Remembering Professor Ruth B. Mandel

April 13, 2020

Dear Members of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Community:

By now you have likely heard about the passing of Professor Ruth B. Mandel, who served as director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics for nearly a quarter century. A link to her obituary in the New York Times is available here.

Professor Mandel was a trailblazer in the field of politics for five decades, first as a founder and director of Eagleton's Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and then as director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics.

When CAWP was founded in 1971, some observers thought it was a pointless exercise. The minimal presence of women in public office suggested to some that the subject was hardly a phenomenon worthy of study. But Professor Mandel built CAWP into a national center with multi-faceted research, education, public service and information programs about women's political participation. During her tenure at Eagleton, the Institute launched new research and education initiatives in youth political engagement, governors and state executive leadership, science and politics, immigrant political behavior and ethics in government. The Institute's education programs for Rutgers' graduate and undergraduate students expanded in size and scope, attracting support from new state and private resources and growing its state and national outreach and service.

Professor Mandel was an accomplished faculty member who received numerous, well-deserved honors of distinction, including being named as the Board of Governors Professor of Politics.

Last August, when she announced she was stepping down as Eagleton's director, Mandel said: "I am proud of Eagleton's longstanding, nationally respected centers and programs, as well as the groundbreaking new ones that have been initiated and nurtured under my watch, the hundreds of students who have passed through our doors and the impressive and collegial faculty and staff who have been attracted to the institute and, in many cases, continued to work here almost as long as me."

We are the proud ones to have had Dr. Mandel's expertise, wisdom and significant scholarly achievements be a cornerstone of Rutgers’ excellence for so many years. Please join me in extending condolences to her family, colleagues, students and friends.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Molloy, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Rutgers­–New Brunswick