Reflecting on Our Eventful Anniversary Year

November 17, 2016

Members of the Rutgers Community:

Congratulations! I doubt that any other university in America has ever had a more successful and meaningful celebration of a milestone anniversary. Thanks to the hard work and creativity of so many people across Rutgers, we have now completed a spectacular 250th Anniversary year filled with scholarly events, discussions, publications, performances, and activities that have showcased the uniqueness of our history and the strength of the institution we have become.

The planning for the milestone year began in 2011, and in our 2014 University Strategic Plan the impending anniversary was highlighted as an opportunity to enhance the external reputation of Rutgers. We can take pride in knowing that the year’s events—from our kickoff events to the Rutgers Day activities in Newark, New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden to President Obama’s two visits to Rutgers—caught the attention and imagination of the broader public.

The University has been chronicling many of these moments on video, right up to the celebratory fireworks that filled the air last week, and the result is a 13-minute documentary that I recommend for your enjoyment and pride: 250.rutgers.edu/250documentary.

Literally thousands of people at Rutgers contributed to the success of Rutgers 250 and I want to thank every one of you. Special thanks go to Kim Manning, who oversaw the Rutgers 250 project, Matt Weismantel and April Coage, who ran the project’s day-to-day operations, and Jorge Schement, who chaired the planning committee.

Although the anniversary is behind us, there is still much to celebrate. Please visit the Rutgers 250 website for photographs and recaps of many anniversary events, fascinating items such as the university timeline, the #Rutgers 250 social media page, links to the commemorative edition of Rutgers Magazine, information on the books and films that were produced for the anniversary, and much more.

Let’s build on the momentum the anniversary year has helped to create. 

Let us continue building a Rutgers in which our students enjoy an increasingly rewarding academic experience, where our outstanding faculty members receive the best research support, where our staff and administration conduct business consistent with the best practices of the 21st century, where we provide cutting-edge clinical care through Rutgers Health, and where our campuses are vibrant and attractive hubs of excellence worthy of a leading public research university.

We’re proud of where Rutgers has come in these 250 years, but our ambitions are high, and we’re just getting started.

Sincerely,

Robert Barchi