List of presidents of Rutgers University

Old Queens, built 1809–1823, is the oldest building on the Rutgers University campus. In its early days, it housed the school's students and classrooms. Today, it is home to the university's administration.

The president of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (informally called Rutgers University) /ˈrʌtɡərz/ is the chief administrator of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rutgers was founded by clergymen affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church in 1766 as Queen's College and was the eighth-oldest of nine colleges established during the American colonial period. Before 1956, Rutgers was a small liberal arts college and became a full university in 1924 with the offering of graduate degree programs and the establishment of professional schools. Today, Rutgers is a public research university with three campuses in the state located in New Brunswick and Piscataway, Newark, and Camden. The state's flagship university with approximately 65,000 students and employing 20,000 faculty and staff members, Rutgers is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey.

Since 1785, twenty two men have served as the institution's president, beginning with the Reverend Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, a Dutch Reformed clergyman who was responsible for establishing the college.[1][2] Before 1930, most of the university's presidents were clergymen affiliated with Christian denominations in the Reformed tradition (either Dutch or German Reformed, or Presbyterian).[2][3] Two presidents were alumni of Rutgers College—the Rev. William H. S. Demarest (Class of 1883) and Philip Milledoler Brett (Class of 1892).[4][5] The current president William F. Tate IV, who became the university's twenty-second president on July 1, 2025 succeeding Jonathan Holloway. Jonathan Holloway, who is African American, was the first person of color to lead Rutgers University and took office July 1, 2020 and served till June 30, 2025.[6][7]

The president serves in an ex officio capacity as a presiding officer within the university's 59-member board of trustees and its eleven-member board of governors,[8][9] and is appointed by these boards to oversee day-to-day operations of the university across its three campuses. He is charged with implementing "board policies with the help and advice of senior administrators and other members of the university community."[10] The president is responsible only to those two governing boards—there is no oversight by state officials. Frequently, the president also occupies a professorship in his academic discipline and engages in instructing students.

Presidents of Rutgers University

The following twenty two individuals have served as president of Rutgers University from the creation of the office in 1785 to the present. Those marked with their names in bold had graduated from Rutgers. Those marked with "↑" died in office. Where years don't overlap there was a gap of a few months while a suitable candidate was found, this usually occurred when someone died in office, or left unexpectedly to accept another position.

Presidents of Queen's College (1785–1825)

A stained-glass window in Kirkpatrick Chapel, given by the Frelinghuysen family, depicts the signing of the Queen's College charter in 1766.

Rutgers was founded as Queen's College on November 10, 1766, and is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution.[11][12] The university is one of only two colonial colleges that later became public universities.[a]

In the early days of Queen's College, the trustees wrote to the church's leadership in Amsterdam and at the University of Utrecht to seek candidates for the position of president.[11] In their correspondence, they expressed a wish that a prospective college president possess the following characteristics:[11]

  • (1) he was to fill the office of professor of theology,
  • (2) to oversee the instruction in languages through tutors until professors could be secured,
  • (3) to do more or less the work of a minister on the Lord's Day,
  • (4) to be a man of tried piety,
  • (5) to be attached to the Constitution of the Netherlands Church,
  • (6) to be a man of thorough learning,
  • (7) to be good natured,
  • (8) to be free and friendly in conversation,
  • (9) to be master of the English language, and
  • (10) to be pleased to lecture on Marckii Medulla Theologiae Christianae.[b]

Its early history, Rutgers was closely allied with the Dutch Reformed Synod of New York which oversaw financial transactions and early selections of professors for Queen's College and the New Brunswick Theological Seminary.[14][15] The Rev. John Henry Livingston (1746–1825), who served as the college's fourth president and was responsible for establishing the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, was instrumental in raising funds to support the school after several years of being closed resulting from economic difficulties. Just before his death, Livingston raised enough donations and support to place the school on more stable financial footing, including arranging for a generous donation in 1825 from Colonel Henry Rutgers (1745–1830), a wealthy landowner and former Revolutionary War officer from New York City. The trustees of the school renamed the school in honour of Colonel Rutgers in that year.

List of presidents

The following persons have served as president of Rutgers:[2][3]

No. Portrait Name Term start Term end Ref.
Presidents of Queen's College (1785–1825)
1 Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
(1735–1790)		 1786 October 30, 1790[A]↑ [2][3]
2
pro tem		 William Linn [B]
(1752–1808)		 1791 1795 [2][3]
3
pro tem		 Ira Condict [C]
(1764–1811)		 1795 1810 [2][3][16][17][18]
4 John Henry Livingston [D]
(1746–1825)		 1810 January 25, 1825[A]↑ [2][3][19]
Presidents of Rutgers College (1825–1924)
5 Philip Milledoler
(1775–1852)		 1825 1840
6 Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck
(1791–1879)		 1840 1850
7 Theodore Frelinghuysen
(1787–1862)		 1850 April 12, 1862[A]↑

[20] [21] [22]

8 William Henry Campbell
(1808–1890)		 1862 1882
9 Merrill Edwards Gates
(1848–1922)		 1882 1890[E]
10 Austin Scott
(1848–1922)		 1891 1906
11 William Henry Steele Demarest
(1863–1956)		 1906 1924
Presidents of Rutgers University (1924–1945)
12 John Martin Thomas
(1869–1952)		 1925 1930

[23]

13
acting		 Philip Milledoler Brett
(1871–1960)		 1930 1931
14 Robert Clarkson Clothier
(1885–1970)		 1932 1951
Presidents of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (1945–present)
15 Lewis Webster Jones
(1899–1975)		 1951 1958
16 Mason Welch Gross
(1911–1977)		 1959 August 31, 1971
17 Edward J. Bloustein
(1925–1989)		 September 1, 1971 December 9, 1989[A]↑ [24][25][26]
acting T. Alexander Pond
(1924–2010) 		December 1989 October 1990 [27]
18 Francis Leo Lawrence
(1937–2013)		 October 1990 November 30, 2002 [28][29]
19 Richard Levis McCormick
(born 1947)		 December 1, 2002 June 30, 2012 [30][31][32]
interim Richard L. Edwards July 1, 2012 August 31, 2012 [33]
20 Robert Lawrence Barchi
(born 1946)		 September 1, 2012 June 30, 2020 [34][35]
21 Jonathan Scott Holloway
(born 1967)		 July 1, 2020 June 30, 2025[F] [36][37]
22 Portrait of William F. Tate IV William F. Tate IV July 1, 2025 present [38]

Table notes:

  1. ^ a b c d Died in office
  2. ^ Served as president during a time of financial trouble.
  3. ^ Appointed president while college was closed 1795 to 1807. After difficult fundraising effort, Queen's College reopened in 1807
  4. ^ As president, college closed due to financial problems from 1816 to 1825, during this time he raised funds and support to reopen the school.
  5. ^ Resigned to lead Amherst College.
  6. ^ Resigned to lead the Henry Luce Foundation

References

Notes

  1. ^ The other colonial college—the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia—became a state institution by acts of the Virginia legislature in 1888 and 1906.[13]
  2. ^ This would be the Johannis Marckii Christianae Theologiae Medulla Didactico-Elenetica, an exegetic and pedagogic work on Dutch Reformed theology written by Johannes van Marck (1655–1731), professor of divinity at Leiden University (1689–1731), and revised by Willem van Irhoven (1698–1760), a professor of theology and later Rector of the University of Utrecht. First published in 1719 in Latin, the title can be rendered from Latin into English as "Johannes van Marck's The Inner Substance (or Pith or Marrow) of Christian Theology.

Citations

  1. ^ "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh - Queen's College President, 1786 to 1790". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Frusciano, Thomas J. (June 1991). "Leadership on the Banks: Rutgers' Presidents, 1766–2004". The Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries. 53 (1). doi:10.14713/jrul.v53i1.1704.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: Past Presidents". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  4. ^ "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: William Henry Steele Demarest - Rutgers President, 1906 to 1924". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  5. ^ "Rutgers Leaders, Rutgers History: Philip M. Brett - Rutgers Acting President, 1930 to 1931". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  6. ^ "Jonathan Holloway Named 21st President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey". Rutgers Today. January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Rutgers University names its first black president in 253-year history". NBC News. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Governing Boards: Board of Trustees Membership Listing, 2013–2014". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  9. ^ "Governing Boards: Board of Governors Membership Listing, 2013–2014". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  10. ^ "About Rutgers: Vision and Continuity - Leadership and Governance". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Stoeckel, Althea (1976). "Presidents, professors, and politics: the colonial colleges and the American revolution". Conspectus of History. 1 (3): 45–56 – via Ball State University.
  12. ^ "Chapter XXIII. Education. § 13. Colonial Colleges". The Cambridge History of English and American Literature (online ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2000 [1907–1921].
  13. ^ Godson, Susan H.; Johnson, Ludwell H.; Sherman, Richard B. (1994). The College of William and Mary: A History. Williamsburg, Virginia: King and Queen Press. pp. passim. OCLC 28798161.
  14. ^ Demarest, David D. (1885). Centennial of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in America, formerly the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, 1784–1884. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Board of Publication of the Reformed Church in America. pp. passim. OCLC 1404315733 – via HathiTrust.
  15. ^ Hageman, Howard G. (1984). Two Centuries Plus: The Story of the New Brunswick Seminary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdsman Publishing Company. pp. passim. OCLC 10889564.
  16. ^ Centennial, Presbytery of Newton 1817–1917: an adjourned meeting, in the First Presbyterian Church, Washington, N.J.. (Easton, Pennsylvania: Easton Printing Company, 1917), 85.
  17. ^ Steele, Richard Holloway. Historical discourse delivered at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the First Reformed Dutch Church, New Brunswick, N.J., October 1, 1867. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Consistory, 1867), 87.
  18. ^ Pickersgill, Harold E.; Wall, John Patrick. History of Middlesex County, New Jersey: 1664–1920 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1921), 335–336.
  19. ^ Demarest, David D. Centennial of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in America, formerly the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, 1784–1884. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Board of Publication of the Reformed Church in America, 1885), 83–91.
  20. ^ "Frelinghuysen, Theodore, (1787–1862)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–present. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  21. ^ General Alumni Society of New York University. General Alumni Catalogue of New York University, 1833–1905: College, Applied Science, and Honorary Alumni. (Boston: Colonial Press, 1906), 200.
  22. ^ Eells, Robert J. (1987). Forgotten Saint: The Life of Theodore Frelinghuysen: A Case Study of Christian Leadership. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. pp. passim.
  23. ^ "John Martin Thomas Records, 1913–1946". Retrieved August 29, 2013 – via Norwich University Archives and Special Collections.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  24. ^ Narvaez, Alfonso A. (January 20, 1987). "CLASSES DISRUPTED AS EMPLOYEES STRIKE AT 3 RUTGERS CAMPUSES". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  25. ^ Johnston, Richard J. H. (May 15, 1971). "Bennington President to Head Rutgers". The New York Times. p. 1.
  26. ^ Wolff, Craig (December 11, 1989). "Edward J. Bloustein, 64, Is Dead; President of Rutgers Since 1971". The New York Times. p. B13.
  27. ^ "Rutgers Dedicates Science and Engineering Resource Center to Visionary Leader T. Alexander Pond". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. May 2, 2011.
  28. ^ Hanley, Robert (July 19, 1990). "Administrator at Tulane Named to Head Rutgers". The New York Times. p. B2.
  29. ^ Peterson, Iver (February 2, 2002). "Rutgers President Known for Fund-Raising Resigns After 11 Years". The New York Times. p. B5.
  30. ^ "About Richard L. McCormick: Curriculum vitae". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  31. ^ "About Richard L. McCormick: Biography". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  32. ^ "President Emeritus Richard L. McCormick". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
  33. ^ "Richard L. Edwards". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
  34. ^ "Robert L. Barchi Named 20th President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: Barchi to take helm of Rutgers on Sept. 1, after successful tenures as Thomas Jefferson University president, University of Pennsylvania provost". Rutgers Today. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Office of Media Relations. April 11, 2012. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  35. ^ "President Barchi Honored for Transformative Tenure". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. June 17, 2020.
  36. ^ "Jonathan Holloway Named 21st President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey". Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. January 21, 2020.
  37. ^ "Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway Stepping Down to Lead the Henry Luce Foundation". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. May 19, 2025.
  38. ^ "William F. Tate IV Named 22nd President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey". Rutgers University News. May 19, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Rutgers_University