Jonathan Holloway to Serve Final Year as Rutgers President
President will continue to focus on civic engagement, increased access and opportunities for students and leading university with integrity in his final year
Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway announced he will conclude his service as the university’s 21st president after completing his fifth year on June 30, 2025.
“Serving as the university president has been an enormous privilege and responsibility,” Holloway said today in a message about his decision. “I welcomed the opportunity to join the Rutgers community in July 2020 because I found inspiration in the possibilities that this institution represented: a belief that cutting-edge research could thrive in a university that was deeply committed to making education as accessible as possible to a profoundly diverse student population. The reality behind this inspiration has been reaffirmed time and again during my tenure.”
Holloway, a U.S. historian, said he plans to take a sabbatical in the 2025-2026 academic year when he will return to longstanding research projects before joining the Rutgers faculty full time.
“This decision is my own and reflects my own rumination about how best to be of service,” Holloway said.
Under Holloway’s leadership, Rutgers climbed significantly in rankings, broke records this year for undergraduate admissions and exceeded fundraising goals that demonstrate new levels of engagement among alumni. As he led the 67,000-plus student university through challenging years across higher education, he expanded access and opportunity through programs including Scarlet Promise and Scarlet Service and established Rutgers’ commitment to civic engagement and civil discourse.
“Jonathan Holloway has led Rutgers with integrity, strong values and a commitment to service and civility, while helping to steer the university through challenges facing higher education – including a global pandemic, shifting labor demands and a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in admissions. Dr. Holloway's decision was his and his alone; we respect it and thank Dr. Holloway for his passion and service,” said Rutgers Board of Governors Chair Amy Towers.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I want to assure the entire university community that Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will continue to move forward and build upon its reputation as a preeminent public research institution,” Towers added. “The Board of Governors stands prepared to lead a robust, nationwide search to find the best person to lead Rutgers into the future, and we look forward to working with Dr. Holloway to ensure a smooth transition.”
Arriving at Rutgers in July 2020 during a worldwide pandemic that forced the 100,000-plus public university community into remote operations, Holloway guided the university to a safe return as Rutgers led the nation in vaccination requirements. During a time of intense political and social divisions on college campuses and in the nation, Holloway made the call for civil discourse and civic engagement the touchstone of his presidency.
Holloway has established Rutgers as a leader in supporting and strengthening democracy by creating a culture of public service and fostering engaged citizens. Through Scarlet Service, launched three years ago, hundreds of students participate in life-shaping internships at nonprofits and government organizations in the state, region and Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, a task force on public engagement recently provided the president with recommendations that he said, when implemented, “will help make Rutgers synonymous with service.”
“When Jonathan Holloway arrived, he challenged the boards to tell the Rutgers story, to declare our place in the Big Ten, and he assembled a team to put all that is good at Rutgers on the national stage,” said Board of Trustees Chair Amy Mansue. “He started by making Scarlet Promise grants, created by the Board of Trustees to help students in need, central to his efforts, and we look forward to continuing to work with him this year to ensure his remarkable achievements benefit our students for decades to come.”
Among the advancements made at Rutgers during Holloway’s first four years is the enrollment of the university’s largest, most diverse and most accomplished first-year class this fall. Applications jumped more than 60 percent with the adoption of the Common Application at Rutgers and included a significant surge in applications from out-of-state and international students.
The national reputation and visibility of all three Rutgers campuses have grown. Rutgers-New Brunswick jumped to 15th among public institutions in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, while, for the first time ever, Rutgers-New Brunswick, Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden are each ranked among the top 50 public universities and the top 100 national universities.
Fundraising and research revenues continue to rise, with donors providing more than $250 million in gifts to the university last year and Rutgers researchers receiving a record $970 million in grants and sponsored programs. At the same time, the university has charted a path to long-term financial sustainability through a plan supported by the governing boards.
During the past four years, student-athletes have made impressive gains on the field, in the classroom and in communities, while Scarlet Knights athletic programs have become increasingly more competitive in the Big Ten.
In addition, work continues toward the multi-year process of forming Rutgers School of Medicine out of Rutgers’ two medical schools. And construction plans progress on the expansion of the Medical Sciences Building in Newark and the Health + Life Sciences Exchange (HELIX) in New Brunswick, where the Rutgers School of Medicine and research laboratories for Rutgers’ translational research efforts will be housed.
“There is plenty to do before I leave office on June 30, and I remain focused on that work,” Holloway said. “Above all, I remain steadfast in my belief that Rutgers is on the rise and is earning the respect it has long deserved. I look forward to seeing it flourish in the years ahead.”
A Look Back at President Holloway's Service
