News

The author of many articles and books in his areas of expertise, most recently Jeff is co-author with Rutgers alumnus Dr. Randal Pinkett of Black Faces in High Places: 10 Strategic Actions for Black Professionals to Reach the Top and Stay There.

Roxane Gay, an internationally recognized writer, editor, cultural critic and educator, has been selected as the next Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

Juneteenth is being widely celebrated across the country a year after President Biden signed a law making it a federal holiday. We asked faculty across Rutgers why it's important to mark this day and what are appropriate ways to honor the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. 

In a mural created by Rutgers-Newark BOLD scholars and acclaimed artist Adama Delphine Fawundu, a blue figure with her arms outstretched to the sky symbolizes freedom and womanhood. But to her creators, she also represents something more personal.

Built in the mid-1840’s, the Peter Mott House is one of the few surviving Underground Railroad sites owned by an African-American abolitionist in an African-American community.

An academic leader in addiction and LGBTQ+ mental health research, Petros Levounis plans to use platform to continue fighting for social justice.

Troy A. Roepke, Ph.D., will lead the new SEBS/NJAES Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Rutgers University–Camden graduates celebrated with four commencement ceremonies and the inaugural Rites of Passage ceremony for Black and Latinx students.

Newark artists and city leaders yesterday celebrated the completion of 14 new public installations created through a partnership between Audible and 20 Newark artists and collectives, including many Rutgers-Newark alumni.

A  Rutgers-Newark program that helps parents provide literacy support in Newark schools has done more than improve children’s reading skills.

A health clinic run by Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden now offers a safe space for guests to receive basic medical care and advice. Many of the guests have no insurance and previously had to rely on emergency room visits to address routine conditions.

Law professor Elise Boddie, who teaches at Rutgers-Newark, is founder and director of The Inclusion Project (TIP), which works to promote systemic equity in public education.

President’s internship initiative puts focus on engaging with and serving others.

Looking out at the sea of red and black gowns, Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones was blunt. She typically turns down invites to give commencement speeches, the journalist said.

But not when Rutgers-Camden called, the quaint campus located in the predominantly Black and Hispanic city.

More than 500 graduating students participated in the 30th annual Rites of Passage ceremony honoring Black and Latinx students from Rutgers–New Brunswick who, through resolute persistence, have successfully completed an undergraduate or graduate degree.

In high school, Gary Carter had a mentor who taught him about accounting. “It inspired me to become an accountant,” Carter said. “He shed light on how having your own assets, your own business would bring you generational wealth. I wanted to learn more.”

Rutgers University–Newark Professor Salamishah Tillet was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in criticism for her New York Times essays on race in arts and culture, the Pulitzer Prize board announced. 

“Issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are present everywhere in our lives and if we do not acknowledge them, we continue to support and enable a system meant to oppress,” she said.  

Join host Mary Marchetta O’Dowd as she welcomes Dr. Denise Rodgers, RBHS Vice-Chancellor for Interprofessional Programs, to discuss the relationship between race and health, the state of health disparities in minority populations, and the steps we can take to change the landscape.

The Autism MVP Foundation Endowed Fellowship will create new, hands-on educational opportunities for Rutgers graduate students who want to empower adults with autism.

Every Wednesday after school this spring, students at the Paul Robeson Community School for the Arts in New Brunswick have been moving, dancing, leaping and twisting, all while learning about community, emotions and identity.

Kevin Carolina helped launch the group Minority Men in Medicine at Rutgers to provide an academic and social support network to increase the number of underrepresented minority men matriculating into medical school.

In this episode of Faces & Voices, Tania Martinez walks President Jonathan Holloway through the quad to Rutgers-Camden Alumni House where they discuss what drew her from Springdale, Arkansas, to Camden, New Jersey, how Rutgers-Camden’s deep commitment to civic engagement has allowed her to make meaningful differences in the lives of others as an immigrant rights activist, and the importance of cultivating hope in the midst of daunting circumstances.  

“Taking time to recognize members of our community in this way each year speaks loudly and clearly about our values,” said President Jonathan Holloway. “The work that today’s honorees are doing to build a beloved community at Rutgers is so important.”

In September 2020, Mason Gross School of the Arts (MGSA) art & design student Tehyla McLeod grabbed her sketchbook and headed to the New Brunswick train station. Her goal: create portraits of the displaced and struggling community of people who congregate at and around the station.

Rutgers released a new plan, supported by University Equity and Inclusion, that includes goals set by each chancellor-led area – Rutgers-New Brunswick, Rutgers-Newark, Rutgers-Camden and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences – and actions to reach them.

Rutgers University–Camden has received a $306,000 grant from AmeriCorps and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of a new initiative to enhance public health resources across the country. 

Rutgers–Newark graphic design student James Negri has distinguished himself as being among the school’s highest academic performers. After graduating in May, the 27-year-old plans to pursue a career that utilizes his skills in 3D design and augmented reality.  

All eligible New Jersey students can attend Rutgers tuition-free for four years through a combination of university, federal and state financial aid programs.

Rutgers historian and series co-executive producer Erica Armstrong Dunbar ensured the show brought to life authentic characters of color who too often have been reduced to stereotypes or entirely overlooked in media portrayals of American history.

Once a center for some of Newark’s earliest Black activists, a 19th-century church that stood on Rutgers University—Newark property been designated a historic site by the National Park Service for its links to the Underground Railroad. It is one of the first sites in Northern New Jersey to receive that designation.

The way that Adam Soliman sees it, government can impact society in a big way – and that’s a good thing.

To honor Wall for years to come, the Dr. Cheryl A. Wall Memorial Fellowship has been created to provide $2,500 annually to doctoral students conducting research in African American or Black literature, Black feminism or interdisciplinary studies.

Staff at the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities are organizing events throughout April. 

APIDA Heritage Month represents an opportunity for the AACC to highlight the necessity for social justice work to combat anti-Asian violence and sentiment.

The quad at Rutgers–Camden was a sea of rainbow flags, colorful balloons and glittering outfits as students, staff and faculty showed up on Friday afternoon to support the campus’ first-ever Pride Fest.

Rutgers is launching a new initiative to improve the health and quality of life in economically disadvantaged communities dealing with food insecurity, high unemployment, low high school graduation rates and shrinking household income – funded through a $10 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

In an effort to build inclusive academic communities, institutions are asking tough questions about the role they play – not only as places where people from various backgrounds and experiences go for intellectual growth, but as places that provide a framework for excellence that regards diversity, equity and inclusion as key drivers of success.

In this moment of profound uncertainty, reconnection, and newfound creativity, the organizers of the Black Portraiture[s] conferences invite the submission of abstracts summarizing a paper, panel, or performance related to the role of “play” in past and contemporary African Diasporic art, performance, liberation struggles, and cultural work.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, members of the RU Indigenous student organization at Rutgers University-New Brunswick shared brief essays about their history, traditions and culture and their desire to be recognized. Camilla Townsend, Distinguished Professor of History who researches indigenous history and language, also shares her thoughts on the importance of native studies and its future at the university.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked students to share brief essays reflecting on their identity. In their own words, students shared stories about the importance of preserving their native language, the challenge of being a non-English speaker in school, and the lessons they’ve learned from embracing their culture, their native food and their families. Here is what they had to say.

Rutgers-Newark is joining a network of scholars working to uncover the beginnings of modern conceptions of race and racism through the study of pre-modern times through an external $3.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The vice-chancellor for diversity, equity, and civic engagement at Rutgers-Camden knows from personal experience how essential it is for town and gown to work together.

Process developed by Rutgers to transcribe music to braille for prodigy Yerko Difonis opens door for other musicians with disabilities

While most Rutgers faculty and staff have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic, a group of university employees continued to report to campus to do their jobs. Here are their stories.

A conversation led by Camden native George Hill, a nationally renowned microbiologist and educator, enlightened city residents and Rutgers University‒Camden students, faculty, and staff about COVID-19 vaccines.

When Tom Pisano started making rounds in his wheelchair, he worried his patients would consider him less capable than his Robert Wood Johnson Medical School peers. However, he quickly found it had the opposite effect on patients and put them at ease.

This month Rutgers Today spoke with two women who are leading that charge: Enobong (Anna) Branch, senior vice president for equity at Rutgers University, and Nyeema C. Watson, vice chancellor of diversity, inclusion, and civic engagement at Rutgers University-Camden.