Happy Birthday, Rutgers: Johnson & Johnson to Provide Scholarships for Students in Health-related Fields

Gift announced during launch of Rutgers 250 celebration

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – As Rutgers launches a yearlong celebration of its 250th birthday, the university has received its first official gift to mark the occasion – a pledge of up to $50,000 from Rutgers’ longtime neighbor and partner, Johnson & Johnson, for student scholarships in health-care related fields.

Rutgers President Robert Barchi and Johnson & Johnson leaders announced the scholarship initiative during Tuesday’s kickoff ceremony for Rutgers 250, the celebration that culminates on Nov. 10, 2016 – the 250th anniversary of the birth of Queen’s College, the colonial institution that became Rutgers University.

 “As we celebrate Rutgers University’s centuries of service to our state, our nation and the world, it is fitting that the first gift to mark our 250th birthday will directly benefit our students,” President Barchi said. “Johnson & Johnson’s generosity will help Rutgers students complete their degrees and pursue careers in health care that will enable them to serve the public for years to come. This gift comes on top of decades of support from Johnson & Johnson for programs and initiatives that support members of the Rutgers community.”

“Johnson & Johnson and Rutgers University have a historic relationship tracing back more than 120 years, bonded by common geography, relevant academic disciplines and a shared commitment to addressing needs within the New Brunswick community and across the state of New Jersey,” said Sarah Colamarino, Johnson & Johnson vice president of corporate equity & partnership. “Our organizations have a wide range of mutual interests and partnerships in education and health care benefitting thousands of New Jersey residents each year. We are proud to support Rutgers’ outstanding students as part of the university’s 250th anniversary celebration.”

[image:1:left:45]]Barchi and Johnson & Johnson leaders also challenged members of the Rutgers community to participate in the scholarship initiative – by submitting photos through a free app developed by Johnson & Johnson and available on Android and iOS devices.

It’s all part of Donate a Photo, a Johnson & Johnson initiative that enables the public to submit photos – then turns those submissions into contributions to nonprofit organizations.

Here’s how Donate a Photo works:

• To participate, it takes a few minutes to download the app and create an account, and less than a minute a day to donate to a nonprofit of the user’s choice from a rotating list of selected Johnson & Johnson nonprofit partners

• Participants can submit one photo a day, every day. For each photo submitted each day, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to Rutgers for student scholarships.

• Each nonprofit has a start date and end date during which it will be eligible to receive a donation through the app. Rutgers University will be a featured nonprofit from now until Jan. 30, 2016.

• Rutgers University will receive a minimum of $30,000 and a maximum of $50,000 from Johnson & Johnson. The maximum amount would enable Rutgers to create 50 new $1,000 need-based scholarships for Rutgers students pursuing degrees in health-care related fields across the university system.

• If the Rutgers initiative is successful, Johnson & Johnson will consider extending the eligibility period to raise even more money for student scholarships.

Since Johnson & Johnson launched Donate a Photo, more than 750,000 photos have been submitted to more than 30 nonprofit partners, including Save the Children, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the United Nations Foundation.

More information can be found at donateaphoto.com.

Rutgers and Johnson & Johnson already work as partners on a series of successful initiatives, including community health programs and academic opportunities for Rutgers students.

Rutgers 250 is the yearlong celebration of the university’s founding on Nov. 10, 1766. For more information click on 250.rutgers.edu.

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, educating more than 67,000 students and serving people throughout New Jersey. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is the only public institution in New Jersey represented in the prestigious Association of American Universities. Rutgers is also a member of the Big Ten Conference and its academic counterpart, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation – a consortium of 15 world-class research universities.