Rutgers University-New Brunswick Dedicates Residential Honors College

On Sep 25, 2015

New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno and Rutgers President Robert Barchi today hosted the dedication of the Rutgers University-New Brunswick Honors College. The new facility, located on the university’s historic College Avenue Campus, is home to more than 500 high-achieving students.

The Honors College redefines interdisciplinary learning by inviting first-year students in the sciences, humanities and Rutgers’ various professional schools to live and work together to examine global issues.

“This new Honors College brings the University’s highest-achieving students into one innovative community focused on intellectual curiosity and hands-on, collaborative learning,” said Lt. Gov. Guadagno. “By engaging students from all disciplines in workshops, fieldwork, mentorships, and more, the Honors College will help Rutgers continue to provide one of the best educational experiences in the nation‎.”

“The Honors College will provide an education for the 21st century and nurture the brilliance of these accomplished young people,” said Barchi. “It reaffirms that Rutgers should be the destination for the very brightest students from around the corner and around the world.”

Faculty-in-residence will provide mentoring and programmatic support. The students, who are members of the Honors College throughout their four years at Rutgers, will have academic opportunities and challenges beyond the traditional curriculum and classroom experience.

“The Honors College is an outstanding choice for students seeking a small and highly competitive academic environment, while drawing on the superior resources of Rutgers University,” said Richard L. Edwards, chancellor of Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “I applaud the work of the deans and faculty of the participating schools, and the Honors College Faculty Planning Committee, for bringing this extraordinary living-learning community to reality.”

The average SAT score of the inaugural Honors College class is 2160, which ranks in the top 2 percent nationwide, compared to the New Jersey average of 1526 and the national average of 1497. Further, 90 percent of the incoming students were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating classes.

“We’ve created a curriculum where interdisciplinary problem-solving is at our very core,” said Matt Matsuda, academic dean of the Honors College. “Students will collaborate in small project teams to tackle real-world issues, while getting hands-on experience in research and in the field from the very start of their college experience.”

“We have a community where intellectual curiosity, hands-on knowledge, diversity, collaboration and giving back are central so that students can graduate with a strong resume ready to pursue a career with purpose,” said Paul Gilmore, administrative dean of the Honors College.

Honors College students have been accepted through the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the School of Engineering, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, and the Mason Gross School of the Arts.

A key component of President Barchi’s Strategic Plan, the Honors College is part of the College Avenue Redevelopment Initiative, a collaboration among Rutgers, Devco, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Rutgers Hillel.

The five-story, 170,000 square-foot Honors College is built to LEED silver standards. It includes six seminar rooms, administrative and advising offices, three live-in faculty apartments, and student lounge and study areas throughout the building.

 

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