Rutgers’ commemoration of its 250th anniversary went into high gear during the spring as numerous events took place  throughout the university—and further afield. From prominent speakers and artists to alumni, faculty, and students, everyone got  into the spirit of exploring the history of Rutgers as well as the issues germaine to a contemporary American research  university—and the society that it reflects. (For more information, visit 250.rutgers.edu.)

Rutgers 250th Anniversary Events

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Top row, left to right: State legislators, alumni, and university supporters pose by the RevolUtionary monument in front of the New Jersey State House in Trenton. Lauren Mims, assistant director for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, speaks at “Bright Futures: Improving Education and Transforming Outcomes for Girls of Color,” presented by Rutgers University–Camden and Educational Testing Service. The Rutgers Symphony Orchestra and Kirkpatrick Choir perform together at Lincoln Center in New York City. Inset: President Barchi, left, and U.S. senator Robert Menendez NLAW’79 confer at a congressional reception at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. Bottom row, left to right: Faith Ringgold stands before her artwork, which was part of Jazz @ Rutgers: Music, Art, and the Written Word at Rutgers University–Newark. The Rutgers 250th Anniversary Presidential Symposium on Higher Education features William Bowen, president emeritus of Princeton University. Sonia Sotomayor, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, is hosted by the Eagleton Institute of Politics, which is led by Ruth Mandel (right). Craig Steven Wilder, a professor of American history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presents “Rutgers and Slavery: A History.” Both events took place at Rutgers University– New Brunswick.

Photography by Nick Romanenko; Marty Katz; Roy Groething; courtesy of Educational Testing Service (ETS)