Strategic Priorities and Initiatives

We're holistically reimagining the student experience—from enrollment to retention and ultimately graduation—to ensure students are supported in their belonging and well-being, and best prepared to succeed in their academic and co-curricular pursuits and life after graduation.

The Graduate Education and Student Support Initiative seeks to improve the graduate student experience through enhanced coordination of recruitment, enrollment management, scholarships, academic support, and support for graduate student life. 

This signature Rutgers–New Brunswick program aims to make college more accessible and affordable, offering a "last dollar" financial aid award that covers the cost of in-state tuition and mandatory fees. The Scarlet Guarantee is a supplemental program to the Garden State Guarantee.

Students can graduate on time and minimize their educational costs if they complete 15 or more credits per semester. The 15+ to Finish initiative helps students get there by connecting them with academic, wellness, and career support services, and opportunities for experiential learning and involvement.

To help our students make the most of their Rutgers–New Brunswick education, the Teaching, Learning, and Inclusive Pedagogy Initiative empowers our faculty with best practices and an approach to teaching that engages the background and learning style of all students.

ScarletWell is a public health and prevention-focused approach to mental health and wellness for our students, faculty, and staff. The ScarletWell Task Force will make recommendations for Rutgers–New Brunswick’s wellness initiatives and will develop a strategy for establishing our institution as a center of excellence in behavioral health.

Our aim is to adopt the means for the cohesive, coherent, and collaborative integration of diversity and inclusion into New Brunswick’s shared pursuit of excellence.

With a $15M investment over the next five years, Rutgers will create interdisciplinary scholarly communities across our diverse academic units to focus on climate and sustainability, data science, and artificial intelligence, among other pressing global issues.

Rutgers–New Brunswick proudly connects students with hands-on, experiential opportunities for research, internships, and public service. Inspired by the success of the Rutgers Summer Service Internship Initiative, the new Rutgers Distinction Initiative will focus on expanding industry and community partnerships.

Rutgers has committed to investing $5M over five years for infrastructure repairs and upgrades. Students are a top priority in this effort, which includes the development of collaborative and innovative spaces.

Rutgers–New Brunswick strives to serve the common good as a driver of economic opportunity and community engagement, and is working toward recognition by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University.