Stakeholder Address 2023

Jonathan Holloway
President, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

October 24, 2023

Thank you, Cassie, for that introduction. But more importantly, thank you for telling us about your journey to and through Rutgers and about the stakeholders supporting you. And now, welcome, everyone. I deeply appreciate your participation in the second year of this new tradition. My goal today is to connect with every one of you, whether you are in person or watching remotely. If I've done my job, by the end of this address you will appreciate even more fully how your university is trying to make itself, our state, the nation, and the world better.

Let me begin by talking about you.

You are the stakeholders in Rutgers’ success. You are the people who make this university flourish. 

You are the students and families who seek out Rutgers, who choose to pursue an education at this university—and then do amazing things when you get here. 

You are the faculty who bring honor and pride to the university through your brilliant research, your clinical care, and your inspired teaching. 

You are the staff members and administrators who ensure that our students have every opportunity to succeed, that our faculty are well-supported, that our campuses are safe, and that our community can thrive. 

You are the alumni who achieve remarkable success in your professions and in your communities, signaling to the world the power and value of a Rutgers degree. 

You are the public officials—local, state, and federal—who recognize the vital importance of supporting this institution and who demand the best from it in return. 

You are the donors who invest in our future so that we can realize our highest ambitions. 

You are the generous souls who serve on our two governing boards and on our alumni and foundation boards so that we can benefit from your wisdom and expertise.

Because of you—all of you—Rutgers is flourishing indeed. 

Let me present the evidence:

More high school seniors than ever before are submitting applications to attend Rutgers—and those numbers will only grow larger. Last year we saw a record number of first-year students enroll on our New Brunswick campus, and this year we saw a surge in first-year enrollment in Newark and Camden. 

Because of donations from great people across our community, we’ve been able to address the financial need of more and more Rutgers students. Along with Scarlet Promise Grants across all our campuses, we have innovative aid programs such as RU-N to the Top in Newark, Bridging the Gap in Camden, and Scarlet Guarantee in New Brunswick. These initiatives now interlock with New Jersey’s Garden State Guarantee program and provide significant assistance to undergraduates so that a full four years at Rutgers is affordable. 

A moment ago, I mentioned Scarlet Promise grants in passing. Tonight's a good occasion to update you on—and thank you for—the progress we have made toward the challenge I announced at my inauguration in November 2021. That day, I set a goal of raising $50 million over three years for Scarlet Promise—a mix of programs and funds designed to make sure our students can pursue an excellent, life-changing education regardless of financial means or social connections. Nearly 14,000 donors have contributed gifts thus far, and I’m glad to say that within the past few weeks we passed the $50 million goal—a full year early. As of today, we stand at nearly $54 million. And we’re not done yet.

More evidence of our flourishing:

Because of you, Rutgers is performing critical research. Research that is changing lives, strengthening communities, supporting the economy, and protecting our planet. We just achieved a record year for research at Rutgers, generating $929 million in research revenue from public and private sources covering more than 4,200 sponsored awards. Behind those numbers, most important, are the opportunities they create for improving our world: solving the opioid crisis; preventing Alzheimer’s; enhancing storm severity predictions; creating sustainable jobs; and so much more.

In just the past few months our faculty have won grants to research the relationship between minimum wage policies and maternal health, to analyze the interior of black holes, and to find cellular interventions that will prevent irreversible retinal damage.

Although I could highlight the research programs of thousands of faculty, I want to raise up one individual in particular, Professor Jim Simon from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Dr. Simon heads up a New Use Agriculture program that collaborates locally and globally to develop sustainable agricultural products that support health and nutrition.

He and his team were asked to help family farmers in New Jersey who were struggling to keep a valuable crop from being ravaged by disease or climate change. They used a combination of traditional plant-breeding and cutting-edge technologies to cultivate a new variety that is both climate-resilient and able to withstand the deadly pathogen downy mildew. Their work was documented in a terrific film called Fields of Devotion, directed by our own Dena Seidel—and the film itself has encouraged farmers and scientists to work more closely together to benefit New Jersey agriculture. This is but one example of how Rutgers serves the state.

Dr. Simon, thank you for being here.

Our faculty members enrich the world in myriad ways outside of STEM research. Here I think of the glorious music that Patrick Gardner created with our students in 30 years as director of choral activities … the brilliant poetry of Evie Shockley, a finalist for the National Book Award … and Salamishah Tillet’s curation of the first-ever outdoor exhibition on the National Mall in Washington this past summer. If you remember that name, it may be because a year ago I was bragging on Dr. Tillet for winning a Pulitzer Prize. Our faculty are thought leaders. They make a difference.

More evidence:

I’m proud to say that, because of you, our stakeholders, the excellence of Rutgers that we already know well has now been recognized more fully by our peers.

Today, Rutgers–Camden has moved into the Top 50 among all public national universities in the country in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Rutgers–Newark, which made significant gains for the second straight year, moved up to Number 40 on that list. And Rutgers–New Brunswick is now #15 in the country among all public national universities, and fourth highest in the Big Ten on that score, ahead of some other schools you may have heard of: Ohio State, Purdue, Maryland and Penn State. These, my fellow stakeholders, are numbers worth celebrating.

And while our mission is solidly that of a public university, our reputation also stands up well when you add in the Ivies, Stanford, MIT, and all the other outstanding privates. For the first time, all three of our campuses rank in the Top 100 of national universities, public and private. And all three improved their rankings this year in substantial and meaningful ways.

For example, we improved our rankings in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick as great places for veterans. All three campuses rank among the best as engines of social mobility. And on the academic excellence front, New Brunswick scored well in a new category focused on innovation.

I want to pause for a moment to be very clear: Rutgers aspires to improve itself, but it does not chase the rankings like some schools may do. We are always focused on ensuring that our students graduate on time, with minimal debt, prepared for successful careers—and now the rankings recognize this. In other words, we didn't chase the rankings; the rankings chased us.

How else are we flourishing?

Because of our stakeholders, we are moving ahead on vital capital projects that will further enhance the work we do. 

On the Rutgers Health campus in Newark, we are making plans for a $600 million renovation of the Medical Science Building that will help retain and attract the best medical students and faculty. 

Newark’s Conklin Hall, so significant to our history, is being renovated to provide one-stop student services and provide comfortable new space for commuter students.

The Cooper Street Gateway Project being planned in Camden, with new space for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, will be transformational for Rutgers–Camden while preserving the neighborhood’s historic integrity.

In New Brunswick, the long-anticipated construction of the New Jersey Health and Life Science Exchange, or HELIX, is now under way—a public-private partnership with the state that will provide a new home for Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in conjunction with a new Translational Science Facility.

Our mission is even reflected in our parking lots. A new array of solar panels is being installed across the university that will generate 14.5 megawatts—enough electricity to power over 1,600 homes. This will both lower our energy costs and advance our commitment to carbon neutrality, complementing the good work of our Office of Climate Action.

I am grateful to our funding partners and to everyone involved in moving these projects forward.

While there is no denying that we face challenges at Rutgers—including the same financial headwinds that so many leading universities are facing—this is also a time of optimism and promise for our future.

This is the dawn of an exciting period of excellence and innovation in medical education as we begin the five-year process of merging our medical schools. While each school will retain its unique culture and its own teaching hospital, the merged Rutgers School of Medicine will help us compete for federal grants and clinical trials, recruit outstanding students and faculty, expand specialized hospital care, and offer more services to patients, among other practical and reputational benefits.

This is a time of tremendous achievement by our students, who are distinguishing themselves on some of the most competitive academic stages. In the past year alone our students and recent alums claimed the following national awards: a Marshall Scholarship, a Truman Scholarship, a Pickering Fellowship, three Goldwater Scholarships, and seven Fulbright U.S. Grants.  And we just had one of our alums, Courtney Bryan, win a MacArthur “genius” grant.  That’s exceptional.

And let me quickly mention that just a few hours ago, I heard from one of our Fulbright winners, Julianna Johnson, who is serving her Fulbright as a teacher in Taiwan at two low-resourced middle schools. In her e-mail to me, she wrote, “I am grateful for everything my time at Rutgers has given me and I draw on what I learned quite often. I want to thank you and Rutgers for an amazing college experience and all the opportunities and help I was given as I pursue my dreams.  I am proud to be a Rutgers alumna!”

You’ve already met Cassie Vega at the start of the program. She is a superstar. Frankly, it won't be long before I'm introducing her as she steps to a podium.

As brilliant as her light happens to be, Cassie isn't the only student I want to call to your attention tonight. Let me talk about two more of our current students who show us what excellence looks like:

You may have heard of Cliff Omoruyi. He is a senior majoring in Information Technology and Informatics who happens to play basketball and who happens to be one of the nation's best centers. You may also know that he came to New Jersey from Nigeria, his family sending him here as a teenager to get a better education. The man who served as his legal guardian was a volunteer at the Salvation Army in Newark. So last year, when Cliff earned $25,000 from endorsements, he donated all of it to renovate the basketball court at that Salvation Army. The year before, he hosted a shoe drive that sent hundreds of pairs of shoes back to his hometown in Nigeria. That's character.

G Bellon is a social work major at Rutgers–Camden and another talented athlete. They were the goalkeeper for the Scarlet Raptors women’s lacrosse team in their first two years of college. After sophomore year, G took part in our first Rutgers Summer Service internship program, working at Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. The experience was so meaningful, G took part again this past summer, this time working in Washington, DC, in the office of Congressman Donald Norcross. G’s enthusiasm about that internship experience is off the charts—and in fact, G is now working in the Congressman’s district office in New Jersey while continuing their studies. 

Both Cliff and G are modeling commitments to the common good in different yet compelling ways.

G can't be with us tonight due to class conflicts, but let's give both G and Cliff a round of applause to register our awe and appreciation.

Thinking about these students and their commitment leads me to the following: last year, I used the occasion of my first Stakeholder Address to focus on the three fundamental truths that I believe are at the core of what defines Rutgers. These truths underpin everything we do, and our resolve to uphold them is unwavering.

I am talking about our commitment to academic excellence while remaining accessible and affordable; our determination to build a beloved community, where every single member of the university has a role to play in our success; and our determination to serve the common good, making a meaningful difference in the world.

Just as we take pride in being recognized as an academic powerhouse, ranked among the best schools in the Big Ten Conference, with nationally recognized programs in everything from nursing and public health to African-American and women’s history, from digital librarianship to urban planning to supply chain logistics to criminology—just as we take pride in this recognition, we remain deeply committed to access and opportunity. Every one of our campuses ranks in the Top 25 in the nation for the graduation rate of our students receiving need-based Pell grants—a powerful reminder that excellence is found everywhere and that with the right kind of support, students can succeed.

We continue to strive toward the best version of ourselves as a beloved community. We don’t always agree on everything, but I am determined that Rutgers continue to recognize and value the contributions that all of us make to our success. To that end, I’m proud that Forbes Magazine ranked Rutgers as #64 on a list of the nation’s 500 “best large employers.” Only three other universities made the top 100—MIT, Michigan, and Ohio State—so we’re in good company—or, more accurately, they are in good company.

When it comes to serving the common good, we are as strong as ever.

Let me give you a vivid example: Rutgers is home to the Miller Center, which is dedicated to protecting vulnerable communities in the United States and around the world. It grew out of a recognition that acts of antisemitism and other forms of intolerance and violence have been on the rise in Europe and America, especially in the past decade.

The center helps vulnerable populations gain a greater sense of safety by building stronger relationships with law enforcement and government. Last fall, it merged with another Rutgers center dedicated to excellence in policing, enabling an even greater impact on improving the relationship between police departments and communities, particularly those vulnerable to acts of hatred and violence.

Should Rutgers be in this space? Of course. Can we have an impact? Yes—not only locally but globally. And it’s all been made possible through the generosity and vision of Rutgers alumnus Paul Miller. Altogether, he and his family have given Rutgers more than $6 million. Because of him, the Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience is putting Rutgers resources to work to help combat violence and bigotry and make communities safer.

Paul's generosity does not stop there. Last week, for example, I had the pleasure of joining Paul and his wife Carol at a dinner for remarkable students like Jamicka Rutherford, who are at Rutgers Law in Newark on full-tuition scholarships. Decades ago, Paul's life changed because of financial assistance that made Rutgers Law affordable for him. His request of the students that evening: do good work, remember that stakeholders facilitated their success, and help heal the world. 

Paul couldn’t be here tonight because he is in fact in meetings to raise funds for the Miller Center, but I want to thank him for all he has done.

Tonight, I want to take Paul's request of the students, increase its scope, and turn it into a question: What can higher education, in general, and Rutgers, in particular, do to help heal our fractured society?

I pose this question fully certain that higher education is one of America’s most powerful instruments for addressing the nation's challenges. Unfortunately, it is clear that increasing numbers of people don’t agree with me. Their declining faith in higher education is a harbinger of the worst sort.

A Gallup poll released this past summer reported a sharp decline in public confidence in higher education. That’s troubling. And we see it not just along party lines, which you might expect in our current political climate. Since 2015, confidence in higher education has dropped 10 percent among college degree holders (from 57 percent to 47 percent), and there has been even more of a decline in confidence among graduate degree holders (from 67 percent to 50 percent). These are the very people who have seen universities firsthand!

Call me naïve, but despite these numbers I believe more strongly than ever in the power of higher education. And frankly, I believe our contribution to forging a stronger society is critical.

I want to spend the next several minutes speaking to you about three ways in which I am committing Rutgers this year to help repair the fabric of our democracy—and, I hope, restore some confidence in higher education.

The first of these efforts is a personal project. It grew out of conversations I have had with thought leaders around the country in which I expressed my frustration with the state of discourse in our society and the skepticism that higher education can address it. Finally, one of them said, why don’t you do something about it? Why don’t you teach a course?  

So I am. This semester, I am leading a first-year class with 30 students titled, “Citizenship, Institutions, and the Public.” We meet Wednesday morning to explore big questions like what are the obligations of being a citizen? Why is it important to preserve institutions, even as we try to improve them? And how can higher education contribute to achieving a more perfect union?

I have my own ideas about these questions, of course, but of much more value are the conversations I have each week with some of the most brilliant minds and leaders from government, the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, the faith community, and the media. I’m posing these sorts of questions to folks like Raj Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars; Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations; Rev. Buster Soaries, the former senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens; and Edith Cooper, former Goldman Sachs executive and co-founder of Medley, a vehicle for achieving personal growth through small teams. 

Tomorrow, my guest will be Mike Emanuel, the Chief Washington Correspondent for FOX News. While having a national television news anchor as a guest in my course may be interesting on its own, of particular note is the fact that Mike is a Scarlet Knight.

The essential question the course asks is this: what is the role of a university like Rutgers in supporting democracy?

By design, my guests reside in many places along the political spectrum, but they all share with me and each other a deep concern about the state of our nation. They have talked to the students about the important role that they will be playing in the near-term and long-term future. They have challenged the students to think outside of their familiar boxes and to go exploring. And they have all talked with passion about the fundamental need for grace, for listening, and for accepting that there are facts and norms in our society that must be acknowledged and respected. For their part, the students have been unafraid to ask the guests spirited, and I’m proud to say, respectful, questions.

At the start of each interview, I am reminded of the challenges before us all. At the end of each class session, though, I leave the class feeling uplifted and hopeful. Rutgers students are committed to make a positive difference in society.

You can judge this for yourself since each of these sessions is being filmed and then posted with the hope that they will have a life far beyond the campus and the university. I believe this class will help position Rutgers as both a leader in thinking publicly about these topics and as a catalyst for discussions that need to happen all over America.

While I am certain that every one of you here and online already knows about these videos and have watched them—twice—there may be one or two of you who may welcome a reminder of how to find them. You just have to navigate to my website—rutgers.edu/president—and click on the "Byrne Seminar: Citizenship" link on the left side menu.

The second major effort to which I have committed Rutgers University this year centers on one of the most essential components of a well-functioning democracy: free speech.

If citizenship is our calling, no matter what our academic major or profession, then public discourse is a vital way in which we carry out that calling.

The right to free speech is essential to effective public discourse. And yet free speech has been threatened, even on college campuses. At too many universities, guest speakers with controversial viewpoints are abruptly disinvited. Those who come are sometimes shouted down rather than engaged in meaningful debate.

That shouldn’t be. Universities should be a marketplace of ideas, where opposing viewpoints are put up for challenge and debate, not snuffed out. You can’t exercise your mind without some resistance. The college campus should be where you engage with people who think differently than you, not where you accept only those who share your views.

With this in mind, I signed up Rutgers to join with a small number of institutions, most of them private, that have pledged to uplift free speech and its related concept, academic freedom.

This is something I have long believed in. It’s so important, my website has a direct link to the university statement on academic freedom and free speech. And last month I coauthored an op-ed on free speech with Roslyn Clark Artis, President of Benedict College, in which we stated the following: “Students should challenge themselves to question their assumptions and test their ideas against the vast spectrum of human experience. They should be as willing to revise their own perspectives as they are to try to persuade others.”

The simple fact is that college campuses should be places for difficult, sometimes uncomfortable discussions. This is the hard part of the equation when supporting free speech. At Rutgers we cannot and will not hide from that challenge. I expect us to be a beacon of free expression.

Having said that, we owe it to ourselves to develop a culture where respect is as much of a component of our speech as is the right to express challenging ideas freely. It’s a shame that I have to point out the basic point, but just because you can say something does not mean you should. Decency matters—a value that I worry is increasingly seen as quaint or out of touch. This compels me to say that if you think decency is over-rated and so decide to push the boundaries of free speech, don't be surprised when there is pushback of equal intensity. That echo to your speech act is also protected.

The third major effort I want to emphasize in Rutgers’ effort to repair the social fabric is one I touched on during my Stakeholder Address last year.

Citizenship is a challenge to engage in discussion and debate, but it is also a call to service.

Two years ago, I wrote an op-ed for the New York Times extolling the virtues of public service. That op-ed was the first in a series by the Times that advanced ideas about the ways that we might fix our democracy. In it I expressed my view that by performing acts of public service, students can get to know, understand, and appreciate people who are different from them, and that by serving people who face challenges that are different from our own, we give of ourselves and are enriched by others.

That op-ed led to the creation of Rutgers Scarlet Service. Initially, this program provided internships in the tri-state area to students who were willing to work in non-profit or public service settings. This year, we expanded the program to include internships in our nation’s capital. I know from meeting with our students in DC that this summer opened their eyes and affected their world views.

Whether in the tri-state or DC, what were these students up to?

Tasawn Roberts worked in his hometown at Newark Community Solutions, helping residents in difficult situations to avoid eviction.

Rosemarie Arroyo-Martinez, who lives in Camden, helped children in foster care through Tabor Children Services in Philadelphia, with a special interest in addressing the mental health needs of those aging out of the system.

Donte Hatcher, from Plainfield, spent his summer in service to others as a substance abuse prevention intern in Camden.

Amanda Osborne, taking part in Scarlet Service for the second summer—served this time in Washington, DC, at the Trust for the National Mall.

Ines Kenfack Donfack, an Irvington resident studying biology, interned at University Hospital’s surgery unit.

Ryan Real, who comes from Perth Amboy and Sayreville, interned at the Five Loaves Food Pantry in New Brunswick. Reflecting on his experience, Ryan said: “What I want to do is help people who are less fortunate. We need to offer more compassion to others, and I want to be that advocate for the marginalized.”

These are incredible opportunities—and remarkable students.

Through Rutgers Scarlet Service, I want to amplify the culture of public service at Rutgers. I say "amplify" because in many ways, that culture already exists. Parts of it are located across Rutgers and in every school. The Rutgers Dance Marathon, Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholars, Newark City of Learning Collaborative, Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health, the Rutgers Future Scholars program—all these are examples of the ways we at Rutgers help other people. 

Similarly, these three commitments to focus the university’s energy on helping society—my course on citizenship, a reiteration of our commitment to free speech, and an emphasis on public service—build upon the fantastic work already happening at Rutgers through entities like the Eagleton Institute of Politics, the Center for Women and Politics, our Rutgers Law clinics, the Clement Price Institute, the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice, and many more.

I want to harness that spirit and that hard work. I want to make it grow. I want to make it easy to join those programs, to be a part of these programs, to make ours a better world, and to make ourselves better people.

My goal is that, before long, Rutgers University becomes synonymous with service—that every student who wants to serve has the resources and opportunities to do that.

Some have asked if Rutgers should make service a degree requirement. To be honest, that is not my decision to make—degree requirements are the purview of the faculty. But I can strive to create the environment in which every student who wants to have a service experience—on their own, in a club, in an academic course, through an internship—can have that experience, with the full support of the university.

That support can come in different forms: for example, in scholarship funds to students; in mapping service opportunities around the state; in identifying courses that already have a service component, and encouraging faculty, where appropriate, to consider adding that element to their courses.

Let’s make the call to service central to Rutgers’ identity. We do so much as an institution, and it is time we let our light shine.

If we take the time to look, we can see that light in our past and our present.

Think of our Nobel-winning discovery of streptomycin a century ago and our cancer research today. Remember that legendary professor George H. Cook’s geological work in the state became the model for the U.S. Geological Survey; today, Professor Bob Kopp has been a lead author of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s assessment.

Think about how Express Newark brings the university and community together to make art, learn together, and advocate for positive change. Or the myriad ways that the Walter Rand Institute at Rutgers University in Camden has contributed to the economic, social, and ecological welfare of southern New Jersey for the past two decades.

As these and so many other examples at Rutgers attest, we take our mission seriously.

We address the world’s biggest challenges: Economic inequality. Climate change. Mental illness. Cybersecurity. Cancer and other pernicious diseases. Sustainable and renewable energy. That is what we are here to do.

Just as vital, we serve our mission to our students with vigor. We prepare Rutgers students to take their well-earned place among the world’s scientists and social workers, nurses and neurosurgeons, entrepreneurs and engineers, artists and attorneys, humanists and pharmacists. At the same time, we inspire them to be dedicated citizens.

You are our stakeholders. This work is our shared work—and the successes will be our shared victories.

Let us, then, continue the work of keeping Rutgers financially accessible to every student who has what it takes to succeed here. 

Let us continue to be a university recognized nationally for its support of its employees. 

Let us maintain the commitment to excellence that is attracting upwards of $1 billion a year for groundbreaking research and providing critical care to patients.

Most of all, let us continue to create life-changing opportunities for our students.

You are our stakeholders. You are the source of our excellence. You are the reason for our successes. You are our most dedicated supporters, and when necessary, our most honest critics. You make this university flourish. And I’m so very proud to say that We Are You.

Thank you again for all that you give to Rutgers. Through you, we are doing the work to make New Jersey, this country, and the world a better place.

We Are You.