An 1825 donation from Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist Colonel Henry Rutgers (1745–1830) reopened the school after many years of financial problems. The Trustees renamed Queen's College to Rutgers College to honor his generosity.
This is an enumeration of notable people affiliated with Rutgers University, including graduates of the undergraduate and graduate and professional programs at all three campuses, former students who did not graduate or receive their degree, presidents of the university, current and former professors, as well as members of the board of trustees and board of governors, and coaches affiliated with the university's athletic program. Also included are characters in works of fiction (books, films, television shows, et cetera) who have been mentioned or were depicted as having an affiliation with Rutgers, either as a student, alumnus, or member of the faculty.
Some noted alumni and faculty may be also listed in the main Rutgers University article or in some of the affiliated articles. Individuals are sorted by category and alphabetized within each category. Default campus for listings is the New Brunswick campus, the system's largest campus, with Camden and Newark campus affiliations noted in parentheses.
Presidents of Rutgers University
The Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was the driving force behind establishing the college. Hardenbergh traveled to England in 1763 to lobby King George III on the proposal and, in 1766, obtained a charter from New Jersey's provisional governor, William Franklin.[1][2]
Since 1785, twenty men have served as the institution's president, beginning with Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1735–1790), a Dutch Reformed clergyman who was responsible for establishing the college.[1][2] Before 1930, most of the university's presidents (eight of the twelve) were clergymen affiliated with Christian denominations in the Reformed tradition (either Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, or German Reformed). Presidents Hasbrouck (1840–1850), Frelinghuysen (1850–1862), Gates (1882–1890), and Scott (1891–1906) were all laymen.[3][4] Two presidents were alumni of Rutgers College: William H. S. Demarest (Class of 1883) and Philip Milledoler Brett (Class of 1892).[5][6][7] The current president is Jonathan Holloway (born 1976). Holloway, a U.S. historian, is the first person of color to lead Rutgers University.[8] The president serves in an ex officio capacity as a presiding officer within the university's 59-member Board of Trustees and its eleven-member Board of Governors, and is appointed by these boards to oversee day-to-day operations of the university across its three campuses. He is charged with implementing board policies with the help and advice of senior administrators and other members of the university community." The president is responsible only to those two governing boards—there is no oversight by state officials. Frequently, the president also occupies a professorship in his academic discipline and engages in instructing students.[9]
Frank Iero, guitarist and backup vocals for the band My Chemical Romance; lead singer of post-hardcore/screamo band Leathermouth; co-founder of the Skeleton Crew company (dropped out, was on a scholarship)
Bob Lloyd, NBA: 1967–1968 professional player with the New York Nets; CEO of Mindscape; Chairman of the V Foundation[35] for Cancer Research which honors the memory of his former Rutgers backcourt teammate, Jim "Jimmy V." Valvano[34]
Cappie Pondexter, Class of 2006, 2nd overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury; 2008 Summer Olympic gold medalist for United States Women's Basketball in Beijing
Alex Treves (born 1929), Italian-born American Olympic fencer, won the NCAA saber title in both 1949 and 1950, was undefeated in three years of competing in college.
Stuart Diamond, The Wharton School of business, Professor of Negotiations, Legal Studies Department; A.B. 1970, J.D. Harvard, 1990, M.B.A. Wharton (Univ of PA), 1992.
James Dale, B.A. 1993, respondent in Boy Scouts of America et al. v. Dale
Simeon De Witt, A.B. 1776, Surveyor-General for the Continental Army, 1776–1783, and the State of New York, 1784–1834
Michael DuHaime, B.A., 1995, Campaign Manager, Rudy Giuliani for President, 2008; Political Director, Republican National Committee, 2005–2006; Regional Political Director, Bush-Cheney '04, 2003–2004
Richard Fink, B.A. in Economics founded the Center for Study of Market Processes at Rutgers University. After the Koch brothers donated $30 million, it moved to George Mason University in the 1980s and in 1999 it became the Mercatus Center.
Geoffrey H. Moore was the ninth U.S. Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He was known as the father of Business Cycles. He was a graduate of the College of Agriculture at Rutgers University intent on a career in poultry after having worked after school and summers for a chicken farmer.[73][74][75]
George Norcross (Camden, attended), Democratic Party fundraiser, insurance and media executive
Janet Norwood served as the first female Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics when she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter. She graduated from the New Jersey College of Women, which is now Douglass Residential College, in 1945 and inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 1987 Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
Hazel O'Leary J.D., U.S. Secretary of Energy (1993–1997)
Joy Ogwu, Nigerian representative to the UN and former Foreign Minister.[76]
David Oh, J.D 1985 (Camden), Philadelphia City Councilperson and 2023 mayoral candidate.[77]
Edward J. Patten, J.D. 1927 (Newark), U.S. House of Representatives (1963–1980)
Rudy Rucker, Masters and PhD in mathematics, author of science fiction as well as non-fiction books on mathematics, computer programming, and the future of technology
Selman Waksman, Class of 1915, discovered 22 antibiotics, best known for streptomycin; Nobel laureate. Waksman Institute of Microbiology and Waksman Hall are named in his honor
Religion
Eugene Augustus Hoffman (A.Bz. 1847), Dean and "Our Most Munificent Benefactor" of The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (New York City)
Matthew Leydt (A.B. 1774), Rutgers' first alumnus and Dutch-Reformed Minister
William P. Merrill (D.D. 1904), first president on the Church Peace Union, writer of "Rise Up, O Men of God"
Mir Imran, Class of 1976, BS Electrical Engineering (1976), MS Bio Engineering (1978), winner of 2005 Rutgers University Distinguished Engineer Award
Sachidananda Kangovi, Class of 1982, known for developing 'Service Linked Multi-State' system (SLIMS), a critical part of the Telecom provisioning and activation system
Emma Amos, professor of fine arts; postmodernist painter and printmaker; member of Spiral; editorial board member of feminist journal Heresies; member of Fantastic Women in the Arts
René Joyeuse MD, MS, FACS, Office of Strategic ServicesAllied intelligence agent during World War II, CMDNJ Assistant Professor of Surgery, co-founder of the American Trauma Society, involved in training physicians and EMS personnel in trauma care.
James Oleske MD, is the emeritus François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He was one of the first physicians to recognize that children could be infected with HIV/AIDS.
Mary G. Boland MSN, RN, FAAN, is the emeritus François-Xavier Bagnoud Chair of Nursing at the School of Nursing of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (later Rutgers University College of Nursing); Associate Dean emeritus for community programs at the Rutgers University College of Nursing.
Martin Yarmush, professor of biomedical and chemical & biochemical engineering, Fellow: US National Academy of Inventors and US National Academy of Engineering
Lujendra Ojha, assistant professor of planetary sciences.
Michael Kulikowski, Professor of History at the University of Tennessee and author of Late Roman Spain and Its Cities (Johns Hopkins University Press), 2004, and Rome's Gothic Wars from the Third Century to Alaric (Cambridge University Press)
^ abRutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh – Queen's College President, 1786 to 1790". Retrieved December 20, 2014. Thomas J. Frusciano, Rutgers University Archivist, authored the biographical sketches of the first 17 presidents of Rutgers in an article originally appearing in a special commemorative issue of The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. [Vol. 53, No. 1 (1991). See citation below.]
^Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: Past Presidents". Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014. Thomas J. Frusciano, Rutgers University Archivist, authored the biographical sketches of the first 17 presidents of Rutgers in an article originally appearing in a special commemorative issue of The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. [Vol. 53, No. 1 (1991). See citation below.]
^Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "[Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History:] William Henry Steele Demarest, Rutgers President, 1906 to 1924". Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014. Thomas J. Frusciano, Rutgers University Archivist, authored the biographical sketches of the first 17 presidents of Rutgers in an article originally appearing in a special commemorative issue of The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. [Vol. 53, No. 1 (1991). See citation below.]
^Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: Philip M. Brett, Rutgers Acting President, 1930 to 1931". Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014. Thomas J. Frusciano, Rutgers University Archivist, authored the biographical sketches of the first 17 presidents of Rutgers in an article originally appearing in a special commemorative issue of The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. [Vol. 53, No. 1 (1991). See citation below.]
^Seravalli, Frank. "Coyotes' new majority owner has Philly-area ties", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 27, 2015. Accessed March 29, 2023. "Meet Andy Barroway: the 49-year-old hedge-fund manager and lifelong Philadelphian who is now a member of one of the most elite clubs on the planet.... The biggest question for this Cherry Hill East, Rutgers undergrad and Penn Law School grad is: Why the Coyotes?"
