	Public land-grant research university
Endowment	$2.0 billion (2023)
President	Jonathan Holloway
Academic staff	4,771 full-time
Students	67,620 (Fall 2023)
City	New Brunswick / Piscataway (primary)
State	New Jersey
Country	United States

Rutgers University, officially known as Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a major public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. Chartered in 1766 as Queen's College, it is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and was renamed in 1825 for philanthropist Henry Rutgers. The institution evolved into New Jersey's sole public land-grant university following the Morrill Act of 1862 and was designated the state university by acts of the New Jersey Legislature in 1945 and 1956.

History

The institution was founded by Dutch Reformed Church leaders, receiving a charter from William Franklin, the last colonial governor of New Jersey. Early instruction was held in a tavern called the Sign of the Red Lion in New Brunswick. The college closed during the American Revolution and struggled financially until the pivotal donation from American Revolutionary War hero Henry Rutgers in 1825. Its transformation into a modern public university accelerated with the Morrill Act of 1862, leading to the establishment of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the Rutgers Scientific School. The historic merger with the University of Newark and the absorption of College of South Jersey in the 1940s and 1950s, orchestrated under the leadership of Robert C. Clothier, solidified its statewide role.

Campuses

The university operates three primary campuses across New Jersey: Rutgers–New Brunswick (including adjacent Piscataway), Rutgers–Newark, and Rutgers–Camden. The flagship Rutgers–New Brunswick location encompasses several smaller campuses like the historic College Avenue Campus, Busch Campus, Livingston Campus, and Cook Campus, home to landmarks such as Old Queens and the Voorhees Mall. The Rutgers–Newark campus is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution located in the University Heights district. The Rutgers–Camden campus sits along the Delaware River waterfront and is part of the Camden waterfront redevelopment. Other facilities include the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences units in Newark and the Campus at Washington, D.C..

Academics

It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and comprises over 30 schools and colleges. Notable units include the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, the Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and the Mason Gross School of the Arts. The university is a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, facilitating scholarly collaboration with institutions like the University of Michigan and Northwestern University. Its graduate programs in English literature, library and information science, and philosophy are consistently highly ranked. The Honors College and Eagleton Institute of Politics offer specialized undergraduate experiences.

Research

With over $900 million in annual research expenditures, it hosts numerous major research centers. These include the W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, the Rutgers Energy Institute, and the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. It is a national leader in perovskite solar cell development and houses the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository, one of the world's largest repositories for genetic materials. The university manages the Rutgers Ecological Preserve and operates the Rutgers University Marine Field Station in Tuckerton. It is also a key partner in the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, which produced the first image of a black hole.

Athletics

Its athletic teams, known as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, compete in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. The football team played in the first intercollegiate football game against Princeton Tigers in 1869. Notable facilities include SHI Stadium in Piscataway, the Jersey Mike's Arena, and the Bauer Track and Field Complex. The women's basketball program, led by Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, has made multiple Final Four appearances. The university has produced numerous Olympic medalists and over 150 major professional league athletes.

Notable alumni and faculty

Distinguished alumni include Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, former U.S. Vice President Garret Hobart, and author Junot Díaz. Notable faculty have included Selman Waksman, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering streptomycin, and writer Joyce Carol Oates. Other prominent figures are Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (former faculty), astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr., and television personality Michele Tafoya. The university's community includes numerous recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, and MacArthur Fellowship.

Category:Universities and colleges in New Jersey Category:Public universities and colleges in the United States Category:Land-grant universities and colleges