On the Passing of Mark Schuster, Dean for Graduate Student Life

November 19, 2021

Dear Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Community:

With great sadness, I share the news that Mark Schuster, Dean for Graduate Student Life, passed away on November 18. My deepest condolences go out to Mark’s friends, family, and colleagues, and to the students who knew him. His loss will reverberate across our university.

Mark spent more than 30 years as a member of the Rutgers community, having joined Rutgers–Newark’s Department of Residence Life in 1991. After leaving to teach and attend the University of Iowa, he returned to Rutgers in 2000. He worked as Rutgers College’s Assistant Dean, then as Senior Dean of Students for the integrated Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and in 2016 became our inaugural Dean for Graduate Student Life, during which he advocated tirelessly for our graduate and professional students, and worked to provide them with a vibrant student experience.

Mark has made a lasting impact throughout our community. In addition to mentoring and supporting the development of students and staff at all levels, he played an instrumental role in establishing student support initiatives. He created Project Civility, a two-year initiative, beginning in 2010, that worked to foster tolerance and respectful discussion among faculty, staff, and students. He created our first Office of the Dean of Students. He established emergency assistance programs to address student issues in a timely manner, in support of their long-term success. As Senior Dean of Students he developed new processes of care for students in crisis and need, including the creation of our safety intervention policy.

In addition to the care and attention he gave all students, Mark was a champion for social justice and LGBTQA+ rights. Most recently, he helped plan and implement Affirming Medical and Mental Health Care for LGBTQAI+ Communities, a colloquium that convened experts from the medical, mental health, social sciences, and humanities fields to discuss communities that have faced discrimination in health care.

Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick community who wish to make a donation in Mark’s name may consider giving to the LGBTQA Student Fund, which Mark helped establish, by visiting go.rutgers.edu/MarkSchuster. Mark’s family has informed us that a public service is not being planned at this time.

While we mourn the loss of our dear colleague, let us take his example of care and support for his fellow human beings as a torch to light our path toward building a community of respect and generosity at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Mark made a real difference in the lives of so many of our students and employees. I am proud to honor his legacy with you.

Sincerely,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers University–New Brunswick