Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis
Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis
A Message from the Chancellor
Welcome to the Summer 2024 edition of Rutgers University–Camden Magazine! I hope you are inspired by this collection of research highlights, student successes, stories of alumni excellence, and more great news that has emerged from our beloved Camden community so far this year.
This edition of the magazine is structured to reflect the five pillars of our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, which you can read more about below. These stories demonstrate that our strategic pillars are not merely symbolic; our commitments to academic excellence, student success, holistic student experience, community engagement, and internationalism are put into practice each day by those who call Rutgers–Camden home.
Thank you for your interest in and support of Rutgers–Camden. Continued collaboration with our peer institutions and community partners helps to make stories like these possible.
Sincerely,
Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D.
Chancellor
2023–2028 Strategic Plan
1. Innovation in Academic Excellence, Striving Toward Preeminence
- Expand undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs
- Design and implement non-traditional education opportunities/certifications
- Deliver curricular/programmatic innovation in undergraduate education
- Develop greater faculty support for student research
2. Transformative Student Success: Preparing the Next Generation of Compassionate Leaders
- Develop a strong foundation for success
- Empower students to achieve academic and professional goals
- Partner with local business enterprises,
non-profits, and government agencies - Expand career readiness
3. Holistic Student Experience: Serving the Needs of the 21st-Century Student
- Drive enrollment and recruitment
- Improve student retention and engagement
- Expand student services with a focus on student wellness
- Foster a sense of belonging
- Boost alumni engagement
4. Beloved Camden Community: Advancing the Common Good on Campus and Beyond
- Enhance faculty and staff recruitment and opportunities for internal growth
- Renew campus-built environment
- Support faculty research
- Develop infrastructure to support teaching and professional development for faculty and staff
5. Internationalization: Bridging Rutgers University in Camden and the World
- Improve international recruitment and admissions
- Elevate and expand international academic collaboration
- Strategically focus on select global regions and countries
- Promote international experiential learning opportunities
- Coordinate effort and investment
RUTGERS RESEARCH IN CAMDEN
Driving Change for Good
Students from historically underserved populations who are studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) at Rutgers–Camden will benefit from a strategic $2.5M Driving Change grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which will help these students stay in school and graduate by creating lasting, inclusive learning environments.
Can AI Improve Public Safety?
Sheikh Rabiul Islam, assistant professor of computer science, explores how artificial intelligence can be used to mitigate public safety threats.
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Saved But Enslaved: Exploring Black and Indigenous Roots in Plymouth’s First Church
A two-year grant will help English professor Keith Green trace the spiritual lives of enslaved church congregants.
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Fast, Furious, and Cheap: The Unstoppable Rise of Novelty Goods in America
Wendy Woloson, author of Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America, explored how the rise of novelty goods, from the 19th century to the “Temufication” of today’s America, forms a complex stream of perpetual distraction.
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RUTGERS EXPERTISE IN CAMDEN
Senior Executive Alumnus Reaching Students by Teaching the Business of Nursing
Gregory Passanante is committed, passionate, and innovative in his career as an executive leader for Shriners Hospital for Children. Recently, Passanante has added another skill to his CV: thought-provoking teacher.
Planting Seeds with Poetry
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo reflects on the power and importance of provocative storytelling by Black writers.
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Rutgers–Camden Author Joins Today Show Book Club with Powerful New Novel
Rutgers–Camden professor Lauren Grodstein lands a Today Show book club spot with a powerful new novel. The newly published historical fiction book spotlights a little-known World War II archive.
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Pick n Pay it Forward
Retail leader, Suzanne Ackerman, shares her philosophy with Rutgers–Camden: “Doing good is good business.”
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RUTGERS SUCCESS IN CAMDEN
Doctoral Candidate Named Finalist for Fulbright Student Award
Montrell Sanders, a doctoral student in public affairs, has been named a finalist for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Award.
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A Degree 44 Years in the Making
44 years after starting her college journey, 62-year-old Jackie Sykes will proudly cross the graduation stage to receive her undergraduate degree.
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Fine Arts Trailblazer
Tracy Tse CCAS’24 is the first graduate of Rutgers University–Camden’s BFA program, yet her academic legacy will have a permanent place in more ways than one.
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Proudly Stepping into the Nursing Profession
Joseph Medina SNC’24 was walking tall at this year's commencement. Medina has grown into his chosen profession as a first-generation student guided by mentors and professors at the Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden.
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Rutgers–Camden First-Year Chemistry Major Secures NASA-Sponsored Internship
First-year chemistry major Sophia Mora is already making her mark on research projects that seek to revolutionize cancer treatment. Coming to Rutgers–Camden all the way from South Carolina, she is passionate about helping women enter STEM fields.
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RUTGERS LEGACY IN CAMDEN
History Alumna Keeping the Past Alive in the Present
Rutgers–Camden history graduate Emily Winters CCAS’21 GSC’23 stepped quickly into a career in public history at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, site of the First Continental Congress in 1774.
Finding an Unexpected Home
The Learning Abroad program shaped alumni Sheldon Morris’s future in the City of Lights.
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What I Know Now: Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Attorney, and Rutgers Fanatic
Joseph Davis says Rutgers "saved him." He is returning the favor by giving to law scholarships through a planned gift.
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RUTGERS COMMUNITY IN CAMDEN
Ground Broken on Transformative $60 Million Project
The Cooper Street Gateway project will transform 14 vacant historic properties and several empty lots along the 400 Block of Cooper and Lawrence Streets into a dynamic new facility for the university and the community.
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1,000 Points and Counting
Scarlet Raptor guard Rahzirah Blocker celebrates historic 1,000-point milestone, becoming just the 16th player in the history of the Scarlet Raptors women’s basketball program to accomplish the feat.
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From Seasoning to Soufflé: The Science of Cooking
Rutgers–Camden students are learning about physics in the kitchen. In a popular new class, Hunter King, assistant professor of physics, utilizes the university’s test kitchen to teach students about the introductory principles of physics.
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Rutgers–Camden Engages in Ghana and Nigeria
Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis traveled to Ghana and Nigeria in January to explore ways for the university to engage more deeply in the region through student and faculty exchanges and collaborative partnerships.
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99-Year-Old WWII Veteran Shares War Stories with Rutgers–Camden
Jake Ruser recounted firsthand experiences as part of veteran speaker series.
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RUTGERS NEWS IN CAMDEN
Rutgers–Camden Recognized for Exemplary Community Engagement
Rutgers–Camden is honored to have received the 2024 Richard Guarasci Award for Institutional Transformation from Campus Compact, the largest and oldest higher education association dedicated to community and civic engagement. The university is also among 40 U.S. institutions of higher learning that received the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.
Rutgers–Camden and Atlantic Cape Community College Formalize New Pathways to Student Success
Rutgers University–Camden and Atlantic Cape Community College sign a premier partnership agreement to benefit students pursuing four-year degrees.
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Partnership Creates New Opportunities for Students in Health-Related Fields
Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis of Rutgers University–Camden and Samaritan President and CEO Phillip W. Heath signed a memorandum of understanding that will expand clinical rotations for Rutgers–Camden students in nursing, social work, and psychology.
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#17 Best Online Bachelor's in Business Programs
#68 in Best Online Master's in Business Programs (Excluding MBA)
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In Case You Missed It
This past holiday season, Rutgers–Camden did a full marketing “takeover” of Philadelphia's iconic 30th Street Station. Keep your eye out for what is to come during the 2024 holiday season.
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The Rutgers University–Camden Magazine is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications.
CHANCELLOR
Antonio D. Tillis, Ph.D.
EDITORS
Dustin Petzold
WRITERS
Caroline Brobeil
Shanida Carter
Christina Lynn
Debbie Meyers
Lee Owen
Dustin Petzold
Eileen Reinhard
Kathryn Rosko
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Douglas Shelton
CREATIVE DESIGN & LAYOUT
Karaamat Abdullah
CREATIVE CONTRIBUTOR
Beatris Santors
PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER
Ron Downes Jr.
Christina Lynn
WEBSITE ADDRESS
camden.rutgers.edu
MAGAZINE ARCHIVE
camden.rutgers.edu/magazine-archive
SEND FEEDBACK
ruc.news@camden.rutgers.edu
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