Art history professor Jane Sharp teaches "Art and Power: The Visual and Literary Culture of the Soviet Century" taking place in the Zimmerli Art Museum Upper Dodge Gallery

Classroom Enrichment Funding Initiative

What is "Classroom Enrichment"?

The Classroom Enrichment Activity Funding initiative offers funds to instructors teaching an undergraduate course at Rutgers–New Brunswick. The initiative aims to create experiential learning opportunities for students that bridge classroom learning with real-world application. Small grants are provided to offset the costs of such activities, which could include:

Field trips, including tickets for museums or performances and local transportation (e.g., charter bus, NJ Transit),
Honoraria for guest speakers,*
Expendable supplies or services directly related to the activity, or
Other creative activities that provide interactions and/or hands-on experiences beyond a typical classroom experience.

Faculty also receive dedicated administrative support in coordinating the activity (e.g., processing honoraria, coordinating and purchasing transportation, etc.)

*Note: honoraria cannot be issued for Rutgers employees, LLCs, or corporations.

Eligibility Requirements for Funding

The activity must be associated with an undergraduate course taught at Rutgers–New Brunswick.
The activity must be clearly connected to learning goals and integrated throughout the course through preparation and follow-up.

Cultivate Creative Learning Opportunities

Here are some recent examples of classroom enrichment activities:

Chief muppet designer speaking with Rutgers students as part of a classroom enrichment activity for a Children in Media course

Sesame Workshop

Students in Amy Jordan's "Children in Media" course visited Sesame Workshop in New York City to learn from employees at every level what it means to work at a media production company. The students met with researchers who conducted studies that tested the educational effectiveness of Sesame Street, learned tips for networking, and toured the studio of the chief Muppet designer.

Colgate Recycling Center

Students in Patricia Santos's "Sustainable Packaging" course toured the Colgate Recycling Center in New Brunswick and observed the challenges of sorting and recovering packaging waste. By understanding the recycling center process and equipment capabilities, they, as future engineers, can better design packages that are easily recovered and processed as post-consumer recycled content.

New Jersey Devils Game

Students taking Ryan Greenbaum's "Human Resources Management" course had the opportunity to attend a New Jersey Devils game at the Prudential Center in Newark, tour the facility, and engage in a Q&A session with managers in human resources, facility operations, and sales. The students were given a glimpse of what the day-to-day operations look like for a manager in preparing the arena for the game, answering questions, and delegating tasks.

The visit to the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) in Trenton gave our students a unique opportunity to observe real-world cybersecurity operations, interact with industry professionals, and gain practical insights that significantly enhanced their understanding of the course material.

Niloufer Tamboly

Part-time faculty, School of Communication and Information

Wrought iron gates open onto Old Queens buildings at Rutgers–New Brunswick

About the Initiative

Funded by the Office of the Provost and led by Vice Provost for Experiential Learning, Dr. Charles Keeton, the program echoes the Academic Master Plan and Discovery Advantage report, which promotes student learning through hands-on experiences and interactions with different communities that help students connect course content with the real world.

Explore the Academic Master Plan

Submit a Proposal

Let us help you create invaluable experiences for your students outside of the classroom. Funding is limited, and proposals are accepted on a monthly basis. Proposals received by 11:59 p.m. on the first day of each month will be reviewed within approximately 10 days. Department matching is encouraged, if available, but not required.

Fill out the form to submit a classroom enrichment funding proposal for the Academic Year 24-25. Please use the May deadline to submit activities for Summer Session 2025.

Submit a Funding Proposal
Fill out the form to submit a classroom enrichment funding proposal for the Academic Year 25-26. Please use the May deadline to submit activities for Summer Session 2026.

Submit a Funding Proposal