From meandering through a corn maze to catching up with friends at homecoming, there were many ways that Rutgers 250 was celebrated in the fall of 2016. The festivities culminated in grand style on November 10, Rutgers' 250th birthday, with cupcakes, parties, thought-provoking talks, and fireworks.
Rutgers’ 250th birthday on November 10, 2016, was a time of celebration as the Rutgers community and friends joined in a day of festivities, including fireworks, birthday cupcakes, activities, and more at our campuses in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick.
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Dozens of Rutgers alumni returned to our campuses for A Day of Revolutionary Thinking on November 10, 2016. Designated as our Rutgers 250 Fellows—these individuals, all experts from diverse fields, shared new ideas, discoveries, and practices that are shaping our world. Dinner galas and fireworks displays capped birthday celebrations on our campuses in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick.
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Our Rutgers 250 celebration continued this summer with a variety of events. The anniversary celebration went on tour this summer—visiting New Jersey county fairs and hosting neighborhood health screenings. Rutgers also welcomed thousands of educators from across the country for the International Association for College Admission Counseling.
Rutgers’ yearlong 250th Anniversary celebration continued throughout the spring semester with an engaging roster of events at our universities in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden and at the State House in Trenton, Lincoln Center in New York City, and the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. In April, Rutgers Day attracted a record-breaking 100,000 visitors, and in May at University Commencement we made history as President Barack Obama chose Rutgers to deliver the penultimate commencement address of his presidency.
Marking Rutgers’ 250th Anniversary, President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, delivered the commencement address on Sunday, May 15, 2016. Greeting more than 40,000 family and guests and 12,000 graduates, he challenged them to work globally to solve problems and not build walls and to be civically engaged—"to be a citizen, full time."
More than 50,000 guests, graduates, faculty, and staff joined in the celebration of Rutgers’ 250th Anniversary Commencement on Sunday, May 15, 2016, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway. In addressing graduates and guests, President Barack Obama said of Rutgers, “America converges here,” and described Rutgers as “one of the finest research institutions in America.” Here are a few images from the day.
A mortarboard is part of traditional academic attire worn during Commencement. Check out how a few of Rutgers’ Class of 2016 graduates creatively decorated their caps for the 250th Anniversary Commencement held on May 15, 2016, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, N.J.
From Rutgers’ earliest days, its scientists and students have been out in fields, forests, rivers, and oceans, exploring and understanding nature, harnessing its power for the greater good, and ultimately appreciating how its thoughtful stewardship is essential to the future of life on Earth. Rutgers Scientific School and New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station were early adopters of a scientific approach to studying natural resources and agriculture. The work of their faculty would become the seedbed for Rutgers’ eventual rise as a leading research university. Today, Rutgers people in the field—close to home and across the globe—tackle problems, profound and pressing, from crop development and infectious disease to world hunger and climate change.
