Rutgers Officials Update Members of New Jersey Congressional Delegation on Greening of Historic College Avenue Campus

Support from Lautenberg, Menendez and Pallone has helped move the project forward

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Richard L. McCormick, president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, today hosted members of the New Jersey congressional delegation who came to the New Brunswick Campus to get an update on the first phase of the College Avenue greening project. New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill joined McCormick to brief U.S. Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. on the status of the redesign. The federal officials saw renderings of the project and took a tour of the site where the landscaping improvements will take place.

McCormick’s “Vision for the College Avenue Campus” is a key initiative that seeks to enhance the learning environment, strengthen Rutgers’ ties with its host communities and create a state university that is a major source of pride for New Jersey.

“The members of the New Jersey congressional delegation were able to secure $150,000 in federal funding for road improvements on College Avenue that are an integral part of the redesign of the campus,” McCormick said. “We are gratified that our representatives in Washington share our belief that a beautiful state university campus offers a powerful attraction for prospective faculty and students and enhances Rutgers’ identity as New Jersey’s premier public research institution.”

Rutgers has committed $17 million for the first phase of this multi-year project. Rutgers officials are working with these members of the New Jersey congressional delegation in an effort to secure additional funding for the College Avenue project in this year’s federal budget.

The first phase of the project focuses on a section of College Avenue between Huntington Street and Bishop Place. Stretching for about a third of a mile, this portion of College Avenue will see the creation of new outdoor gathering spaces, pedestrian plazas, landscaped walkways, dedicated bike lanes, and the construction of an intercampus transportation hub.

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“Building this signature transit hub begins our work on a larger vision for Rutgers and the city of New Brunswick. This funding helps enhance the campus and improve safety, which will help attract new students, faculty and business to the city,” Lautenberg said. “I will keep fighting for the funding Rutgers needs to make this vision a reality.”

“Year after year,” said Menendez, “Rutgers gives thousands of young New Jerseyans the quality education and experiences that lead to prosperous and productive careers and help keep our state and nation at the apex of the curve of innovation. Enhancing the historic College Avenue campus – particularly in ways that celebrate the natural beauty of the Garden State and facilitate transportation – makes it an environment even more conducive to learning. It will also help Rutgers attract and keep our state’s most accomplished high school students here in New Jersey when they seek a higher education. I am proud to have had a hand in this project and was delighted to see the progress that is being made today. The greening of the campus is helping to bolster Rutgers’s reputation as a nationally recognized place of higher learning and a source of tremendous pride for our state.”

Continued local, state and federal support will be critical to ongoing redevelopment of the Rutgers campus.

“As Rutgers University embarks on a long-term project to transform its historic campus,” said Pallone, “the transportation improvements being made during the first phase of this project are central to the College Avenue redesign. The overall redesign project will improve traffic flow through the city, encourage better commuting practices, enhance the safety for bicyclists and pedestrians and provide green spaces designed for the use of the university community. I will continue to work with Sens. Lautenberg and Menendez to secure the additional funds needed to bring this entire redesign plan to fruition.”

In developing the new vision for the College Avenue Campus, Rutgers is working in partnership with the City of New Brunswick.

"This is just another example of how New Brunswick and Rutgers are partnering to improve the quality of life in our city," Cahill said. "A successful campus goes hand in hand with a successful city and we're excited about the future improvement to the College Avenue Campus."

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During a yearlong competition, some of the world’s best-known architects, landscape designers and planners presented their concepts for the future of the College Avenue Campus. In December 2006, President McCormick selected Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos and Ignacio Bunster-Ossa of Wallace Roberts & Todd to lead the team that will work with the university to move the initiative forward.

Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers offers more than 280 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degree programs.

Rutgers University is home to 27 degree-granting schools and colleges, and more than 150 specialized centers and institutes. Rutgers is also a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, a highly selective organization comprising the 62 leading research universities in North America.

Media Contact: E.J. Miranda
732-932-7084 ext.613
E-mail: emiranda@ur.rutgers.edu