Rutgers University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni
Rutgers University, with its rich history and commitment to academic excellence, has fostered a diverse array of accomplished individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields. From Revolutionary War hero Colonel Henry Rutgers, whose 1825 donation helped revitalize the school, to the present day, Rutgers has been a breeding ground for talent and innovation. This article explores the notable alumni who have emerged from Rutgers University, leaving their mark on the world.
A Foundation of Leadership: University Presidents
The Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was the driving force behind establishing the college. Since 1785, twenty two men have served as the institution's president, beginning with Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1735-1790), a Dutch Reformed clergyman who was responsible for establishing the college. Before 1930, most of the university's presidents (eight of the twelve) were clergymen affiliated with Christian denominations in the Reformed tradition (either Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, or German Reformed). Presidents Hasbrouck (1840-1850), Frelinghuysen (1850-1862), Gates (1882-1890), and Scott (1891-1906) were all laymen. Two presidents were alumni of Rutgers College: William H. S. Demarest (Class of 1883) and Philip Milledoler Brett (Class of 1892). The current president is William F. Tate IV. He succeeded Jonathan Holloway. historian, was the first person of color to lead Rutgers University.
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, 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." The president is responsible only to those two governing boards-there is no oversight by state officials.
Academic Pioneers and Intellectuals
Rutgers University has cultivated a strong tradition of academic excellence, producing scholars and intellectuals who have made significant contributions to their respective fields.
- Milton Friedman, A.B., was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the complexity of stabilization policy. With George Stigler, Friedman was among the intellectual leaders of the Chicago school of economics, a neoclassical school of economic thought associated with the work of the faculty at the University of Chicago that rejected Keynesianism in favor of monetarism until the mid-1970s, when it turned to new classical macroeconomics heavily based on the concept of rational expectations. Several students, young professors and academics who were recruited or mentored by Friedman at Chicago went on to become leading economists, including Gary Becker, Robert Fogel, and Robert Lucas Jr.
- Carol T. Christ, A.B. 1966, served as the former president of Smith College and current Chancellor of U.C. Berkeley, demonstrating leadership in higher education.
- William English Kirwan, M.A. 1962, Ph.D., has also made significant contributions to academia as demonstrated by his biography.
- Richard P. McCormick, A.B. 1938, M.A., was a beloved Rutgers professor and university historian.
- Uma Narayan, M.A., is a professor at Vassar College.
- Roy Franklin Nichols, A.B. 1918, M.A., made significant contributions to the field of history.
- Selman Waksman, B.Sc. 1915 M.Sc., won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Literary Giants and Creative Minds
Rutgers University has also nurtured a vibrant community of writers, artists, and performers who have enriched the cultural landscape.
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- James Gandolfini was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the Italian-American Mafia crime boss in HBO's television series The Sopranos (1999-2007). For this role, he won three Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Golden Globe Award. His role as Tony Soprano has been described as one of the greatest and most influential performances in television history.
- Calista Flockhart is an American actress. She is best known for portraying the title character on the Fox television series Ally McBeal (1997-2002), for which she received a Golden Globe Award in 1998 and was thrice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. From 2006 to 2011, she starred as Kitty Walker on the ABC drama series Brothers & Sisters, and between 2015 and 2021, Flockhart appeared as Cat Grant on the superhero drama Supergirl. In film, she is known for roles in The Birdcage (1996), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), and Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000).
- Kristin Davis is an American actress and producer. She is known for playing Charlotte York in the HBO romantic comedy series Sex and the City (1998-2004). She received nominations at the Emmys and the Golden Globes in 2004 for her role as Charlotte, and reprised the role in the films Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010), as well as the revival of the show And Just Like That… (2021-present) on Max.
- Jane Krakowski Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts, is an American actress and singer. She starred as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series 30 Rock (2006-2013, 2020), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Krakowski's other television roles have included Elaine Vassal in the Fox legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal (1997-2002) and Jacqueline White in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-2020).
- Philip Roth Studied in 1951-1952, was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction-often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey-is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophically and formally blurring the distinction between reality and fiction, for its "sensual, ingenious style" and for its provocative explorations of American identity.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph OJ is an American actress and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she earned acclaim for her role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls (1981), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Since 2021, she has starred as Barbara Howard on the ABC mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the first Black woman in 35 years to win the award in September 2022.
- Paul Robeson was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances.
- Sebastian Stan is a Romanian-American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and including the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
- Giannina Braschi is a professor of Spanish and author of Yo-Yo Boing!
Political Leaders and Public Servants
Rutgers University has a long history of producing leaders who have shaped the political landscape and served the public good.
- Elizabeth Warren is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a progressive, Warren has focused on consumer protection, equitable economic opportunity, and the social safety net while in the Senate. Warren was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, ultimately finishing third after Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
- Bob Menendez is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a United States senator from New Jersey from 2006 until his resignation in 2024 following his conviction on 16 counts in a political corruption case. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in January 2025.
- Joseph P. Bradley, A.B., served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
- William T. Cahill, J.D., served as a Governor of New Jersey.
- Clifford P. Case, A.B., served as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.
- James J. Florio, J.D., also served as a Governor of New Jersey.
- Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, A.B., served as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey and U.S. Secretary of State.
- Garret A. Hobart, A.B., served as the 21st Vice President of the United States.
- Richard J. Hughes, J.D., served as a Governor of New Jersey.
- George C. Ludlow, A.B., served as a Governor of New Jersey.
- David A. Morse, A.B., served as Director-General of the International Labour Organization.
- William A. Newell, A.B., served as a Governor of New Jersey.
- Edward J. Patten, J.D., served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
- Peter W. Rodino, Jr., J.D., served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
- James Schureman, A.B., served as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey.
- Foster M. Voorhees, A.B., served as a Governor of New Jersey.
- Stewart H. Appleby served in the United States Congress.
- Littleton Kirkpatrick also served in the United States Congress.
Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Rutgers University has also produced numerous successful business leaders and entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to the global economy.
Orville E. BealDegree: BA ‘37, MBA ‘54 Title: President; The Prudential Insurance Company of America Recognized: May 10, 2001 Orville E. Beal served as the ninth president of the Prudential Insurance Company of America. He came to the company in 1926 via the coal mines of Pennsylvania. Mr. Beal started as a $15-a-week clerk, and worked his way up the corporate ladder by day while studying at Rutgers by night - first as an undergraduate in the depression-era thirties, and two decades later as one of the first MBA candidates at the then-new Graduate School of Management. He completed his BA in 1937 and his MBA in 1954, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma. By 1945, Prudential had named him a vice president. In 1954, he relocated to Minneapolis to head the company’s north central operations.
Robert J. BoutillierDegree: BS '48 Title: Vice Chairman; Northeast Region, Peat Marwick Recognized: June 11, 2003 Robert J. Boutillier is a 1948 graduate of the Rutgers School of Business Administration, the name by which the Newark undergraduate program was then known. He spent his career at the accounting firm of Peat Marwick, rising through the ranks to head the firm's Newark office in the Sixties, and US operations in the early Seventies. In 1977, he became the company’s vice chairman for the Northeast Region, a position he held until his retirement in 1982. Boutillier remained actively involved at Rutgers throughout his life, serving as a trustee of the university and an overseer of the foundation.
Robert E. CampbellDegree: MBA '62 Title: Vice Chairman, Johnson & Johnson Recognized: June 19, 2002 Robert E. Campbell spent 40 years at Johnson & Johnson before retiring in 1995 as vice chairman. He earned his MBA from Rutgers on a part-time basis while rising through the ranks at J&J. He held various positions in financial management and systems planning, and was named treasurer and a director in 1976. In succeeding years, his responsibilities continued to increase, and, in 1985, he was appointed vice chairman. Under his watch, the company introduced major professional medical devices including disposable contact lenses, endo surgery instruments and cardio-vascular stents.
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Frank CassidyDegree: MBA '74 Title: President and COO; PSEG Power LLC Recognized: Recognized: June 11, 2003 Frank Cassidy joined Public Service Electric and Gas in 1969, holding various posts of increasing responsibility including General Manger - Corporate Performance, Senior Vice President - Fossil Generation, and Vice President - Transmission Systems. When the company created PSEG Power in 1999, he was named president and chief operating officer. Under his leadership, the company quickly became one of the largest independent power producers and energy trading companies in the country. Cassidy is a leading advocate for national legislation that would implement mandatory air emissions reductions targets and timetables for pollutants most associated with the electric generation industry.
Art CertosimoDegree: BS '77 Title: Former senior executive president of the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. As part of his role with Broadridge, he also represents the firm of the LiquidX Board of Directors as Chairman. Art retired from Bank of New York Mellon in December 2014 as a member of the Executive Committee and Operating Committee of the Company and as Senior Executive Vice President and CEO of Global Markets, leading the company’s foreign exchange, capital markets and derivatives trading businesses worldwide. Prior to this role, Art served as Chief Executive Officer of Alternative, Broker-Dealer and the Treasury Clearance Groups, where he played a major role in the 2001 9/11 recovery and the 2008 credit crisis. Before joining The Bank of New York in 1998, Art was a principal of Morgan Stanley Asset Management (MSAM). Prior to this, he was a vice president at The Chase Manhattan Bank’s Global Investor Services group. Art is Ex-Chairman and member of the Board of Overseers of the Rutgers University Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Rutgers Business School; where he is also a co-adjutant professor in the Executive MBA program. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Saint Pio Foundation. Art holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Rutgers College at Rutgers University and an M.B.A from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Gary M. CohenDegree: MBA '83 Title: President, BD Medical Recognized: April 27, 2005 Gary M. Cohen is president of BD Medical, one of three business segments of Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). He began his BD career as a marketing research analyst. Cohen held positions of increasing responsibility in marketing and product development through the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1994, he became president of the company's worldwide hypodermic syringe and needle business. He was appointed president of BD's worldwide sample collection business in 1996, and president of BD in Europe the following year. In 1998, Cohen was named an executive vice president of BD. He has served as president of BD Medical, which represents more than half of BD's total sales revenues, since 1999.
Alvaro G. de MolinaDegree: MBA '88 Title: Retired Chief Financial Officer; Bank of America Recognized: June 27, 2007 Alvaro G. de Molina began his career in 1979 with Price Waterhouse, and quickly climbed the corporate ladder after receiving his M.B.A. He spent 17 years of his distinguished career at Bank of America, where he was most recently chief financial officer and a member of the bank's Risk and Capital and Management Operating Committees, managing more than $56 billion in revenue and $16.5 billion in earnings in 2005. As CFO, he orchestrated growth strategies for a financial institution that serves more than 55 million consumers with 5,800 banking offices and 16,800 ATMs. While CFO, he was instrumental in completing the $35-billion purchase of MBNA, making Bank of America the nation's largest credit-card issuer. Prior to becoming CFO, he was chief executive officer of Bank of America Securities, and president of their Global Corporate and Investment Bank.
William M. FreemanDegree: MBA ‘83 Title: President; Verizon Public Communications Group Recognized: May 10, 2001 William M. Freeman is president of one of Verizon's most profitable lines - public communications. With responsibility for approximately half a million stations in 33 states, he is providing the visionary leadership that is transforming an industry in flux. The old cash for calls business model is giving way to one befitting the information age we live in - payphones as "information gateways." Mr. Freeman’s innovative management and business practices have won recognition through the prestigious Filtz Quality Award, which was modeled after the well-known Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award.
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Mary Jo GreenDegree: MBA '70 Title: Senior Vice President & Treasurer; Sony Corporation of America Recognized: June 11, 2003 Mary Jo Green earned a bachelors degree in economics from Rutgers in 1969 and an MBA in Accounting a year later. She began her career in 1970 as a senior accountant at McCrory Corporation. Executive-level positions followed at American Cyanamid, Schering-Plough and Pitney Bowes. In 1999, Sony recruited her to serve as senior vice president and treasurer. Professionally, she serves on the board of Financial Executives International, a prestigious organization comprised principally of corporate CFOs, treasurers and comptrollers.
Ralph IzzoDegree: (PSEG) Recognized: June 27, 2007 In April 2007, Ralph Izzo was elected chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG). Six months earlier, he was also named as the company's president and chief operating officer, and a member of the board of directors of PSEG. Previous to that, Mr. Izzo was chief operating officer of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G). Mr. Izzo is a well-known leader within the utility industry and also in the public policy arena.
Irwin M. Lerner spent 32 years at Hoffmann-La Roche before retiring in 1993 as chairman, president and CEO. A 1951 graduate of the School of Business (Newark), and a 1958 graduate of GSM, he more than tripled the company's size and profitability. Mr. Lerner is credited with originating the concept of co-promotion, whereby two companies join forces to market a drug. It was through co-promotion that he introduced the anti-ulcer drug Zantac, which, in its day, was the best selling drug in pharmaceutical history.
Gerald H. LipkinDegree: BA '63 Title: Chairman, President, & CEO of Valley National Bank Gerald H. Lipkin, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valley National Bancorp and Valley National Bank. Mr. Lipkin began his career at Valley in 1975 as a Senior Vice President and lending officer, and has spent his entire business career directly in the banking industry. He became CEO and Chairman of Valley in 1989. Prior to joining Valley, he spent 13 years in various positions with the Comptroller of the Currency as a bank examiner and then Deputy Regional Administrator for the New York region.
Richard P. MayerDegree: BS '62 & MBA '65 Title: Retired Chairman & CEO, Kraft General Foods Richard P.
Sheri S. McCoyDegree: MBA ’88 Title: Chief Executive Officer, Avon Sheri S. McCoy was Vice Chairman, Executive Committee, and member of the Office of the Chairman, Johnson & Johnson, with responsibility for the Pharmaceutical and Consumer business segments. She assumed this role in January 2011. Previously, she was worldwide chairman, Pharmaceuticals, a position she assumed in January 2009. Her appointment followed a diverse career in the Johnson & Johnson's Consumer and Medical Devices businesses. Sheri began her Johnson & Johnson career in 1982 as a scientist in the research and development organization supporting the Consumer women's health business. Advancing through positions of increasing responsibility, she served as head of the consumer R&D organization and later as global president of the Baby and Wound care consumer franchises. In 2005, she became Company Group Chairman for the Ethicon device franchise and a member of the Medical Device & Diagnostics Group Operating Committee, and assumed responsibility for the Group's businesses in Latin America. Three years later, she was named Chairman of the Surgical Care Group, and became a member of the Johnson & Johnson Executive Committee. In her most recent position as worldwide chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Group, Sheri led the organization through a period of significant product launches, acquisitions and partnerships, and pipeline advances, while managing through significant loss of patent exclusivity. She is a passionate advocate for diversity of thought, leadership development, employee engagement and customer focus. Sheri represented Johnson & Johnson on the board of PhRMA, the industry trade association, and as a member of the board of the National Quality Forum and of the Institutes of Medicine's Roundtable on Value & Science-Driven Healthcare.
Rosemary T. McFaddenDegree: BA '70, MBA '73 Title: Managing Director, CSFBdirect; President & CEO, New York Mercantile Exchange Recognized: June 19, 2002 Rosemary McFadden received both her graduate and undergraduate degrees from Rutgers and then a law degree from Seton Hall. stock exchange when she was named president and chief executive officer of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the world's largest energy futures exchange. She became a global presence in the world of energy, forging professional relationships with senior government officials, industry executives and international press in London, Tokyo, Singapore and the Middle East. During her tenure, NYMEX grew at an impressive rate of 70 percent a year. After leaving the exchange, she remained a force in the expansion of global markets. As senior manager at the International Practice Group of Price Waterhouse, she spearheaded projects related to the development of capital markets in Russia, the Ukraine, China, the Philippines, Pakistan and Nepal. As senior vice president and associate general counsel at the Pershing Division of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, she continued to work on international initiatives. And as director of Global Business Development for DLJdirect, an online brokerage firm, she led the company’s first-ever international expansion strategy, which included the launching of online brokerage businesses in the UK, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. The latter two have been recognized publicly for their excellence. She is currently managing director at Credit Suisse First Boston, where her colleagues speak of her in glowing terms.
Otto H. Kahn was a banker and philanthropist.
Athletes Who Achieved Fame
Rutgers University has a proud athletic tradition, and its alumni have gone on to achieve great success in the world of sports.
Carli Lloyd is an American former professional soccer player. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008 and 2012), two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion (2015 and 2019), two-time FIFA Player of the Year (2015 and 2016), and a four-time Olympian (2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021). Lloyd scored the gold medal-winning goals in the finals of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Ray Rice is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, where he received first-team All-American honors, and was selected by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Jim Valvano, Class of 1967, won NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship at N.C. State.
Other Notable Alumni
- Louis Ayres was a Medievalist architect best known for designing the United States Memorial Chapel at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial and the Herbert C. Jones Hall at the University of Cincinnati.
- Richard Newcomb, Class of 1962, is a journalist and author, best-selling author of Iwo Jima!.
- Judith Barzilay, MLS 1971, J.D.
- Cheri Beasley, B.A., is an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served as the 28th Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
- Megan Coyne, B.A.
- Alan Estevez, B.A.
- Richard Fink, B.A. in Economics, founded the Center for Study of Market Processes at Rutgers University.
- Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, M.S.
- Jack H. Jacobs, Class of 1966, M.A.
- Nancy La Vigne, Ph.D.
- Kenneth LeFevre, B.S.
- Gail D. Mathieu, M.S.
- Bennett Mazur, (c. 1924-1994) was an American politician and professor.
- Geoffrey H. Moore, was an American statistician known for his work on business cycles.
- Joseph A. Mussomeli, J.D.
- Uche Joy Ogwu, is a Nigerian diplomat.
- Matthew John Rinaldo, B.S., served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
- Norman M. Robertson, served in the New Jersey Legislature.
- Eduardo Robreno, J.D., is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
- Esther Salas, J.D., is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
- David Samson, B.A.
- Martin J. Silverstein, B.A.
- Gregory M. Sleet, J.D., is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
- Darren Soto, B.A., is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 9th congressional district since 2017.
- Gary Stuhltrager, B.A. (Camden), J.D.
- William B. Brahms B.A. 1989, M.L.S.
- Ted Hines, M.L.S. 1958, Ph.D.
- Ira B. Nadel, Class of 1965, M.A.
- Vernon Grounds (B.A.
- Eugene Augustus Hoffman (A.B.
- Matthew Leydt (A.B.
- William P. Merrill (D.D.
- Simeon De Witt, A.B.
- Nicholas J. Giordano, Ph.D.
- Chi-Tang Ho, professor of food science.
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