This spring, in Camden, New Brunswick, and Newark, we’re rolling out the scarlet carpet and inviting New Jersey residents and beyond to experience hands-on learning activities in the sciences, arts, and humanities; enjoy musical and dance performances; see exhibitions and demonstrations hosted by accomplished professors and students! And the excitement doesn’t end there—Alumni Weekend returns to the last weekend in April to coincide with Rutgers Day.

Inspired by the Smithsonian's 1992 Festival of American Folklife that featured former White House employees' stories, the New Jersey Folk Festival will similarly honor Rutgers' workers to showcase their stories with two one-hour special panel discussions.

• 1:00 p.m.: Employees from University Facilities and Capital Planning
  One of the largest administrative departments at Rutgers, workers maintain more than 27 million square feet of the university's physical buildings, grounds, and infrastructure throughout New Jersey.
• 2:00 p.m.: Employees from Rutgers Dining Services
  One of the largest student dining operations in the country, workers cater over 5,000 university events and operate five student dining halls and several cash facilities to serve over 7 million meals annually.

Event is free and open to the public. | Location: Wood Lawn Mansion, Seminar Tent, 191 Ryders Lane, Douglass Campus, New Brunswick, NJ.

The Zimmerli Art Museum’s exhibition HereNow: Rutgers 250 celebrates the 250th anniversary of Rutgers—as well as the 50th birthday of the museum—by looking to the future. Rather than focus on Rutgers’ illustrious history, the initiative engages the entire university community with an opportunity to capture what education and campus life look like in the early 21st century at a major public university.

Beginning on November 10, 2015, as part of the Rutgers' community, you are invited to submit your images through the exhibit website. Images received by early January 2016 will be printed and hung as the premier images for this major exhibition at the Zimmerli. Thereafter, submitted images will be printed and installed in the museum at regular intervals, allowing the online and onsite exhibition to grow throughout the spring.

Following the close of the show, the 250 most interesting and compelling images will be compiled and published in a fine arts book with accompanying essays by distinguished authors and critics from Rutgers and beyond. The publication will document Rutgers, here and now, comprising a record of life at Rutgers at its 250th birthday through the eyes of its many communities. | Location: Submit your images online at herenow250.rutgers.edu.