Four men of the Rutgers–Camden Alumni House Committee

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OPEN HOUSE: Standing before the building that will soon become the Rutgers–Camden Alumni House are (from the left) Cal Maradonna, Jim Rhodes, Charles Ivory, and Dean Ragone. The four men are chairs of the Rutgers–Camden Alumni House Committee.

Photography: 
Nick Romanenko

This fall, Homecoming will take on new meaning for Rutgers–Camden alumni as they become the first graduates to come home to an official Alumni House. “It will be a real point of pride for Camden grads,” says Jim Rhodes, a chair of the Rutgers–Camden Alumni House Committee. “With recent campus uncertainty behind us, the Alumni House becomes a reality during a time of unprecedented growth and new collaborations.”

New construction abounds on the Camden Campus, from new academic space to student activity space. “The campus is on an upward trajectory. This house will be a place for alumni to come together to celebrate and take part in our alma mater’s transformation,” says Rhodes CCAS’94.

Camden alumni will be the primary users of the facility, but Rutgers alumni from all schools and campuses will be welcome. “The house is physically located in Camden, but we see it as a central place where all members of the Rutgers alumni community can gather,” says Dean Ragone, another chair of the committee, along with Charles Ivory CCAS’69 and Rory “Cal” Maradonna CCAS’74, SBC’79.

Renovations have already begun in the former Red Cross building, located at 312 Cooper Street. The two-and-a-half-story house, which will have more than 8,000 square feet, will retain much of its original structure and serve as an alumni welcome center, event space, and destination for presenting historical and present knowledge about the Rutgers–Camden Campus.

Many alumni groups and other donors have already signed on to name rooms and architectural elements at the house, and others have contributed toward the brick campaign. The Rutgers University Camden Alumni Association has made a substantial pledge to support the project and the exciting advancements happening on campus.

“We could not have gotten this far without the support of our alumni,” says Ragone CCAS’81. “The house is going to be a hub of activity for years to come, and we hope that alumni will continue to support it and take advantage of it.”