High Impact

For the first time in its history, Rutgers raised more than $200 million in an academic year. Between July 1, 2016,  and June 30, 2017, Rutgers brought  in $209.1 million in new gifts and pledges—11 percent more than in academic year  2015, which had set a record of $187.9 million. Donor support of the university will have an impact on a range of areas and programs at Rutgers, from new theatrical productions to research on the effect  of nuclear conflict, and from new undergraduate scholarships to best-in-class athletic programs.

Gifts of all sizes contributed to the milestone and reflect how the Rutgers community came together to realize the university’s bold ambitions. A record number of donors—49,736—made the gifts,  coinciding with an impressive increase in the number who made gifts of $1 million or more. Gifts totaling more than $124 million, compared to $83 million in academic year 2016, were made by these donors, including more than $41 million in new bequest intentions.

Here are a few examples of how private investment is fueling Rutgers’ momentum and ensuring a bright future for the university and the people and causes it reaches worldwide through education, research, and service.

$1.37 Million—Honors Education
The Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University–Newark will provide leadership development and scholarships for students in the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network through a  $1.37 million grant from the Pussycat Foundation. The private foundation was established to honor longtime Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown.

$18 Million—Student-Athletes
The RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, a multisport training complex and home to a sports medicine program, will prepare Scarlet Knights student-athletes to perform at a championship level, thanks to an  $18 million investment by RWJBarnabas Health.

$11 Million—Healthy New Jersey Residents
Adults with autism will receive assistance in leading independent and fulfilling lives through a $1 million gift to the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services from Sharon Karmazin DC’67, SCILS’69. Improving the health of Garden State residents is the goal of several grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, including $5 million to enhance and expand the Child Health Institute of New Jersey at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; $4.18 million to promote effective health policy in New Jersey and support the New Jersey Health Care Policy Center’s State Health Initiatives program; and $998,900 to help researchers assess community activities and assist organizations in building a culture of health in New Jersey.

$9 Million—Faculty Achievement
The holder of the new Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University–New Brunswick will address the ways technology and new media are reshaping culture and will develop programs to promote a more inclusive media landscape. More than 430 donors made gifts totaling $3 million to establish this endowed chair. Another new endowed chair is the Herman L. and Marilyn M. Wissman Chair in Economics at Rutgers University–Camden, created by Marian Wissman through a bequest intention of  $3 million. The chair, which will attract an exceptional scholar, is the second in Rutgers–Camden’s history. Research on the impact of nuclear war being conducted by Alan Robock at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences is being supported by a grant of $2.98 million from the Good Ventures Foundation, created by Dustin Moskovitz, a Facebook cofounder, and his wife, Cari Tuna.

$5.2 Million—Access and Excellence
Rutgers undergraduates and middle and high school students from around the state will benefit from investments by Gary M. RC’74 and Barbara W. DC’76 Rodkin and the Rodkin Family Foundation in programs at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. Their gifts of $3.2 million will establish the Rodkin Science Scholars Endowment and the Rodkin Global Service-Learning Scholars Endowment and benefit the Douglass Residential College Global Village International Service-Learning Fund. The gifts will also be used to mentor underrepresented students, preparing them for college through the Rutgers Future Scholars program.

The memory of Jayceryll Malabuyoc de Chavez LC’99, who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, will be honored through gifts to an endowed scholarship and endowed excellence fund at Rutgers Business School. The support, totaling $1 million, was provided by de Chavez’s sister, Aimee Ramcharran PHARM’04, and his parents, Bibiano and Asuncion de Chavez.

Talented students reflecting the diversity of New Jersey and the nation will receive life-changing scholarships through a gift of  $1 million from the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation for Rutgers Law School and the Mason Gross School of the Arts.

To read about the impact of other significant gifts to Rutgers, visit support.rutgers.edu/notablegifts.