Announcing the Vice Chancellor for Access and Community Engagement

April 15, 2025

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,
 
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Tiffiny Butler has been appointed Vice Chancellor for Access and Community Engagement.
 
In this role, Dr. Butler will lead a newly integrated portfolio that brings together our efforts around educational access and community-based partnerships. This integration reflects national trends in higher education and aligns with our Academic Master Plan, which identifies Community Engagement as one of four institutional pillars of excellence. It also builds on Rutgers’ long-standing recognition in this area, including our Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement and recent designation by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University.
 
Rutgers–New Brunswick is deeply committed to expanding opportunity, strengthening our communities, and serving as a catalyst for shared progress. Community engagement animates our academic enterprise, connecting students with experiential learning through civic service; our research enterprise, where faculty collaborate with local and global partners on issues such as food insecurity, health disparities, and climate resilience; and our service enterprise, which includes a wide range of community partnerships across the state and beyond.
 
By aligning the leadership of these efforts with a focus on access, we aim to build a more connected, visible, and sustainable infrastructure for impact.
 
Dr. Butler brings both experience and a deep personal commitment to educational equity and civic engagement. Since joining Rutgers in 2021, she has served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Equity, and most recently as Interim Vice Chancellor for the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement. In these roles, she has worked to ensure that students have access to the academic, social, and cultural resources essential for their success and well-being. She has also led the implementation of Phase 2 of the university’s strategic plan to foster equity and belonging and helped advance the Community Engagement Pillar of the Academic Master Plan.
 
Under her leadership, Rutgers–New Brunswick hosted the Progress Showcase in partnership with the equity and inclusion working group and participated in the universitywide Task Force on Civic Engagement and Public Service. Dr. Butler continues to partner with Provost Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke on the renewal of our Carnegie Classification and supports the Rutgers Collaborative Center for Community Engagement in developing reciprocal, sustainable partnerships with community organizations.
 
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Butler and supporting this exciting next step for Rutgers–New Brunswick—one that furthers our commitment to access, belonging, and the many forms of engagement that define our public mission in teaching, research, and service.

Sincerely,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor and Distinguished Professor
Rutgers University–New Brunswick