New Brunswick - Educated Quest

2012-13 Edition
Profile:
Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick
Educated Quest.com
Background
1
Introduction to RutgersNew Brunswick
Background
Fast Facts
1. With around 40,000 undergraduate, graduate and
professional students, Rutgers-New Brunswick is one of
the 20 largest public universities in the U.S.
2. Rutgers has consistently appeared among the top 25 public
institutions in U.S. News Best Colleges guide. However the
profile of first-year students is similar to that of public
universities that have historically ranked higher.
3. Rutgers-New Brunswick houses nearly 16,000 students,
more than any university, public or private, in the country.
4. Among the flagship state universities in the Northeast and
MidAtlantic states, only the University of Maryland-College
Park has a more diverse student community.
5. In 2010, according to the National Science Foundation,
Rutgers received nearly $225 million in federal funds for
research and development, more than Princeton and
Brown, among other public and private universities.
6. The nearby medical school of the University of Medicine
and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Cancer Institute of
New Jersey will become a part of Rutgers in July, 2013.
About Rutgers-New Brunswick
Rutgers University-New Brunswick is New Jersey’s flagship public research university. With around 40,000 undergraduate,
graduate and professional students, it is one of the 20 largest
public universities in the United States. Among private universities, only New York University (NYU) has more students.
Located approximately one hour from New York City and 90
minutes from Philadelphia, Rutgers is one of the best-located
public universities in terms of access to cultural and employment opportunities in the country. In addition to the flagship
campus, Rutgers has a research university campus in Newark
in Northern New Jersey and a regional campus in Camden in
Southern New Jersey.
Rutgers has consistently appeared among the top 25 public institutions in the U.S. News Best Colleges guide. For the current
school year, the university ranks in a tie for 25th with Clemson
University (SC) and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities,
same as in 2011.
However the profile of first-year students is similar to that of public universities that have historically ranked higher. The middle
50 percent of Rutgers first-year students post SAT Critical Reading and Math Scores between 1080 and 1310, similar to their
2
peers at the University of Washington, Penn State-University
Park, Purdue and Texas A&M. Rutgers’ first-year student retention rate--92 percent--is the same as Penn State’s and Texas
A&M’s. Rutgers’ retention and graduation rates are higher than
Purdue’s. While Rutgers has performed better than these
higher-ranked schools, the rankings are based in part on selectivity, peer ratings and resources. They do not necessarily reflect what the school does for students. Still, Rutgers ranks
strongly when compared against schools such as the University
of Minnesota, Michigan State and the University of Iowa that
have access to more resources.
Rutgers-New Brunswick is organized similarly to these public
universities. Students have the option to apply directly to any of
six professional schools: Rutgers Business School, the School
of Engineering, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, the
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the College
of Nursing and the Mason Gross School of the Arts or to the
School of Arts and Sciences, the university’s largest undergraduate school.
But while Rutgers academics may be similarly organized, the
university has evolved around five academic and residential
campuses: Busch, the hub for science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) programs; Livingston, which hosts
the business school and will soon host the university’s programs in education and social work; College Avenue, home to
the School of Arts and Sciences, formerly known as Rutgers
College; Douglass, the university’s women’s residential (nonacademic) college as well as the practice and performance facilities of the Mason Gross School of the Arts, and Cook, home
to the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
The Livingston, College Avenue and Douglass campuses were
once home to liberal arts colleges unto themselves, each with
their own set of degree requirements. The Cook Campus, previously called Cook College, continues long-standing programs in
agricultural and environmental programs as well as majors such
as food science. The university has tried to maintain a small college flavor on each campus as well as Busch. Each campus
has its own student center (College Avenue has two, the second focused on commuters) as well as unique living options. Today, Rutgers-New Brunswick houses nearly 16,000 students on
all five campuses, more than any university, public or private, in
the country. And they travel on the largest campus bus system
in the country that is operated by a university.
While the university has made considerable investments in oncampus housing, with immediate plans to construct more on the
College Avenue campus, it also makes a quality education accessible to New Jersey students who must commute. This cannot be taken likely as comparable universities such as Clemson, Penn State and Purdue are in more isolated places. Others such as Minnesota are in large cities, but they offer less3
developed automotive and mass transit access. Located at the
center of a very small state, Rutgers has direct highway connections to New York City and Philadelphia as well as access to
trains to Newark, New York, Princeton and Trenton. Students
can feasibly drive or take the train to classes, but, more important, they have a better opportunity to knock on doors for internships and jobs in these cities while they are still in school. Only
universities located in large cities share this advantage.
Rutgers has also been heralded as one of the nation’s most diverse flagship universities. Today, according to College Results
Online, 18 percent of the student body includes underrepresented minorities. Among Northeast and MidAtlantic flagship state universities, only the University of Maryland-College
Park has a more diverse student body.
designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. This action will increase the number of educational opportunities as well as research dollars to the university.
Interestingly enough, in the U.S. News rankings of public research universities, Rutgers-New Brunswick ranked fifth (tied
with Clemson) among those that did not have a medical school.
While the major goals of improving health and medical education at Rutgers go far beyond achieving a higher published ranking, it would be no surprise to see Rutgers crack the top 20 in
this much-read college guide in the not-too-distant future.
A member of the Association of American Universities since
1989, Rutgers is considered one of the top 61 research universities in the U.S. and Canada. In 2010, according to the National
Science Foundation, Rutgers received nearly $225 million in
federal funds for research and development, more than Michigan State, a much larger state university, as well as Princeton
and Brown, among other schools. Effective July, 2013 the
nearby campus of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey (UMDNJ) will become part of Rutgers-New Brunswick. This includes a medical school as well as the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Garden State’s only federally4
Competition
2
What does it take to get in?
Who decides to go?
What other schools do
applicants consider?
Competition
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers places the most importance on the rigor of the
high school program, grade-point average, class rank
and standardized test scores.
2. A student’s ability to get in depends, in part on the
school s/he chooses.
3. About eight percent of the student body comes from
U.S. states other than New Jersey. Out-of-state and
international students make up a reported 15 percent of
the student body.
Getting Into Rutgers
Rutgers places the most importance on the rigor of the high
school program, grade-point average, class rank and standardized test scores. Auditions for the music and theatre
arts programs are also given high priority. Most other factors, including recommendations, the essay, extracurricular
activities and work experience, are given consideration. Students apply online and self-report their high school transcript. Rutgers has decided not to participate in the Common Application; their process is less paper-intensive than
most, and the more serious students are still likely to apply.
Prospective freshmen may apply to the School of Arts and
Sciences, the largest undergraduate division, the School of
Business, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the School of Engineering, the Mason Gross School
of the Arts, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, and the
College of Nursing. Students interested in the schools of
communications and information, management and labor relations and public policy must first enroll in the School of
Arts and Sciences. Students may apply to multiple schools,
if they wish. Undecided students may choose a school and
declare that they are undecided about about a major. Those
who are undecided between schools, for example a student
6
who is interested in either liberal arts or business, are advised to apply to the School of Arts and Sciences.
About eight percent of the 2011 incoming freshman class
came from states other than New Jersey while around
seven percent were international students. By comparison,
other state universities that compete most directly with Rutgers for in-state and out-of-state students admit between 24
percent (University of Maryland) and 65 percent (University
of Delaware) from outside their home states.
The continued dependence on a “Jersey-centric” population
is surprising, considering that some of the most desirable assets of Rutgers--proximity to New York and Philadelphia,
choice of college settings, specific academic programs-would appeal to students who are not from New Jersey.
are much harder to get into. This past year, for example, the
Mason Gross School of the Arts admitted 20 percent of all
applicants, says Courtney McAnuff, the university’s Vice
President for Enrollment Management. The School of Arts
and Sciences admitted 55 percent. “We publish the midrange requirements for students to be admitted,” McAnuff
says, “so that students do not apply to programs where they
do not have a realistic chance of getting in.” The class entering in the Fall of 2012 will have 200 fewer freshmen. This is
due to improvements in the retention rate. However, the
business school, slated to open a new building in the fall of
2013, will have an additional 150 freshmen, McAnuff adds.
While there is no such thing as a typical Rutgers student, it
is probably safe to say that a combined reading, writing and
mathematics SAT score of 1750 or better plus a grade point
average of 3.5 or better in a strong college-prep program
with demonstrated leadership or extracurricular talents
should be sufficient for an in-state student to gain admission
to the School of Arts and Sciences.
However, several schools within Rutgers, especially performing arts, business, engineering, nursing and pharmacy,
7
Completion
3
Freshman Retention Rate
Graduation Rates
Completion
The Path to a Degree
Fewer than 40 public colleges and universities have retained more than 90 percent of its first-year students, while
graduating at least three quarters within six years. RutgersNew Brunswick is one of these top-performing schools.
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers-New Brunswick is one of a small group
of publicly-supported schools that retain more
than 90 percent of their first-year students while
graduating at least 75 percent within six years.
2. The first-year classes that entered Rutgers-New
Brunswick in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 had a
six-year graduation rate of 77 percent, among the
best performances among state universities in
the country.
3. Rutgers is also one of only 31 public research
universities that has graduated at least half of its
first-year students within four years.
According to the university’s 2011-12 Common Data Set, 91
percent of the first-year students who entered Rutgers in
2010 continued on to their sophomore year. The class that
entered in 2011 had a 92 percent retention rate, according
to the university’s most recent submission to the U.S. News
Best Colleges guide. The retention rate matches that of
Penn State, the University of Texas-Austin and the University of Pittsburgh, all of which ranked higher in the guide. It
is also equal or higher than the retention rates for private
schools that have become popular option for New Jersey
college-bound students including NYU, Case Western, the
University of Miami, Boston University, Tulane, Fordham
and Syracuse.
A higher retention rate is not only a result of attracting better
students; it is also due to better student advising. Like other
leading state universities, Rutgers offers comprehensive
academic advising and tutoring services as well as a writing
9
center. An additional reason for the improved retention rate
over the past two years is that general education requirements have become less confusing and more concise. Experiential learning programs, including cooperative education and credit-bearing internship, have also become more
accessible.
The first-year classes that entered Rutgers-New Brunswick
in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 have had a six-year graduation rate of 77 percent, among the best performances
among state universities in the country. Rutgers is also one
of only 31 public research universities that has graduated at
least half of its first-year students within four years.
In the fall of 2012, U.S. News calculated a Predicted SixYear Graduation Rate of 69 percent for Rutgers; the university beat that by eight points. The magazine has a proprietary formula to calculate the predicted graduation rate
based in part on the socioeconomic characteristics of the
student body. Rutgers has been a national leader in the development of educational opportunity programs for more
than four decades, one of the most important ways that a
flagship state university serves the state. The “plus eight” is
a very positive reflection of the impact of the faculty, residence life and student services on all Rutgers’ students, regardless of their background and past educational experi-
ences. By contrast, the actual and predicted graduation
rates at the University of Maryland-College Park are equal
(82 percent) and the University of Delaware is a plus 5 (73
percent predicted graduation rate, 78 percent actual). Penn
State, however, is a very impressive plus 17 (70 percent predicted graduation rate, 87 percent actual). However, while
Penn State has more student-oriented resources, they
come at a higher price to in-state and out-of-state students
alike.
By virtue of its graduation and acceptance rates, Rutgers
has a place on the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) 50-50 College List
produced by DIY College Rankings, an independent analyst
based in New Haven, Connecticut. The university admits
slightly more than half of its applicants, while it also graduates more than half of its freshmen within five years. Unlike
states such as California, Michigan Pennsylvania and Virginia that offer a larger selection of public options, RutgersNew Brunswick must serve the excellent and the very good.
10
Costs
4
Tuition and Fees
Scholarships
Net Prices
Debt
Costs
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers in-state tuition and fees for 2012-13 will
average just over $13,000.
2. Out-of-state tuition and fees, which run
approximately $27,000, are quite competitive with
those charged by Delaware, Maryland and Penn
State, among other leading state universities as
well as the Big Ten institutions, the University of
Virginia and the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill.
3. Rutgers’ commitments to diversity and education
for students from low-income families date back
over 40 years.
Paying your way
Rutgers in-state tuition and fees for 2012-13 will average
$13,073; they will be slightly higher for business, engineering and pharmacy students. Out-of-state tuition and
fees, which run approximately $27,000, are quite competitive with those charged by Delaware, Maryland and
Penn State, among other leading state universities as
well as the Big Ten institutions, the University of Virginia
and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Students who earn Presidential Scholarships, which are
essentially a free ride, as well as Scarlet Scholars, who
receive a combination of merit-based and need-based
assistance, will find Rutgers quite worthwhile. So is the
James Dickson Carr Scholarship, worth $10,000 a year.
The university has also launched a Trustee Scholarship
program; applicants for the 2013-14 academic year will
be the first considered.
Presidential Scholarships are merit-based, targeted to
students who have a combined score of at least 2250 on
all three sections of the SAT: Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing--this is an average score of 750 per
section--include full tuition and fees plus a stipend that is
intended to cover the total costs of commuting or room
and board.
12
While students who typically have the academic records
and test scores to earn a Presidential Scholarship also
have the credentials to gain admission to other exceptionally selective schools, a scholarship that is more like
a fellowship, nearly a free education, is a tempting opportunity.
These scholarships are awarded through the individual
colleges within Rutgers, so the required grades and test
scores among recipients may vary.
The number
awarded, however, has increased from 20 in 2006 to 115
for the upcoming academic year. This, says Courtney
McAnuff, the university’s Vice President for Enrollment
Management, is because the university has attracted
more, in terms of numbers, students who qualify academically.
Scarlet Scholarships are awarded to students with a
combined score of 1950--this is an average of 650 per
section--and range between $3,500 and $7,500. Sadly,
Rutgers does not offer merit-based scholarship aid to students who score lower on the standardized exams.
Within New Jersey other state-supported schools, including Montclair State University, Ramapo College of New
Jersey, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Rowan
University and privately-supported Seton Hall University
have taken aggressive steps to award generous scholarships to students who come close, but do not need to
reach such high marks on the tests. They are, no doubt,
pursuing the “bread and butter” Rutgers student.
However, adds Courtney McAnuff, the university sets fair
expectations for its scholarship recipients. The Presidential Scholarships require students to maintain a gradepoint-average of 3.2 or better to be renewed; for Scarlet
Scholars the requirement is a 3.0. Other schools, McAnuff says, ask the student to maintain a 3.5 or better;
such schools do not expect their students to retain those
scholarships.
It is also fair to note that New Jersey residents who apply to Rutgers while also considering flagship schools in
other states would find their state university to be more
of a “least cost” option. Penn State-University Park and
the University of Delaware, the two most popular public
out-of-state schools with New Jersey residents, according to a higher education task force appointed by Governor Chris Christie in 2010, do not offer the same meritbased aid programs that are offered by the New Jersey
schools listed above. Both charged out-of-state students
in excess of $27,000 in tuition and fees. Other flagship
schools such as the University of Virginia, the College of
William and Mary and the University of Michigan would
have charged in excess of $40,000, provided our model
student could get in.
13
But West Virginia University (WVU), the fourth most
popular state school, according to a Chris Christie’s task
force, is aggressive with merit awards. WVU would have
awarded our “model” student a $6,000 merit scholarship,
reducing her out-of-state tuition and fees to under
$12,000, or less than she would pay to go to Rutgers as
an in-state student. Binghamton University (NY), an excellent state school that draws 15 percent of its student
body from other states, including New Jersey, will
charge out-of-state students less than $17,000 in 201213. Stony Brook, a sister New York state school, will be
quite competitive, too.
Another cost consideration for New Jersey residents as
well as out-of-state students is sticker price versus Average Net Price, the estimated total costs for tuition, room
and board, books, transportation and other incidentals
less scholarships and grants that do not need to be repaid.
net prices for the public schools are for in-state students
only. It can be seen from this table that:
• Some public institutions, most notably Montclair State
University and Rowan University are willing to offer
scholarships to make their schools more affordable to
students are also likely to consider Rutgers-New
Brunswick.
• The Ivy League institutions, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania are likely to reduce their charges to families earning $110,000 or less
who are also considering Rutgers, but not they are not
necessarily likely to offer the same benefit to families
earning more.
• While the publicly-supported and highly competitive
College of New Jersey is not a research university like
Rutgers, it is willing be cost-competitive to attract the
New Jersey students it wants.
Prospective students who apply to Rutgers from New
Jersey and other states also consider several private
schools, some of which have generous scholarship assistance, as well as the public institutions as shown on
the right. The data comes from College Navigator, the
site operated by the U.S. Department of Education. The
14
School
Average Net Price 2010-11
Household Income $75,000 to
$110,000
Average Net Price 2010-11
Household Income $110,000 or
more
Rutgers University-New
Brunswick
$24,246
$25,326
Montclair State University
$20,946
$20,932
The College of New Jersey
$23,722
$25,061
Ramapo College of New Jersey
$23,480
$25,471
Rowan University
$20,378
$20,388
Richard Stockton College of New
Jersey
$25,501
$25,294
Princeton University
$18,465
$28,098
New York University
$40,148
$46,306
Syracuse University
$28,235
$39,590
Cornell University
$22,439
$39,459
Columbia University
$15,887
$36,846
University of Pennsylvania
$20,582
$37,344
Villanova University
$30,672
$41,862
Drexel University
$34,763
$37,822
Lehigh University
$23,583
$40,134
Bucknell University
$30,168
$42,793
Boston University
$31,771
$41.890
Northeastern University
$30,668
$37,493
George Washington University
$26,141
$35,236
Georgetown University
$25,045
$41,277
Another way to consider costs is to look at the debt-tocredentials ratio. Developed by Education Sector, a nonpartisan, non-profit educational policy organization
based in Washington D.C., this ratio reflects the average
level of debt that students need to take on to complete
their degrees. The higher the graduation rate, the lower
the school’s costs or the more generous the scholarship
aid, the lower the ratio will be.
On the next page are the debt-to-credentials ratios for
the 2008-09 school year for Rutgers and the schools
mentioned before. It can be seen that the College of
New Jersey (TCNJ) student is less likely to carry as
much debt as Rutgers student because of the school’s
higher four-year and six-year graduation rates. However,
it is also fair to mention that students who fall in the upper quarter of the class at TCNJ are also likely to qualify
as Scarlet Scholars to Rutgers, which would lower their
costs, and hopefully their debt, much further. Students
who accept a Presidential Scholarship, which is more
like a fellowship because of the room and board or commuting allowance, are even less likely to incur debts.
15
School
Debt-to-Credentials Ratio
2009
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
$17,675
The College of New Jersey
$14,600
Ramapo College of New Jersey
$19,757
Rowan University
$21,756
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
$18,531
Montclair State University
$22,517
Princeton University
$1,969
New York University
$27,682
Syracuse University
$25,705
Cornell University
$9,766
Columbia University
$15,177
University of Pennsylvania
$11,458
Villanova University
$18,030
Drexel University
$28,000
Lehigh University
$15,231
Bucknell University
$18,639
Boston University
$18,483
Northeastern University
$27,483
George Washington University
$13,910
Georgetown University
$13,948
However, while merit scholarships are limited, ten percent of Rutgers students receive assistance through the
state-supported Educational Opportunity Fund, which is
targeted to promising students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Rutgers has made serious commitments to support these students that date back more
than four decades. But Rutgers students are also more
vulnerable to cuts in federal and state aid than students
who attend many other leading state universities. More
than twenty five percent of the undergraduate students
are eligible for the federal Pell Grant, quite high for a
leading state school.
The university also launched a Future Scholars Program
to provide college preparatory instruction, mentoring and
internships, starting with seventh graders. This program,
funded with an initial $2 million grant, then supplemented by corporate contributions, has admitted nearly
800 New Brunswick area students since its inception six
years ago. The oldest class in the New Brunswick area
are currently high school seniors. Those who successfully qualify for admission will receive full scholarships to
Rutgers.
However, limited institutional resources, along with New
Jersey’s debt crisis, have been a large part of Rutgers
fiscal problems. Rutgers’ endowment at the close of
2010-11 was, according to the National Association of
16
College and University Business Officers, approximately
$698 million, seventh lowest among U.S. News’ top 25
public universities, ahead of only the College of William
and Mary, the University of California-San Diego, the University of California-Irvine, Clemson and the University
of Connecticut. In addition, the endowment covers all
three of the university campuses in Camden, Newark
and New Brunswick, while the other schools may build
up the endowment of a single campus. This is significant, as leading colleges and universities tap into their
endowments to make up for losses in financial assistance from other public and private sources. If the market value of the endowment declines, budget cuts and
tuition and fee increases are also likely to follow; the
availability of funds from the unsecured portion of the endowment goes down.
Entering his last year as president of the university, Rich-
ard McCormick, son of a former Rutgers dean, and a former president of the University of Washington, began a
seven-year $1 billion capital campaign to improve facilities, increase the number of scholarships and hire new
faculty. Ten percent of this amount is dedicated to athletics. President McCormick’s administrative team and active alumni have raised more than $600 million of the
goal within just two years.
The success of this campaign should be reflected in a
larger endowment for 2012 as the new pledges go on
the books. An increase in scholarship aid may either increase the number of students that the university can assist through their own funds, lower the average net price
per student, or possibly both. This campaign is likely to
continue to succeed under McCormick’s successor, Dr.
Robert Barchi. Formerly President of Thomas Jefferson
University in Philadelphia as well as the former chief academic officer at the University of Pennsylvania, Barchi
has made corporate relations and business-university research partnerships a high priority for the start of his
presidency.
Former president McCormick was also one of New Jersey’s leading advocates for a $750 million higher education bond issue; bond proceeds would be used to finance capital improvements not only at Rutgers, but
also at several other state colleges. The bond issue is
on the ballot for the November 2012 elections.
The Sustainable University, a Web site operated by Bain
and Co., an internationally known management consulting firm reports that Rutgers is “fiscally sound based on
available data.”
17
Comforts
5
On-Campus Housing
Local Housing Market
Comforts
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers is one of the few flagship state universities that
can house more than half of its undergraduate student
body.
2. The university opened a $215 million, 1,500 bed student
apartment complex on the Livingston campus this fall.
3. Rutgers offers 35 special interest living options across all
five campuses.
4. The university recently announced plans to build a new
honors residence hall on the College Avenue Campus, as
part of a $295 million mixed use development
5. This, and a planned 800 bed residence complex will add
another 1,300 beds to the on-campus housing mix.
Settling In
Once a weakness that led many students to leave, housing has become one of the strengths of Rutgers-New
Brunswick. This is one of the few large public research
universities that is capable of housing more than half of
its students in on-campus residence halls and apartments. Students can live within walking distance of a
cow pasture on the Cook campus or hop a train ride to
New York City if they’re living on College Avenue. Housing lotteries and hotel room assignments, once a bane
of student life at Rutgers, are history. However, residence hall room and board charges average more than
$11,000 per year, extremely high for a state university.
Unlike many large universities, students have enough options to enable them to live on campus for all four years.
Peer schools such as Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, among others, do not accommodate most students beyond their freshman year. Upper-class students
have more access to on-campus apartments on ninemonth contracts than they would have at similar schools;
they do not need to worry about finding sub-tenants dur19
ing the summer months. Continuing students also face
less pressure from local realtors to sign apartment
leases as much as a year in advance, a common practice in college towns where the university does not offer
many housing options beyond the freshman year.
Accepted students may choose up to five housing options. Advance preparation to learn the likely locations of
their classes and ride the campus bus routes is strongly
advised. Rutgers also hosts two-day orientation events
where students may meet and choose roommates before they apply for housing. Students may choose new
roommates after two weeks, though the change request
may not be prejudicial.
First-year students, regardless of campus of residence,
live in traditional corridor-style buildings, usually co-ed
by wing or floor, though single-sex living options for
women are offered on Douglass and Busch. Corridorstyle living allows students to meet more people, though
it means there are more students to share a bathroom.
Suite-style arrangements, where bathrooms are shared
among small groups, are available to sophomores and
other continuing students.
Rutgers also offers 35 special interest living options, including living-learning communities, across all five campuses. This is one school where a visit will need to be a
two-step process. The first trip should be a bus tour
through all of the campus communities. The second
should be a walking tour through the communities where
a student is most likely to have their classes. The visit
will be much like a trip to see several colleges, only
these campuses are part of the same university.
All residence halls are wired for cable television and
more than half have set up for wireless Internet. Microfridges, a combination microwave oven and refrigerator,
come standard. All students are allowed to have cars, a
rare privilege at a state university, though they must use
the campus bus system to retrieve them from designated parking lots.
The Douglass campus offers housing strictly for women
that accommodates 1,800 students, 1,200 of whom live
20
in a residential college setting. This is a special advantage for Rutgers over other universities, because it appeals to female students who come from more conservative family backgrounds. Co-ed room arrangements
have been introduced as well.
Honors housing options are available on all campuses,
as are living-learning communities which have a residential component along with academic credits. Among the
stand-outs you are not likely to find on other college campuses is a Weather-Watcher community on the Cook
campus which offers students interested in meteorology
or science journalism the opportunity to produce the
daily weather forecast and longer science programming
for the university’s television station. Also unique, two
other learning communities are focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics education for
women. The Bunting-Cobb community at Douglass is
connected to a one-credit career exploration course,
while the Rosalind Franklin House on the Busch campus, where students admitted by invitation, is connected
to a calculus course as well as a one-credit First-Year Interest course. Rutgers also hosts the only Middle East
Coexistence house on a college campus in the country
as a living-learning community. The house fosters dialogue between Jews, Muslims and members of other
faiths about Middle East culture and politics.
The oldest housing is located on the College Avenue
and Douglass Campuses. Some of these buildings,
most notably the Old Gibbons houses on the Douglass
Campus and Demarest Hall on the College Avenue Campus, have the charm that is often associated with small
prestigious liberal arts schools. New Gibbons at Douglass and the Bishop Quad on College Avenue are
also popular choices along with modern suites adjacent
to the student center on the Busch Campus. However,
there are also taller brick and chrome buildings, the Lippincott and Katzenbach residence halls on the Douglass
campus and the River Residence Halls on College Avenue, that are less attractive brick and chrome 1960s designs.
Three of the older residence halls on the College Avenue campus: Pell, Leupp, Wessells and Hegeman will
21
be taken closed during the 2012-13 school year to be
brought up to code. The River Residence Halls, three
high-rise structures along the Raritan River waterfront,
were renovated last year, including large first-floor study
lounges with river views. An additional 1,300 beds are
planned for this campus by 2015, with one building
planned for Honors housing.
While the College Avenue campus offers the most direct
access to downtown New Brunswick, its dining hall,
Brower Commons, is of a long-outdated design. The dining hall’s two food stations are tied to inclines meant to
handle long lines. Dining hall operations have multiple
food stations, a popular trend on college campuses
across the country. Students who live on College Avenue are likely to be tempted to use the “flex” balance of
their meal card to eat at the food court or the Au Bon
Pain in the student center and skip dining hall meals.
With the exception of football weekends, the Busch campus is quieter than either College Avenue or Douglass,
though it hosts more than 3,500 students. The BEST (Biology, Engineering, Science, Technology) complex
opened last year including work room spaces with computers loaded with the necessary software for all science
courses. The campus is expansive; any walk to anything, including classes, the student center, dining hall
and the main library is longer from the residence halls
than it is on any other campus. The Busch campus could
be more bicycle friendly. There are no bike paths along
the major roads between buildings, though bike racks
are available outside classroom buildings, labs, the library and the student center.
The Livingston Campus has a 19th century residential
college layout that uses 1960s building designs featuring
brick concrete buildings and walkways, and little of the
greenery that one might see on a colonial campus. The
original residence halls were organized into three lowrise quads, a similar to the more popular residence halls
on the College Avenue Campus. The Livingston campus
was also designed so that residence halls, including a
pair of residential towers constructed in the late seventies, and academic buildings were all within walking distance. Livingston students can walk to all but the athletic
center, the health center and the gym without crossing a
22
road.The 1,500-bed recently-opened apartment complex
will also feature retail stores, a 24-hour diner and a
movie theatre. This campus will become a much larger
social center than it is now, and one that Rutgers police
can more easily secure. The apartments themselves are
suite-style designs; some offer students the opportunity
to have their own bedrooms. Amenities in these apartments include stainless steel kitchens a dishwashers,
eat-in counter with stools, individually controlled air conditioning and heating and engineered wood flooring. All
of these conveniences come at a price. Nine-month contracts run between $8,650 and $9,000, excluding any
meal plan. 12-month contracts are also available.
lated people can live in an apartment, whether it is in an
apartment building or a single floor of a house. Within
the city, a popular off-campus housing option is older—
pre- World War II homes closer to the College Avenue
and Douglass Campuses that vary tremendously in quality. Homes that are located more than a ten-minute walk
from the College Avenue Campus as well as those bordering the Douglass and Cook Campuses should be
avoided.
Off-campus rents in New Brunswick as well as neighboring East Brunswick, Piscataway and Highland Park are
high for a college community, ranging from $1,200 to
$1,800 per month for a two-bedroom apartment. The
higher priced units can accommodate as many as four
students, the lower priced ones cannot.
The City of New Brunswick aggressively enforces an ordinance that mandates that no more than three unre23
Community
6
Campus
Environs
School Spirit
Community
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers is more heavily reliant on a campus bus
network than most other large state universities.
2. The campus is divided by a river, two state highways
and an urban downtown business center; few university
campuses are so spread out.
3. The College Avenue campus has been the traditional
social center, though that may be supplanted by the
Livingston campus once new apartments come on-line
this fall.
4. While Rutgers is not a “sports school” like Michigan,
Ohio State or Penn State, students do turn out to
support winning teams.
What’s On and Around Campus
As a result of having multiple campuses and student centers, Rutgers-New Brunswick has a vast selection of student events as well as programs open to the public. However, the College Avenue Campus fills the role of social
center. It is close to Easton Avenue, the most studentoriented street in downtown New Brunswick, and the fraternities which are scattered mainly between College
Avenue and Union Street, a block away from the major
campus buildings. College Avenue is the smallest of the
five campuses, so it is also the most congested. Downtown parking is very scarce when Thursday night and
weekend parties hit full steam. As new amenities are
completed on the Livingston campus, including a movie
theater and a 24-hour diner, more social activity will be
directed there.
The Rutgers-New Brunswick community is heavily reliant on buses because the campuses are divided by a
river (the Raritan), two state highways (Routes 18 and
27) and an urban downtown business center (George
Street in New Brunswick). Only one of these crossings is
25
wide: the John Lynch Bridge that crosses the Raritan between the College Avenue campus and the Busch and
Livingston Campuses. The rest are one or two lane
roads that become extremely congested at morning rush
hour (between 7:30 and 9:00 AM) and the evening rush
hour (between 4:30 and 6:30 PM). that helps to reduce
overcrowding at the bus stops at the end of classes.
Rutgers students learn to avoid first and last period
courses away from the campus where they live. The divisions between campuses and the dependency on buses
force Rutgers students into one of two mindsets: live
close to classes and work and return home in between,
or think like commuters to a big city: spend the entire
day at classes and work and return home only at the
end of the day to sleep and socialize. Night classes are
also a popular option; travel home from those is less
crowded. It is very difficult to split a day between two or
more campuses. The university also provides students
access to a free downloadable app that enables to track
the arrival and departure times of campus buses, a huge
convenience.
The bus system and the separations between the campus communities make Rutgers appear to be a larger
university than it really is. While, for example, Rutgers
has 16,000 fewer students than Ohio State, the nation’s
third-largest university, the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus is larger by more than 800 acres (2,700 versus
1,800). It would be very easy for new students to feel
lost at Rutgers unless they take advantage of the varied
opportunities to join clubs or become part of special interest communities. The university hosts Involvement Fairs
to help students find the groups that best fit them.
Because Rutgers has student centers on all five campus
communities, all with their own programming, there is no
shortage of activities. The university is large enough and
so well located that it can draw in any entertainer or
speaker from the major markets in the Northeast and
Mid Atlantic states. The university’s Louis Brown Athletic
Center, located on the Livingston campus, is too small
and too dedicated to sports to attract concerts. However,
New York’s Madison Square Garden and Newark’s Prudential Center are less than a one-hour train ride from
campus. Philadelphia is an hour and half from campus.
26
Princeton is about 45 minutes away by either bus or
train. The university’s new book store, operated by Barnes and Noble is adjacent to a walkway to New Jersey
Transit’s New Brunswick train state. Another transportation convenience: an arrival and departure board is located in the book store cafe.
Rutgers is not a “sports” school along the lines of those
that have played regularly for national titles in basketball
or football, but students and alumni will turn out in large
numbers for winning teams. The university hosted the
very first college football game, besting Princeton by a
score of 6-4 (scores counted for one point) in 1869.
While Rutgers had undefeated seasons and nationally
ranked teams in 1961 and 1976, the football team did
not play in a bowl game until 1978, a 35-18 loss to Arizona State in the Garden State Bowl at the New Jersey
Meadowlands. Rutgers did not play in another bowl
game until 2005, when it was invited to play in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix, ironically against Arizona State.
Under former coach Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights
played in six bowl games over the past seven seasons,
winning five. Now head coach of the NFL’s Tampa Bay
Buccaneers, Schiano was not only the head coach, but
also the chief fundraiser for his football program. As the
team’s fortunes improved, stadium capacity increased
from 41,000 to more than 52,500 seats, in addition to luxury boxes and improved recruitment and fitness facilities. During his last seven seasons as coach his teams
never ranked below the top five in the NCAA Academic
Performance Ratings. Schiano has been succeeded by
Kyle Flood, an assistant for the past seven seasons.
Coach Flood inherited a squad that has the talent to win
a conference title in his first season.
Rutgers has also enjoyed success in women’s basketball. Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer has taken her
team to 11 NCAA tournament berths in 14 seasons, including two appearances in the Final Four. Stringer, who
had previously taken Cheney University (PA) and the
University of Iowa to the finals, was nationally lauded for
standing by her team in the wake of racist comments by
radio “shock-jock” Don Imus following the national championship game in 2008.
27
The Rutgers community, however, will shy away from losing teams. There is none of the “never say die” spirit that
one would find at a Big 10 or Southeastern Conference
football or basketball power. For example, in 2010, coming off a 4-8 season, the football program had to struggle
to fill seats the following year, which turned out to be a
winning 9-4 campaign culminating in a 27-13 victory
over Iowa State in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York’s Yankee Stadium. That game drew less than 40,000 fans. It
could have drawn more from the Rutgers community,
considering that the campus is accessible to New York
by train and the game took place during a week that students had no exams. Attendance questions may prevent
Rutgers from moving to a higher-profile sports conference for years to come. While the quality of play of the
football team improved dramatically under Greg Schiano, the women’s basketball program remains competitive under Stringer, and the men’s basketball team has
made progress under Mike Rice, Rutgers faces competition for the students’ entertainment dollar from New York
and Philadelphia professional teams. This is a common
occurrence at schools in NFL cities (Minnesota, Pitts-
burgh, South Florida and Temple being good examples)
that have not put consistent winners on the football field.
In 2010, students contributed $8 million to intercollegiate
sports through their campus fee; the university added
$13 million. While these subsidies have served as an interim step to finance a 22- sport varsity athletic program,
they have also generated resentment from the faculty union leadership and angry remarks through the New Jersey press. A counter-argument is that the revenue
sports help to cover the costs of the facilities, equipment
and medical resources that are also used by athletes
who play non-revenue sports. Without football and
men’s basketball providing revenues, more of the costs
of the non-revenue sports might be covered out of donations and student fees. The contribution from student
fees was reduced by $1 million for the 2012-13 school
year. President Barchi has made public statements that
he will try to bring the contribution from student fees
down to zero. Currently, the university charges students
no fees for tickets to sports events, though football and
men’s basketball tickets are made available on a firstcome, first-served basis. Other schools ask students to
28
become part of a campus spirit group; they must attend
non-revenue sports events to receive priority consideration for football or basketball tickets.
Rutgers sponsors four fall events: Convocation, to welcome the incoming first-year class, Parents-Family
Weekend, Homecoming and Octoberfest. All of these
events are associated around home football games,
though there are many activities planned outside of the
game. However, after 39 years, Rutgers has cancelled
its spring festival, Rutgersfest. In 2011, effective social
media brought over 40,000 people to the event. There
was an overflow of non-students, including underage
high school students, onto Easton Avenue, the major
college-oriented retail strip near the College Avenue
Campus. The overflow, as well as two off-campus shootings, neither on the campus itself nor involving Rutgers
students, led President McCormick to cancel future Rutgersfests. But the annual Rutgers Day, open to the public, includes the well-attended Ag Field Day on the Cook
campus, as well as the New Jersey Folk Festival, takes
place in late April. Each school within Rutgers also sponsors a spring Convocation for their graduating students.
Each year Rutgers-New Brunswick students plan and
manage Dance Marathon, the largest student-directed
philanthropic event in New Jersey. Over 700 students
pledge to raise funds beginning in October, expecting to
to dance in a 32-hour event in April to benefit the Embrace Kids Foundation.The foundation helps young children and their families dealing with pediatric cancer or
blood disorders. Hundreds of students also volunteer to
help with the many operational areas of the event, including entertainment.
The university community comes together at times when
compassion or activism is required. In October 2010,
nearly 1,000 students gathered in a candlelight vigil for
Tyler Clementi, a gay student who committed suicide after his sexual encounter with another man was secretly
viewed by others. At the end of the same month, the
campus held a rally for Eric LeGrand, a football player
who became paralyzed from the neck down after making
a tackle on a kick-off against Army. Led in part by former
head football coach Greg Schiano, the university community has organized many fundraisers to help LeGrand,
who is making a faster-than-expected recovery from his
29
injuries. This past spring Schiano arranged for LeGrand
to be offered a NFL contract with his new team, the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. LeGrand has also established
a foundation, helped broadcast football games, and written a book titled Believe, while he completes his studies.
His return to campus to lead his teammates out onto the
field the following season on a snowy day against West
Virginia was voted Moment of the Year for 2011 by readers of Sports Illustrated.
Rutgers has addressed campus crimes in part by building its public safety building in downtown New Brunswick, close to the Douglass Campus. The building’s visibility, combined with a 24/7 Security Escort Program and
a 100-student equestrian and bicycle Community Officer
Program have helped to improve the perception of
safety. The department also runs late-night shuttle bus
programs. The Public Safety Department posts three
crime reports on its website: two mandated by the federal Clery Act of 1998; the other, an internal affairs report, is posted by the department. The reported numbers of property, alcohol and drug-related crimes have
unfortunately been on an upswing, according to the
school’s Clery Report for 2006 through 2009. The report
also mentioned 13 reported forcible and non-forcible sex
offenses during 2009, though there had been eight total
over the previous two years.
The City of New Brunswick, which includes the College
Avenue, Douglass and Cook campuses also witnessed
an upturn in violent crimes, including rapes, strong-arm
robberies and aggravated assaults during 2008 and
2009. They have enforcement powers over students
who share large homes immediately off-campus by College Avenue, Cook and Douglass. The university police
and the local police forces for the six communities that
surround the campus investigate crimes together and
post daily crime alert reports on the Rutgers Public
Safety website.
As the university and community have worked to better
coordinate public safety, the city of New Brunswick has
continued on a revitalization plan that brought more university facilities downtown. Eating and drinking places
along nearby George Street, the business center of
30
downtown New Brunswick, cater more toward the daytime office workers—downtown New Brunswick is the
headquarters for Johnson and Johnson as well as a
county seat—until it meets up with Livingston Avenue
where there is a Rutgers student apartment complex
(Rockoff) close by as well as three off-Broadway theaters, two affiliated with the university, which host student
and professional productions. The theaters have successfully brought evening crowds into the downtown as
well as providing performance, employment and internship opportunities for Rutgers students. In 1999, one
theatre, the Crossroads, received a Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the African-American stage. Adjacent to the theaters are the visual arts programs of the
university’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and the
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
opportunities are also limited along Easton Avenue,
though student-oriented eating and drinking places are
as abundant as they are in any other college town. Stuff
Yer Face, a longstanding pizza and stromboli restaurant
on Easton Avenue, is noted as the place where Iron
Chef Mario Batali (Rutgers Class of 1982) got his start in
a kitchen. Princeton-based Thomas Sweet, a candy and
ice cream shop, opened its second location on Easton
Avenue in 1983. It has been a fixture ever since.
While the theatre district has brought in more night life,
there are still pockets of discount-oriented shopping on
George Street mixed between high-end restaurants and
luxury apartments, as well as retail vacancies. There are
student-oriented restaurants on George Street, but there
is little to no student-oriented retail shopping. Shopping
31
Curriculum
7
Academics
Honors Programs
Experiential Learning
Curriculum
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers is one of only 61 U.S. and Canadian
institutions that is a member of the researchoriented Association of American Universities.
2. The Aresty Center for Undergraduate Research
exposes students to research opportunities, even
in the freshman year.
3. Students do not need to be enrolled in an honors
program to do research with the faculty.
4. About half of all freshmen take Byrne Seminars,
one-credit pass-fail courses that enable students
to take a course with a senior faculty member
over a period of ten weeks.
Academic Opportunities and Options
Despite having more limited financial resources than peer
universities, Rutgers has earned its fair share of high academic rankings. Rutgers is also one of only 61 U.S. and Canadian institutions that is a member of the researchoriented Association of American Universities; the university
was elected to this prestigious association in 1989. The
most popular majors among undergraduate students include Psychology, Communications, Biological Sciences,
Economics and Political Science.
Rutgers-New Brunswick offers its freshmen the option to
take Byrne Seminars, one-credit pass-fail courses that enable students to take a course with a senior faculty member
over a period of ten weeks. Currently half of all freshmen
take Byrne Seminars, says Barry Qualls, the university’s
Vice President for Undergraduate Education. Credit-bearing
Signature Courses, also small clases planned around special topics, go an extra step further. Not only do they run a
full-semester and carry traditional grades; they may also be
used to fulfill major or Core Curriculum requirements. These
courses cover such topics as “Energy and Climate
33
Change”, “The Ethics of Food Choices and Food Policy,”
and “Global East Asia.”
Students in the School of Arts and Sciences, which enrolls
approximately two-thirds of the undergraduate student
body, must complete a Core Curriculum comprised around
three areas: 21st Century Challenges, Areas of Inquiry and
Cognitive Skills and Processes. The Signature Courses,
which are multi-disciplinary, combining, for example, perspectives of a problem from the standpoint of science and
social science, can be used toward fulfilling two courses under 21st Century Challenges. More than three dozen Signature courses are available. They can be used to fulfill requirements in the other areas as well.
The Areas of Inquiry covers the breath more commonly
found in a liberal arts education including natural sciences
(two courses for six credits), Social and Historical Analysis
(two courses for six credits) and Arts and Humanities (two
courses for six credits). Cognitive Skills and Processes
cover Writing and Communication (three courses for nine
credits), Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (two courses
for six credits) and Information Technology and Research
(one course for three credits).
While the 39 credits required under the Core Curriculum are
not especially cumbersome, it is a good idea to use one or
two of the Signature Courses to fulfill as many as three requirements. While these courses are likely to be more demanding than a more traditional introductory course, they
also provide better preparation for advanced courses in a
major or minor. While there may be academic debate about
the value of a “customized” course for non-majors, especially in mathematics or the sciences, versus a traditional
lecture and laboratory approach supported by out-of-class
tutorials, an effort to relate these subjects to other fields of
interest or current events helps non-majors to become better educated citizens. It also contributes to higher graduation and retention rates.
Rutgers does more than most schools to encourage students to seek honors-level instruction, even if they are not
first admitted to the University Honors program. Funded
with a $4 million gift eight years ago, the Aresty Center for
Undergraduate Research exposes students to research opportunities, even in the freshman year. Students who have
completed their first year may apply to a Summer Science
Research Program where they are matched with a faculty
member who serves as their academic and professional
mentor. Each student also receives a $3,000 stipend as well
34
as on-campus housing. Sophomores and juniors may participate in the Aresty Research Assistant Program, where they
may also develop mentor relationships. Juniors and seniors
may seek funding for their own research projects and participate in an Undergraduate Research Symposium.There are
also other opportunities to conduct research with faculty
members working in collaborative groups or as independent
scholars. There opportunities are not limited to students by
major or grade-point-average.
Rutgers-New Brunswick also offers more than 60 programs
for those who wish to study abroad as well as a partnership
with the United Nations Department of Public Information
that focuses on diplomacy and foreign affairs. There are
also numerous internship and cooperative education opportunities. As a complement to these offerings, the university
is developing a one-credit pass-fail seminar taught by Career Services professionals as well as faculty members.
65 percent of the more than 3,700 faculty members at Rutgers are full time. Nearly all (99 percent) faculty members,
full time and part time, hold a doctorate. The university calculates its student-faculty ratio of 13.6 to 1 based on the total number of undergraduate and graduate students
(38,700) and the number of full-time faculty plus one-third
the number of part-time faculty. This is lower than most
state schools on the East Coast, with the except of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill which is about the
same.
Rutgers students gave their faculty a rating of 3.71 out of 5
on RateMyProfessors.com, a leading faculty review site. By
comparison, among New Jersey schools, TCNJ students a
3.71, Montclair State students a 3.78, Ramapo students a
3.62, Rowan students a 3.69 and Richard Stockton students a 3.78. These rankings show that competing institutions within the Garden State have made commitments towards a high-quality faculty, partly in the hope of attracting
better students. However, those considering schools more
similar to Rutgers, flagship universities where faculty are
asked to make a greater time commitment to scholarship
and research, should look at teacher ratings at more similar
schools.
Rutgers-New Brunswick students had about the same regard for their faculty as students at the University of Delaware (3.72) and Penn State-University Park (3.70) and held
them in higher regard than the students at the University of
Maryland-College Park (3.61) did for their teachers. They
also had about the regard for their faculty as NYU (3.71)
35
and Boston University (3.70) had for theirs’ and held them
in higher regard than students at George Washington University (3.64), Northeastern University (3.55) and Syracuse
University (3.63). All of these public and private universities
are popular choices among New Jersey’s college-bound
first-year students. The ratings help to show that these students do not always get a better education when they
spend more money.
Just under 13 percent of STEM degrees at Rutgers-New
Brunswick were awarded to underrepresented minorities,
same as the University of Maryland-College Park, but considerably higher than either Penn State or Delaware.
While Rutgers offers numerous and exciting academic opportunities, it should also be noted that many first-year
classes are of the traditional lecture-recitation format where
graduate students conduct small group sessions following a
professor’s presentation. Complaints about the English language skills of graduate assistants at Rutgers-New Brunswick, especially in the STEM subjects (science,technology,
engineering and mathematics) are commonplace on student review sites such as Campus Discovery, Unigo, College Prowler and Students Review. However, according to
College Results Online, a site operated by the Education
Trust, a non-partisan, non-profit education policy organization, about a quarter of the undergraduate degrees at
Rutgers-New Brunswick in the Class of 2010 were granted
in the STEM subjects, about the same percentage as the
graduating classes at Delaware, Maryland and Penn State.
36
Connections
8
Alumni Relations
Career Services
Connections
Fast Facts
1. Rutgers has more than 405,000 living alumni, the seventhlargest alumni base in the country.
2. In 2011-12, the Career Services staff met with nearly 12,000
unique student visitors in over 62,000 appointments.
3. Fifty-five percent of recent graduates work in New Jersey
while an additional 10 percent work in New York City.
4. A September, 2010 survey of college recruiters conducted
by the Wall Street Journal ranked Rutgers 21st among all
large universities, public or private, and fifth among
Eastern universities.
5. Alumni association members have access to an extensive
benefits program, including more than 50,000 discounts
that may be obtained just by presenting a member card.
A Network for Life
The career-related programs and services at Rutgers
are typical what students would find at universities that
charge more than twice the tuition. It also helps that the
campus is within a 45-minute train ride from New York
City, one of the largest job markets in the country, and is
approximately an hour and a half from Philadelphia.
New Jersey is also known as the “medicine chest” of the
nation; pharmaceuticals and health care are two of the
leading industries in the Garden State.
Rutgers’ Career Services center maintains offices on the
College Avenue and Busch Campuses. Counseling services are available at both offices, while on-campus interviewing is conducted at Busch. In 2011-12, the Career
Services staff met with nearly 12,000 unique student visitors in over 62,000 appointments.
The career services operation serves all students in all
majors while comparable universities such as Ohio State
and Wisconsin allocate career services by school. The
38
Rutgers-New Brunswick approach helps to ensure that
students in the liberal arts receive as much attention as
those enrolled in the pre-professional degree programs.
This is necessary at Rutgers because the School of Arts
and Sciences includes around 20,000 of the university’s
estimated 30,000 undergraduates.
Rutgers hosts 11 on-campus job fairs and participates in
an online event with the other Big East schools. Two oncampus events are the January and May New Jersey
Collegiate Career Days, which are open to all New Jersey residents, including students and alumni who attend
or graduated from out-of-state schools. As many as 180
employers participate in these events.
The Career Services team also hosts a graduate and
professional school fair. The Rutgers Athletic Department also offers a career development event for studentathletes, who, due to their training and practice commitments, do not always have time to attend the other
events. 180 companies recruited on campus during the
2011-12 school year, up from 130 the year before.
A September 2010 survey of college recruiters conducted by the Wall Street Journal ranked Rutgers 21st
among all large universities, public or private, and fifth
among Eastern universities behind Penn State, Maryland, Carnegie Mellon and Cornell. The survey also
ranked Rutgers third as a source for business and economics majors, higher than New York University or the
University of Pennsylvania, both of which have been perceived to have more prestigious business programs.
The results of this survey have value as they are based
on comments from people who actually interview the students.
According to Richard White, associate director of career
services, the university has also added majors with the
needs of the state’s business community in mind. For example, Rutgers’ bio-medical engineering program was
designed in part to serve the needs of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. By 2010, the program
graduated 85 seniors and become one of the 20 most
popular courses of study at the university. The major,
which started as an offshoot from electrical engineering
now has the 2nd largest enrollment for a program of its
39
kind within an U.S. engineering school. Rutgers also
launched an undergraduate degree in supply chain management that has caught attention from employers as
well as an information technology and informatics program. The university has also launched a Wall Street Initiative whereby 50 students interested in finance are assigned mentors and counselors while they also participate in site visits and networking events.
Fifty-five percent of recent graduates work in New Jersey while an additional 10 percent work in New York
City. In the 2011 senior survey, 31 percent reported offers before graduation, including students who participated in on-campus recruiting. Twenty-five percent continue their education after completing their bachelor’s degree.
Following the graduation of the class of 2012, Rutgers
has more than 405,000 living alumni from the Camden,
Newark and New Brunswick campuses, the seventh largest alumni base in the country. Two-thirds reside between New York and Philadelphia while Chicago and At-
lanta also have large young alumni communities. Collectively, alumni organizations run over 500 events each
year, with an increased interest in “send-off” events to
welcome incoming freshmen at home before they start
classes.
All Rutgers graduates are life members of the Rutgers
University Alumni Association (RUAA). They may join
any of 118 charter groups by school, region or special interests. Interest groups range from former band and
glee club members who gather regularly for their own
concerts and reunions to dance and sports-oriented
groups where students and alumni can row crew or play
roller hockey. Similar to the alumni groups structured at
prestigious schools such as Stanford, the charters provide a way for alumni to keep in touch with their alma
mater through the activities they enjoyed as students. Association members have access to an extensive benefits
program, including more than 50,000 discounts that may
be obtained just by presenting a member card. Unlike
many state universities, Rutgers’ alumni network includes graduates of all of the university’s undergraduate,
40
graduate and professional schools not only in New
Brunswick, but also in Newark and Camden. This has become more helpful for alumni, especially the most recent
graduates who have entered the workforce in a very
weak economy.
Maryland, Ohio State or Wisconsin, though smaller than
those of others, including Penn State and NYU. The university’s Facebook page has more than 16,000 “likes.”
While Rutgers’ career services and alumni relations offices are among the best at any state university, parental
relations programs are less extensive than those found
at comparable schools such as Maryland and Wisconsin. While Rutgers puts on a Parent-Family Weekend
and provides an extensive Web site with appropriate
links to services, it has not taken the extra step of forming a parent’s association where parents can becoming
involved in projects and programs that can actually help
their students. Perhaps this is less necessary in a school
that has a high percentage of in-state students within a
very small state where it is relatively easy for students to
go home and conveniently located for their parents to
come to campus.
The Rutgers LinkedIn Community has more than 25,000
members, larger than similar communities for Illinois,
41
Conclusions
9
Summing up Rutgers-New
Brunswick
Conclusions
Rutgers-New Brunswick has the academic breadth one would
find at the most selective public universities while also offering
a larger selection of undergraduate housing options than these
and other peer institutions. And, being near New York City and
Philadelphia, it is one of the best-located state universities for
students and alumni who want to knock on doors to seek internship and career opportunities.
It is also one of the most ethnically diverse flagship universities
in the country, owing in large part to the diversity of New Jersey,
although fewer than 10 percent of the undergraduate student
body comes from other U.S. states. New Jersey’s collegebound students tend to hold less appreciation for their flagship
state schools because of its location in the center of a very
small state. Many of the Garden State’s brightest prefer to go to
school further from home. However, Rutgers’ location has a
strong appeal to non-residents who would like to break into the
highly competitive job markets of the Northeast, especially New
York.
And, while Rutgers is considered as a least-cost option for
many bright New Jersey students, in-state tuition is high compared to similar schools. However, the out-of-state charges are
quite competitive. And merit scholarship opportunities are more
limited than they should be.
43
The appearance of the nearby downtown has improved dramatically over the last three decades, and Easton Avenue has some
of the same eating and drinking places one might find in Berkeley or Madison. But New Brunswick does not have most of
the student-oriented shopping options found in these and other
college towns that host a large state university. Outside of downtown the city is perceived as unsafe.
Overall, the quality of education, as well as the quality of life, at
Rutgers improved year-by-year under President McCormick’s
leadership and should continue to do so under his successor,
Robert Barchi. It makes little sense for financially strapped students to consider, for example, NYU, when Rutgers is less expensive and more generous with scholarship aid, while it
shares many of the academic, social and cultural advantages of
the New York City-based school.
The leading state universities never remain static as they fulfill
their missions in education, research and public service, making it difficult for any one school to move up any type of national
ranking. Even in the wake of reduced public subsidies, they
must maintain academic excellence more than any publiclysupported institution. The commitments to excellence are noticeable when you travel between the campuses at Rutgers--even
when you are looking through the window of a crowded campus
bus.
Ed Quest’s Report Card: Rutgers-New Brunswick
Freshman
Retention
A
4 YR/6YR
Grad Rates
A
Costs
B+
Strengths
Admissions process
Location
ComfortsHousing
A
Community
-Campus/
Environs
CurriculumAcademics/
Experiential
Learning
Connection
s-Alumni
Network/
Career
Services
B+
A
A
Weaknesses
High in-state sticker price for a state
university
Limited merit-based aid
Competitive out-of-state tuition and
fees
Room and board charges are on the
high side for a state university
Housing Options
Less of a “college town” atmosphere
Diversity
than comparable schools
Alumni base and services
Not as much of a “sports school” as
Research opportunities-even for comparable universities in the major
athletic conferences; competition from
freshmen
professional sports a factor
Career services
Sprawling campus forces dependency
Commitment to students from low- on buses
income and middle-income families
Easier to feel lost on such a large
through EOF and need-based aid
sprawling campus
Successful capital campaign to date
Other schools do a better job of
Addition of medical school will help engaging parents
academics,reputation, fundraising
There could be more out-of-state
over the long term
students
44
The End
10
To receive notices about
new and updated profiles
visit
www.EducatedQuest.com
Recently
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Related Glossary Terms
Drag related terms here
Index
Find Term
Chapter 5 - Comforts