Whether making college more accessible to students, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community with a pride bus or working with school districts to diversify teaching staffs, Rutgers-New Brunswick sought ways to serve communities in New Jersey and beyond
Here are some of the top staff picks of Rutgers University-New Brunswick community outreach articles of 2022:
1. Bolstering a Beloved Community Is One Focus of New Academic Master Plan
Rutgers-New Brunswick embarked on a multifaceted mission to reimagine the student experience and well-being, not to mention drive the university’s research efforts and community involvement, with the launch of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Academic Master Plan.
A major focus of the plan involves making the university more accessible to more members of the community. Access initiatives include the Scarlet Guarantee, a signature Rutgers–New Brunswick program that offers a "last dollar" financial aid award covering the cost of in-state tuition and mandatory fees. Launched in the fall, the program provides financial support for first- and second-year undergraduate students. One key initiative is ScarletWell, which takes a public health approach to mental and physical well-being for students, faculty and staff.
2. Rutgers Day Makes a Comeback
Rutgers Day returned to Rutgers–New Brunswick for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the landmark spring event to move online two years ago.
Thousands of people flocked to campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway to enjoy more than 500 activities and programs showcasing university excellence, including a surgical robot demonstration, cart racing, live musical performances, crafts and exhibits. New to the event was the Health Village – a space focused on Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences programs and other health-related initiatives – at Busch campus.
3. Rutgers Rolls Out the Pride Bus
Rutgers-New Brunswick began waving its pride flag in the most visible way possible: The Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities (SJE) commemorated its 30th anniversary with a colorful pride wrap on a campus bus.
The bus is covered with a design inspired by the 2017 Philly Pride flag, which includes black and brown stripes to be inclusive of all communities alongside the slogan “Rutgers Rides with Pride” and a link to SJE’s website. The bus will arrive on campus this summer with a launch event during LGBTQIA+ Welcome at the beginning of the fall semester.
4. First 100 Students Participate in the Rutgers Summer of Service
The first 100 students took part in the Rutgers Summer Service Internship initiative, which provides sophomores and juniors from New Brunswick, Newark and Camden an opportunity to earn up to $5,000 to complete a 200-hour public service internship over the summer at a nonprofit organization or direct-service government office.
Nearly 600 students applied for the program. Those selected took a three-credit virtual course, tuition-free, to apply their experience, expand career development skills and build knowledge of civic engagement and the value of public service.
5. Rutgers GSE Partners With School Districts to Diversify Teaching Staff
Faculty members of the Rutgers Graduate School of Education are working with school districts throughout New Jersey – where 82 percent of public school teachers are white compared with 44 percent of the student population – to increase the recruitment and retention of teachers of color.
The Community School Partnership Network program, funded by the New Jersey Department of Education and led by GSE, helps districts develop and pilot plans to diversify their teaching staff. GSE faculty are working with the public schools in Neptune Township, North Brunswick Township, New Brunswick and Rahway.
6. Rutgers Psychologists Help Patients Overcome Exercise Anxiety
Rutgers University psychologists are conducting a clinical trial seeking to treat symptoms of exercise anxiety, which are common among people with heart ailments. Nearly 150 cardiac patients are participating in a five-year, randomized trial funded that is through a $2.75 million grant from the National Institute on Aging.
Samantha Farris, a professor of psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences who is leading the project, developed the psychological approach, called Behavioral Exposure for Interoceptive Tolerance, or Be-Fit. It was designed to help patients face their fears, build tolerance for the sensations and gradually step up their exercise.
7. Rutgers-New Brunswick Launches Mental Health and Wellness Week
Rutgers–New Brunswick launched its first Mental Health and Wellness Week with a series of programs to address the mental health needs of students and university employees. The weeklong series of programs in April were part of Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway’s effort to establish a culture of wellness at Rutgers–New Brunswick and help offset the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals.
“As the past two years have reminded us, our responsibilities to ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities must include looking after our own mental health and wellness,’’ Conway said.
8. Science on the Seas Brings Lessons to K-12 Classrooms
When the research vessel Atlantis steamed out of Woods Hole, Mass., in June, scientists from Rutgers University and the University of Washington were on board for a 14-day deep-sea coring expedition aimed at resolving key climate science questions. Lauren Neizke Adamo, director of the Rutgers Geology Museum, was also aboard to make the mission come alive as a real-time learning experience for K-12 schools in three states and create an enduring lesson in science for students nationwide.
Adamo, a professor of earth and planetary sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences, was joined by her own crew that included four public school teachers. They spent the voyage livestreaming and blogging to students in classrooms, public libraries, and the geology museum.
9. English Professor Developing Bibliography of Black Authors and Print Work
Meredith McGill, chair of the Department of English in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and a scholar of 19th-century literature, teamed up with a professor from Yale to develop a digital database dedicated to the study of Black-authored and Black-published books, magazines and newspapers.
The Black Bibliography Project, funded through a $1.7 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, seeks to remedy what scholars say is a dearth of accurate, organized data about Black print. The mission is to provide a central clearinghouse of information that will be easily accessible to scholars and students of literature, history, Black diaspora studies and other fields.
