April Brings May Flowers – and Rutgers Day
A Celebration of Everything Rutgers
The state university's big day boasts activities for everyone.
The university’s flagship event on Saturday, April 26, offers hundreds of activities and programs for all. Here are some suggested itineraries.
The massive celebration that is Rutgers Day is nearly here.
The spring event at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, featuring more than 400 programs and activities, is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, on Busch campus in Piscataway, N.J., and the College Avenue and Cook/Douglass campuses in New Brunswick, N.J.
“Rutgers Day has something for everyone,” said Melissa Selesky, senior director of strategic events and programs for Rutgers Communications and Marketing. “Whether you love the arts, sports, horticulture, science and engineering, health and wellness or exploring different cultures, you'll find it here.”
Selesky added, “We're proud to showcase all that Rutgers has to offer to New Jersey and beyond.”
Making a comeback this year is the Rutgers Gardens plant sale, which will be held at the Cook/Douglass location (by the Floriculture Greenhouse on Red Oak Lane) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Rutgers Gardens sale will feature perennials and annuals, while members of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County will be selling perennial wildflowers and other native plants.
“These vibrant plants not only brighten up your space, but also support butterflies, birds and essential pollinators,” the organizers noted in their program description.
Organizers and participants of the New Jersey Folk Festival are celebrating the event’s 50th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. near Passion Puddle on the George H. Cook campus in New Brunswick. (It’s across from Martin Hall on Lipman Drive.) The festival features live local musicians and folklorists performing on multiple stages as well as folklife demonstrations, children's activities, a jam tent and food vendors.
“Rutgers Day is a proud tradition that showcases the very best of our university,” said Patricia Kastner, associate director of strategic events and programs for Rutgers Communications and Marketing. “It’s incredible to welcome thousands of visitors to experience the energy, creativity and innovation that define Rutgers. From engaging programs led by our talented students, faculty, staff and alumni to interactive exhibits and performances, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”
Moreover, food vendors will be at all Rutgers Day locations: College Avenue, Busch and Cook/Douglass, Kastner said.
Whether it’s your first time attending Rutgers Day or you’re a veteran of the annual event, there are many things to do. Here are recommendations for students, prospective students and their parents, families with children and other members of the Rutgers community.
The Rutgers Community
Rutgers Day is a chance for alums to reconnect and give all members of the Rutgers community, including family of Rutgers students, a chance to have a little college fun.
Things Kick Off With a Parade on College Avenue – Members of the Marching Scarlet Knights will strut theirs during the Rutgers Day parade (starting at 10:30 a.m. along Seminary Place). Marching band representatives also will host a table on Voorhees Mall featuring drums for visitors to pound.
Get a Check-Up at the Health Village on Busch – Focused on Rutgers Health programs and other health-related initiatives, the Health Village on Busch campus features free blood pressure and other health screenings as well as:
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Don a surgical gown, grab some surgical tools and perform surgery on Jell-O brains alongside actual Rutgers neurosurgeons.
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Get hands-on with prosthetic devices and meet doctors who turn innovation into reality at the “Try Your Hand at Prosthetics” program.
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Test your motor skills at the “Occupational Therapy in Action: Games that Improve Life” section hosted by students in the university’s occupational therapy assistant program.
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And don’t forget this photo opportunity and a Health Village staple: a giant, inflatable “colon” that people may walk through.
Alumni, Assemble – Catch up with old friends at various alumni gatherings:
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Share your Scarlet Knight spirit at the Rutgers Alumni Headquarters on Cook/Douglass. Reconnect with old friends, celebrate your Rutgers journey and learn about alumni opportunities.
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Celebrate Black contributions to the community and enjoy interactive performances and storytelling sessions as various members of the community, alumni and student organizations gather with the Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance and the Class of 1971 at the Paul Robeson Plaza on College Avenue.
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Also at Cook/Douglass is the Cook Community Alumni Association tent, where visitors may purchase exclusive gear, reconnect with friends and support student scholarships.
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Former members of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Honors Program reconnect with fellow alumni and current students and meet parents and family on Cook/Douglass.
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In addition, there are individual alumni events, including: the Latino Alumni Association of Rutgers University on College Avenue; The Rutgers food science alumni ice cream gathering on Cook; and the landscape architecture alumni gathering at Blake Hall on Cook.
Join the R Family – Stop by Voorhees Mall (College Avenue) to meet members of the R Family Council and the Office of Parent and Family Engagement, snap a selfie at the R Family Hub and celebrate the Scarlet Knight spirit.
Ready for Some Rutgers Football Fun? – The annual Scarlet-White Game, a preseason scrimmage between members of the Rutgers football team, is back on Busch campus at SHI Stadium. Pregame festivities include the Rutgers Boardwalk on the field, featuring free rides, free games and free prizes. The game, which airs live on the Big Ten Network, kicks off at 2 p.m., with gates opening at 1 p.m. Parking and admission are free.
At Cook/Douglass, It’s Ag Field Day – Presented by the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, adults and children may learn more about the university’s environmental and agriculture-related programs and meet farm animals raised by students. Events include student exhibitions of cows, goats, horses, pigs and sheep.
Families With Children
Rutgers Day is all about family fun and features hands-on activities for children and parents.
Tour (and Get Creative at) the Zimmerli – Children and families are welcome at the Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick (College Avenue). Stop by for a variety of activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., including a scavenger hunt, drop-in art making and tours of exhibitions and permanent collection galleries, which are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Faraday Physics Lecture Features Laughs and Learning – This popular show, a humor-charged physics demonstration and talk, is for children of all ages. It begins at 2:30 p.m. in the Physics Lecture Hall at 120 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, N.J., on Busch campus.
Give Your Teddy Bear a Checkup – Medical students from the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Office of Community Health-backed Homeless and Indigent Population Health Outreach Project are offering mock physicals for plush pals. Members of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital are hosting a teddy bear clinic, too. Both are at the Health Village on Busch campus.
Check Out Shellfish Science and Sea Creatures – Young research scientists are encouraged to meet live sea creatures, explore touch tanks and create shell-inspired crafts to take home.
Make Friends With Farm Critters at the Petting Zoo – Piglets, lambs and kids will be on hand for visitors young and old to meet and greet on Cook/Douglass in the Round House off College Farm Road. Presented by the Veterinary Science Club. There also are animal handling and fitting shows of beef cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and horses at the Red Barn on College Farm Road.
Prospective Students and Their Parents
Thinking about going to school here? Rutgers Day is a fantastic way for prospective students and their families to experience what the university has to offer.
Tour the R Garden at College Avenue – Here's a Rutgers Day staple (and a good spot to snap selfies) on grassy, shady Voorhees Mall. Walk through this art installation made of 3-D Rutgers “R” sculptures and decorate your own paper “R” to hang on lines and spread some Rutgers pride.
Departments and Clubs Represent on Voorhees Mall – Professors, staff and students from various school departments and clubs at Rutgers-New Brunswick will be on hand at Voorhees Mall (College Avenue) to highlight programs and offer some Rutgers Day fun. For example, members of the French department will have authentic pastries for visitors to taste.
Become a Lifesaver With MedicZero – Take part in free, hands-only CPR training provided by members of MedicZero, a nonprofit organization founded by Rutgers alumni, behind Van Dyke Hall on College Avenue campus.
Race to the Engineering Science Fair – Activities presented by members of the School of Engineering at Busch include a race demonstration on Lot 59 by members of Rutgers Formula Racing. Members of the school also are offering glass glowing (in Building A, Room 113) a fiber glass insulation cotton candy activity and an engineering student barbecue.
Making Stuff at the Makerspace Place on Busch – Rutgers Makerspace, with locations at College Avenue and Livingston campuses, features do-it-yourself equipment for Rutgers students, staff and faculty. Test 3D printers, a laser cutter and a virtual welding station at the Makerspace tent at the back of the Busch Student Center.
Students
There’s plenty to do for Rutgers students, too.
Performance Galore at Big R Stages at Busch and College Avenue – Dancing groups, bands and solo artists will perform during Rutgers Day.
Sink Your Fangs Into a Marathon Reading – Take to the stage on Voorhees Mall (College Avenue campus) to read passages from Bram Stoker's “Dracula.” Presented by the Department of English and the Writers House, an undergraduate learning community. Participants receive a free copy of the book.
Sample Handcrafted Ice Cream Made by Rutgers Students – Enjoy a scoop (or two) of ice cream made by members of the Rutgers Food Science Club at Cook/Douglass.
Learn Dorm Room Fire Safety – Witness a side-by-side “dorm room” fire demonstration (one has fire sprinklers; the other doesn’t) at Cook/Douglass presented by the Rutgers Emergency Services Fire Systems Bureau, the New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and the Sprinkler Fitters Local 696 union. The controlled burn starts at 2 p.m.
Catch the Seeing-Eye Dog Show – Meet puppies in training to become guide dogs and watch them demonstrate their obedience skills. The show, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Skelly Field on Cook/Douglass, is presented by the Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club, which raises puppies for The Seeing Eye Inc., a Morristown, N.J.-based national nonprofit group.
