Rutgers Day Invites New Jerseyans of all Ages to Explore Their State University, Saturday, April 25

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Rich in tradition, Rutgers is about to add a new one, and the entire state is invited to join in. The first-ever Rutgers Day, featuring free performances, demonstrations, tours and kid-friendly activities, will be held on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rutgers Day will provide an opportunity for New Jerseyans of all ages to explore their state university in a day of fun, learning and discovery. A lively mix of nearly 400 events will be offered on university campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway as Rutgers rolls out the “scarlet carpet” for the state’s citizens.

Admission is free, and Rutgers Day “loop” buses will provide free transportation among activity zones. Free parking will be available. Visitors are encouraged to plan their day by visiting the Rutgers Day website for program schedules and maps.

Rutgers Day will include the perennially popular New Jersey Folk Festival and Ag Field Day – events that typically draw more than 10,000 visitors each year. The day will build on those events by introducing visitors to the university and reinforcing Rutgers’ connection to the people of New Jersey.

“Rutgers Day is a chance for people who might not ordinarily visit our campuses to get an inside glimpse of their state university and experience its social, cultural and intellectual vibrancy firsthand,” said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. “On Rutgers Day, we will renew our bond with the citizens of New Jersey and show our pride in our university. In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever to connect the university’s resources to those we serve.”

Designed and presented by students, faculty and staff, Rutgers Day events will offer not only fun and entertainment but also information and education on a wide range of topics and interests.

Activities on the campuses are organized around 10 broad themes. Here’s a small sampling of the activities visitors will find at Rutgers Day: 

•     Jersey Roots: Find out about the many ways Rutgers is woven into New Jersey life. Walk through a soil tunnel, get answers to your gardening questions, step into a geological time machine, meet members of the Rutgers Future Scholars Class of 2017 or hear about the little-known history of baseball in New Jersey.

•     Global Reach: Explore Rutgers’ kaleidoscope of cultures and international programs through music, food and crafts. Make traditional Latin American and Caribbean crafts; join students of Diversity WORKS for face and finger painting; pose in traditional Middle Eastern dress and makeup; have your hands decorated by a henna artist; and write your name in Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

•     Experience the Arts & Humanities: Sing along with the Livingston Theater Company to Broadway classics and hits of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s; take your place in an artistic masterpiece and bring home a souvenir photo; ponder the universe with a cup of espresso at the Philosophy Café; enjoy performances on six stages across the campuses by the Queen’s Chorale, Queen’s Guard, a capella groups, Chinese dancers, belly dancers, student rock bands and more.

•     The World of Work: Revitalize your resume, hone interviewing skills, explore online learning opportunities, learn about workplace trends and skills that are in demand in New Jersey and consult with a career coach, while your children can enjoy hands-on activities.

•     Kids’ Stuff: Create and star in your own comic strip; solve a “CSI: Rutgers” mystery; learn about the world of primates from anthropologists who study them; explore the Rutgers Geology Museum; tell stories with music and puppets; and meet baby farm animals. Check out the “Seeing Eye” puppies being raised by students as well as the horses that patrol the campus with the student-run mounted police.

•     Get to Know Rutgers: Get the lowdown on admissions, academics, dining services and the Rutgers bus system. Take in the Engineering School Open House; discover Douglass Residential College for women; go on campus tours and visit international living and learning communities.

•     Science and Technology: Rev up with a formula race car; watch a fire extinguisher propel someone across a room; be dazzled by 3-D visual illusions; handle “creepy crawlies”; learn about physics on Roller Blades™; let your avatar do the walking through a “virtual Rutgers Day”; and spark your imagination through Thomas Edison’s inventions.

•     Walk into History: Learn about Rutgers’ genealogical resources and find out who’s hiding in your family tree; be an eyewitness to history through the stories of New Jersey’s war heroes; witness the Scarlet Cross in medieval combat; and learn about Rutgers’ colonial past on a tour of the university’s historic campus.

•     Health, Sports & Recreation: Meet members of your favorite Scarlet Knights basketball teams, test your putting with the Turf Club, clock your fast ball, come to the athletic equipment “petting zoo” and visit the Wellness Tent to find out how to stay healthy.

•     All Things Green: Find out how Rutgers is going green and how to reduce your carbon footprint, wander through an exotic bamboo forest, visit cities of the future, buy your spring plants and visit the Rutgers Farmers Market for fresh produce.

Popular events such as the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum’s Family Fun Day and the Faraday Physics Lecture are on the schedule, while students and

friends of the Classics Department will strut the runway in a historically accurate ancient Greek and Roman fashion show (circa 29 B.C.) on the steps of Brower Commons. Rutgers chefs will offer cooking demonstrations and ice sculpting by chisel and chain saw.

Rutgers Day also introduces New Jersey to the emerging scholars and experts who in years to come will influence science, society and business in the state. These Rutgers students will explain research they have conducted as undergraduates.

With so much to see and do, visitors are encouraged to choose one campus as their “home base.” Rutgers Day volunteers in blue T-shirts will be available to guide visitors, and information booths will be open on each campus. For information, go online to rutgersday.rutgers.edu or call 732-445-INFO.

Rutgers Day is sponsored in part by the Star-Ledger/nj.com, Magic 98.3/WCTC 1450, PSE&G, and St. Peter's Healthcare System.

Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers offers more than 280 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degree programs. The university is home to 27 degree-granting schools and colleges, and more than 150 specialized centers and institutes. Rutgers is also a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, a highly selective organization comprising the 62 leading research universities in North America.