South Middlesex Times

Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway announced he will conclude his service as the university’s 21st president after completing his fifth year on June 30, 2025.

“Serving as the university president has been an enormous privilege and responsibility,” Holloway said today in a message about his decision. “I welcomed the opportunity to join the Rutgers community in July 2020 because I found inspiration in the possibilities that this institution represented: a belief that cutting-edge research could thrive in a university that was deeply committed to making education as accessible as possible to a profoundly diverse student population. The reality behind this inspiration has been reaffirmed time and again during my tenure.”

Holloway, a U.S. historian, said he plans to take a sabbatical in the 2025-2026 academic year when he will return to longstanding research projects before joining the Rutgers faculty full-time.

“This decision is my own and reflects my own rumination about how best to be of service,” Holloway said.

Under Holloway’s leadership, Rutgers climbed significantly in rankings, broke records this year for undergraduate admissions, and exceeded fundraising goals that demonstrate new levels of engagement among alumni. As he led the 67,000-plus student university through challenging years across higher education, he expanded access and opportunity through programs including Scarlet Promise and Scarlet Service and established Rutgers’ commitment to civic engagement and civil discourse.

“Jonathan Holloway has led Rutgers with integrity, strong values and a commitment to service and civility while helping to steer the university through challenges facing higher education – including a global pandemic, shifting labor demands and a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in admissions. Dr. Holloway's decision was his and his alone; we respect it and thank Dr. Holloway for his passion and service,” said Rutgers Board of Governors Chair Amy Towers.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I want to assure the entire university community that Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will continue to move forward and build upon its reputation as a preeminent public research institution,” Towers added. “The Board of Governors stands prepared to lead a robust nationwide search to find the best person to lead Rutgers into the future, and we look forward to working with Dr. Holloway to ensure a smooth transition.”

Arriving at Rutgers in July 2020 during a worldwide pandemic that forced the 100,000-plus public university community into remote operations, Holloway guided the university to a safe return as Rutgers led the nation in vaccination requirements. During intense political and social divisions on college campuses and in the nation, Holloway made civil discourse and civic engagement touchstones of his presidency.

Holloway has established Rutgers as a leader in supporting democracy by creating a culture of public service and fostering engaged citizens. Through Scarlet Service launched three years ago, hundreds of students participate in internships at nonprofits and government organizations in New Jersey, regionally, and Washington D.C. A task force on public engagement recently provided recommendations that he said would help make Rutgers synonymous with service when implemented.

“When Jonathan Holloway arrived, he challenged the boards to tell the Rutgers story," said Board of Trustees Chair Amy Mansue. "He started by making Scarlet Promise grants central to his efforts created by the Board of Trustees for students in need."

Among advancements made at Rutgers during Holloway’s first four years is enrolling its largest first-year class this fall which is also its most diverse class yet. Applications jumped more than 60 percent with adopting Common Application which included significant surges from out-of-state international students.

The national reputation visibility all three campuses have grown significantly too:

- **Rutgers-New Brunswick** jumped up rankings placing it at fifteenth among public institutions according U.S News World Report.

- For first time ever both **Rutgers-Newark** & **Rutgers-Camden** are ranked within top fifty public universities nationally top hundred overall respectively

Fundraising continues rising notably where donors contributed over $250 million last fiscal year while researchers secured record-setting $970 million grants sponsored programs concurrently charting path long-term financial sustainability via board-supported plans

During past four years notable progress seen athletic front wherein student-athletes achieved commendable success both academically athletically thus increasing competitiveness Big Ten conference

Additionally ongoing work towards multi-year process forming single unified School Medicine merging two existing ones along expansion Medical Sciences Building Newark Health Life Sciences Exchange HELIX New Brunswick housing combined medical school facilities alongside translational research labs

“There is plenty do before leave office June next year remain focused those tasks above all steadfast belief seeing flourishing coming decades” concluded