Accountability:
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Part I
Part II
   Section 1:
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Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
Part IX
Part X

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 Service
    

Part of the university's mission is to provide service to the citizens, businesses, and government of the state of New Jersey. Rutgers spends millions of dollars on extension and public service activities. The service activities performed by Rutgers are unique and bring to bear the extraordinary expertise of the faculty, students, and staff involved. The community service performed by Rutgers helps the state economy by saving public expenditures on these needed services and by enabling the recipients of the services to lead richer, more productive lives. Examples of public service activities the university conducts follow. Continuing Education Some 100,000 professionals, the vast majority of them New Jersey residents, benefit from the continuing education courses offered by Rutgers to those who need to stay on top of their fields. Short courses, seminars, and conferences are offered on an almost daily basis throughout the year on all three campuses and throughout the state. State and local government, labor and management studies, biotechnology, and pollution control are among the many fields covered by continuing education programs. As Rutgers is a premier research institution, its continuing education efforts benefit from the cutting-edge research conducted by the university. For example, at Cook College members of the state's agricultural community, along with landscape architects, marine biologists, solid waste recycling experts, environmentalists, and nutritionists, participate in 220 continuing education programs which serve over 9,000 individuals. At the College of Pharmacy, continuing education programs enable pharmacists to stay abreast of the latest therapies and patient care techniques, and to maintain state licensure. Clinics Rutgers sponsors many clinics which provide services to the citizens of New Jersey. Clinics and related services include effective alcohol and drug treatments provided through the Center of Alcohol Studies, and cooperative programs and services for developmentally delayed infants, toddlers, and preschoolers provided through the Gatehouse counseling center at Douglass College. The university's law schools sponsor a number of clinics which provide free advice and legal services in important areas. For example, the Women's Rights Law Litigation Clinic serves thousands of people throughout the state providing education and legal rights advocacy, and assisting in the formulation of legislation to secure equal rights for women; the Elder Law Clinic works with Camden Regional Legal Services to assist elderly clients with their legal needs; the Constitutional Litigation Clinic conducts research and provides representation on civil rights and civil liberties cases, serving over 5,000 clients; and the Environmental Law Clinic, provides pro bono legal services on environmental cases. The Rutgers Psychological Clinic, operated by the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, provides low-cost testing and therapy, including marital and family therapy for community members. The clinic plans to begin an outreach program for the elderly in nursing homes and other settings. Support for New Jersey Businesses The New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) provides educational and business resources to support small business owners. Programs and counseling are available on a variety of topics including planning, cash flow management, marketing, and international trade. Since its inception, (and with the support of the New Jersey Department of Commerce and Economic Development and with federal funds) NJSBDC has provided one-on-one support to over 30,000 clients as well as training over 95,000 business owners through its workshops and conferences. The Rutgers Minority Investment Company (RMIC) contributes to the development of a strong minority business community by providing support and investments to socially or economically disadvantaged individuals with viable business plans. From its first investment of $867 in 1970 to recent investments of up to $50,000, RMIC has been opening entrepreneurial opportunities for men and women of diverse backgrounds. It is an excellent example of a partnership among the public, the private, the academic, and the non-profit sectors of our society. Civic Education and Community Service The Rutgers University Citizenship and Service Education program (CASE), established in 1988 as a way of educating students about civic responsibility, was conceived as part of a larger initiative to encourage individual responsibility for resolving the social problems that confront us today. The initiative seeks to address what it means to be a citizen in a democracy and how individuals can help to turn the tide on such pervasive problems as prejudice and social injustice. By integrating community service into the academic program of students, CASE brings the lessons of the classroom into practical application in the community. At the same time, the lessons learned in the community are brought back into the classroom. This completes the full cycle of learning and service, helping to demolish the stereotype of the "ivory tower" university. Since its inception, the Rutgers University CASE program has placed thousands of students in community projects. These students contribute over 125,000 hours of service annually in schools, shelters, HIV/AIDS programs, health clinics, and other service areas throughout the state. The services performed are invaluable to the state and its communities and are valued at well over $600,000 annually. Rutgers is seeking to instill in its students the awareness that with education and citizenship come community responsibility. The success of Rutgers' efforts attracted the attention of President Clinton who used CASE as a model when he delivered his national policy address on public service at Rutgers on March 1, 1993. Since then the program has broadened its scope to include an international dimension as well. Students from all three campuses participate in CASE. A fuller presentation of the variety of service activities performed by the university and its faculty and students can be found in the 1991 publication, In the Service of New Jersey, a series of booklets summarizing service-related projects, and the 1992 publication, Rutgers: Continuing the Tradition of Public Service.