Rutgers University throws itself a promotional day

Rutgers University is ready to party, and president Richard L. McCormick hopes tens of thousands come to join him on Saturday.

On Rutgers Day, the first such event in the university's history, people of all ages will be invited to the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses to join in nearly 400 social, cultural, and intellectual events designed to teach people about the multifaceted school.

Walk through a soil tunnel.

Have your hands decorated by a henna artist.

Sing Broadway classics along with the Livingston Theatre Company.

Watch a fire extinguisher shoot someone across a room.

For the more serious, spruce up your resume and consult a career coach.

Or bring your baby and find out how infant memory works.

And, for the kids, star in your own comic book.

It's all free, except for food and drink, and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More than 1,000 Rutgers employees were involved in planning the hoopla and many will participate, in addition to students.

"We wonder from time to time whether we're getting our message out as effectively as we can," McCormick said. "This is a way for us to communicate with as many people as will come by. I hope it's tens of thousands."

Rutgers Day is an expansion of two long-running Rutgers' events: Ag Field Day and the New Jersey Folk Festival, which typically draw more than 10,000.

It is based on the University of Maryland's 11-year-old Maryland Day.

Last year, Rutgers sent a crew to College Park to learn about the event, started under president C.D. Mote Jr., who got the idea from the University of California at Berkeley, where he previously worked, said University of Maryland spokesman Dave Ottalini.

The event drew more than 70,000 last year.

"Other than the Preakness, we are the largest annual event in the state of Maryland," he said.

The event has improved the university's relations with the community and attracted more students, he said.

McCormick hopes that Rutgers Day also sparks more student interest, though he notes that the school has no shortage of students. It will have to divert 1,000 students on its New Brunswick campus to hotel rooms in the fall because of lack of space.

"We expect a very large first-year class, probably the largest ever," he said.

But more applications, which can deepen the quality of students, are always welcome, he added.

More than 90 percent of Rutgers' 50,000-plus students come from New Jersey.

No events will be held on the Camden campus, but McCormick said that could change in subsequent years. The Camden campus will have a presence at the New Brunswick events, he said.

Rutgers officials had no estimate on how much the event would cost to host. Sponsorships, which will affect the overall cost, are still being negotiated and finalized, they said.

Events will be organized around 10 themes: Global Reach; Arts and Humanities; the World of Work; Kids' Stuff; Rutgers University; Jersey Roots (how Rutgers is part of the state in different ways); Science and Technology; History; Health, Sports and Recreation; and Rutgers' role in improving the environment.

The school will offer a shuttle to take people to different activity areas. Free parking also will be available.

For more information, visit http://rutgersday.rutgers.edu.

EndText