Happy Birthday, Rutgers!

November 10, 2015

Members of the Rutgers Community:

Today, Charter Day, officially begins our yearlong celebration leading up to the milestone 250th anniversary on November 10, 2016. We mark the day in 1766 when a charter was signed to establish a small private college that would eventually become Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—our state’s preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education.

All of you are welcome to the Rutgers-wide kickoff this afternoon in front of Old Queens in New Brunswick, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. The event, which will proceed despite the weather, will include the unveiling of our first birthday gift; the ringing of bells; screenings of a short film, Our Revolutionary Spirit; performances by Mason Gross musicians; and much more.

Today we also debut our new TV spot produced to honor the milestone. Titled “Candles: Celebrating Rutgers’ 250th Anniversary,” it can be viewed at 250.rutgers.edu/candles. This 30-second video will be shown during national broadcasts of Rutgers athletic events.

Rutgers University–Newark will launch its celebration of Rutgers 250 with the grand opening of the spectacularly renovated 15 Washington Street on Tuesday, November 17, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

At Rutgers University–Camden, birthday cake will be served today in the Campus Center’s main lounge at 12:20 p.m., and at sunset, both Camden City Hall and the Ben Franklin Bridge will be bathed in red light to honor our anniversary. Then on November 17 at 11:00 a.m., Rutgers University–Camden will continue its celebration of Rutgers 250 with the dedication of 305 Cooper Street as the Writers House.

This week of special events—which includes a new University Archives exhibition, a symposium on housing policies, and talks on global health, the Anthropocene age, and media activism—is just the beginning of an exciting year of remembering our revolutionary past and building our future as one of America’s leading public research universities. For more information, visit 250.rutgers.edu.

Sincerely,

Bob Barchi