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About

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was founded in 1766 and for over 250 years, it has upheld a tradition of rising to the challenges of each new generation and charting a course for the future. One of the nation’s oldest and largest institutions of higher education, Rutgers is among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse public research and land-grant universities. In 1864, Rutgers-New Brunswick was designated as the land-grant institution of New Jersey, and in 1880, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) was established. Today, NJAES consists of 17 off-campus research farms, marine stations, and business incubators that serve the needs of the state through research and outreach. Under NJAES is Rutgers Cooperative Extension, which was established in 1914, and reaches its constituents across the state through its cooperative extension offices in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

Goals

As one of Chancellor Francine Conway’s strategic priorities and initiatives, Rutgers-New Brunswick is conducting a self-study to better coordinate and assess the ways in which the university fosters innovation, talent development, and economic prosperity. The self-study aims to collect information from stakeholders through a series of surveys, focus groups, interviews, and workshops that will be conducted from April 2023 to January 2024 and is further described here. The results of the self-study will then be used to achieve the following goals:

  1. Obtain the Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) designation from the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU).
  2. Development of a dynamic website that connects users to the various innovation and economic programs and initiatives offered at Rutgers-New Brunswick.
  3. Publication of a Rutgers-New Brunswick Innovation and Economic Prosperity report that highlights selected initiatives that foster innovation while promoting economic enterprise.
  4. Publication of a Rutgers-New Brunswick Economic Prosperity Growth and Improvement Plan.
  5. Coordination of new public-private partnerships, coalitions, collaboratives, and initiatives across the Rutgers-New Brunswick community.

Academic Master Plan

The Academic Master Plan for Rutgers University-New Brunswick is based on the pursuit of excellence, with the four pillars of excellence standing upon a foundation of resources. As part of the IEP self-study, we will evaluate how the University supports innovation and economic prosperity across the four pillars and the foundation of resources. We will also evaluate collaborations with internal and external partners and identify areas for improvement. 

 

 

Diversity Strategic Plan

As part of the IEP self-study, we will assess how Rutgers University-New Brunswick achieves the goals of the Diversity Strategic Plan while conducting activities that foster innovation and economic prosperity. We will ask questions of how diverse communities are developed and how inclusive scholarship and teaching are fostered. Where there is community engagement, we will document the measures that are taken to ensure that the engagement is sustainable and substantive.

APLU IEP Designation

In July 2024, Rutgers-New Brunswick was awarded the IEP designation from the APLU for demonstrating outstanding programs that enable the university to maximize the economic and community engagement impact of the institution, as well as a strong plan for growth and improvement to further build these capabilities. Rutgers-New Brunswick joins the ranks of about 80 higher education institutions holding this designation.