This is an enumeration of notable people affiliated with Rutgers University, including graduates of the undergraduate and graduate and professional programs at all three campuses, former students who did not graduate or receive their degree, presidents of the university, current and former professors, as well as members of the board of trustees and board of governors, and coaches affiliated with the university's athletic program. Also included are characters in works of fiction (books, films, television shows, et cetera) who have been mentioned or were depicted as having an affiliation with Rutgers, either as a student, alumnus, or member of the faculty.
Some noted alumni and faculty may be also listed in the main Rutgers University article or in some of the affiliated articles. Individuals are sorted by category and alphabetized within each category. Default campus for listings is the New Brunswick campus, the system's largest campus, with Camden and Newark campus affiliations and their antecedent institutions noted.
Presidents of Rutgers University
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. Holloway, a U.S. 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. Frequently, the president also occupies a professorship in his academic discipline and engages in instructing students.
Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, 1912–2006, A.B. 1932, economist, public intellectual, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics (1976) Toni Morrison (honorary doctorate), taught at Rutgers, novelist (Beloved, Song of Solomon), Nobel Prize in Literature (1993), Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1988) Selman Waksman 1918–1958, Bachelor's in Agriculture, professor of microbiology; discovered 22 antibiotics (including streptomycin); winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1952)
Notable trustees and benefactors Andrew Kirkpatrick (1756–1831), lawyer, chief justice of New Jersey Supreme Court, trustee 1782–1809 Littleton Kirkpatrick (1797–1859), attorney and politician, trustee 1841–1859Rutgers College and Raven, John Howard (Rev.) (compiler).United States Congress Henry Rutgers (1745–1830), military officer and philanthropist after whom Rutgers is named
Notable alumni
Architecture Louis Ayres, Medievalist architect best known for designing the United States Memorial Chapel at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial and the Herbert C. Hoover U.S. Department of Commerce Building Frank Townsend Lent
Arts and entertainment
Art Brad Ascalon, Class of 1999, industrial designer Alice Aycock, Class of 1968, sculptor Marc Ecko, fashion designer Gia Giudice, social media and reality television star, daughter of Teresa Giudice Roy Lichtenstein, artist Lore Kadden Lindenfeld, textile designer Kojiro Matsukata, art collector whose collection helped form the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo Amira Rasool, entrepreneur and fashion journalist George Segal, GSNB 1963, sculptor Cassie Yeung, chef, dancer, and TikTok star
Entertainment DJ Akademiks, real name Livingston Allen, hip hop YouTuber and journalist Joanna Angel, adult film actress Roger Bart, actor (Desperate Housewives, The Producers; Tony Award for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown) Mario Batali, Class of 1982, chef, restaurateur, television host (Molto Mario, Iron Chef America) Bill Bellamy, Class of 1989, comedian, actor Avery Brooks, Class of 1973, actor, educator John Carpenter, Class of 1990, first-ever champion of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire television quiz show Asia Carrera (born Jessica Steinhauser), Class of 1995 (did not graduate), porn star; majored in Business and Japanese Kevin Chamberlin, Class of 1985, actor (Tony Award nominations for Dirty Blonde and Seussical) Larry Charles, film director (Borat and Bruno) Esther Choi, chef and media personality Jim Coane, Class of 1970, Emmy award-winning television executive producer, writer and director (Dragon Tales) Mike Colter, actor (Netflix's Luke Cage) Jessica Darrow, Class of 2017, actress and singer, voice of Luisa Madrigal in Disney's Encanto Kristin Davis, Class of 1987, actress (Sex and the City) Tim DeKay, Class of 1990 (Mason Gross School of the Arts), actor (White Collar) John DiMaggio, voice actor (Bender on Futurama and Jake the Dog on Adventure Time), voicework in anime (Princess Mononoke, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust) Katie Dippold, television and film writer (Parks and Recreation, The Heat) Wheeler Winston Dixon, filmmaker, critic, author Keir Dullea, actor (2001: A Space Odyssey) Simon Feil, Class of 2000, actor (Julie & Julia, House of Cards) Jon Finkel, Class of 2003, professional Magic: The Gathering player; inducted into the MTG Hall of Fame Calista Flockhart, Class of 1988, actress (The Birdcage, Ally McBeal), Emmy winner, spouse of Harrison Ford Brandon Flynn, Class of 2016, actor (13 Reasons Why) Marlene Forte (attended), actress, sister of HSN host Lesley Machado Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, filmmaker, critic, author Midori Francis, actress (Dash & Lily) James Gandolfini, Class of 1983, actor (The Sopranos), Emmy winner, voice actor (Where the Wild Things Are) Chris Gethard, comedian, actor Judy Gold, B.A. 1984, comedian, actress Dan Green, voice actor (Yu-Gi-Oh!) Charles Hallahan, Class of 1969 (Camden), actor (The Thing, Hunter) Robert Harper, Class of 1974, actor (Once Upon a Time in America, Frank's Place, Creepshow, Commander in Chief...) Bakhtiyaar Irani, Class of 1999, Indian television actor, participant in the Indian version of Big Brother, Bigg Boss Bill Jemas, Class of 1980, writer, creative director, publisher for Marvel Comics Group Ed Kalegi, national talk radio host and personality The Weekend with Ed Kalegi, actor Jason Kaplan, associate producer of The Howard Stern Show Jane Krakowski, Class of 1988, actress (Ally McBeal, 30 Rock) Angie Martinez, radio host of Power 105, Honorary degree William Mastrosimone, Class of 1980, playwright, Golden Globe Award winner Christopher McCulloch, creator of The Venture Bros. Paolo Montalban, Broadway, television and film actor Luis Moro, Class of 1987, actor, comic, filmmaker, writer, Independent Spirit Award nominee, Best Actor nominee ABFF (Love and Suicide) Oswald "Ozzie" Nelson, Class of 1927, musician and actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) Nicolas Nuvan, social media influencer on Instagram and TikTok Daniel O'Brien, Class of 2008, comedian/writer (Cracked.com, How to Fight Presidents) Scott Patterson, actor (Saw IV, Saw V) Lauren Phillips, adult film actress Hasan Piker, Twitch streamer and left-wing political commentator Matt Pinfield, radio DJ, host of MTV's 120 Minutes Molly Price, actress Robert Pulcini, Class of 1989 (Camden), Academy Award-nominated documentary and feature filmmaker, co-director of American Splendor Sheryl Lee Ralph, English Lit/Theatre degree, 1975, original Deena Jones in the Broadway smash hit musical Dreamgirls, winner of six Tony Awards Dan Salvato, Class of 2014, video game creator, developed (Doki Doki Literature Club!) Roy Scheider, actor (Jaws, Sorcerer) Henry Selick, attended for a year, director (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline) Michael Sorvino, actor, son of Paul Sorvino Dina Spybey, actress (Disney's The Haunted Mansion) Sebastian Stan, Class of 2005, actor (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Covenant) Aaron Stanford, Class of 2000, actor (X2, Tadpole) Kurt Sutter, Class of 1986, writer (The Shield), creator of Sons of Anarchy Paul Wesley, actor (The Vampire Diaries) Ashley Woodfolk, young adult fiction writer Karen Young, actress (The Sopranos, Law & Order) Ramy Youssef, attended, actor (Ramy) Saul Zaentz, film producer (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus)
Journalism Spencer Ackerman, Class of 2002, journalist for The Daily Beast Joan Acocella, Class of 1984, journalist, author, dance critic for The New Yorker Martin Agronsky, Class of 1936, pioneering TV journalist Amanda Alcantara, Class of 2012, writer and activist Carrie Budoff Brown, editor of Politico Lisa Daftari, foreign affairs investigative journalist for the Foreign Desk Stuart Diamond, journalist, New York Times, Pulitzer Prize; author of Getting More, NY Times bestseller Dylan Dreyer, meteorologist Rich Edson, Class of 2003, Washington correspondent, Fox News Channel Mike Emanuel, journalist, chief congressional correspondent and former White House correspondent for Fox News Channel Nick Gillespie, Class of 1985, journalist, editor Bernard Goldberg, Class of 1967, journalist Jerry Izenberg, Class of 1952, Emmy-winning sports journalist Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, Class of 2014, author and tech entrepreneur Jeff Koyen, Class of 1991, journalist and entrepreneur Gene Lyons, Class of 1952, political columnist Chi Modu, Class of 1989, photojournalist Natalie Morales, Class of 1994, journalist and correspondent for The Today Show Richard Newcomb, Class of 1962, journalist and author, best-selling author of Iwo Jima! and Abandon Ship! James O'Keefe, Class of 2006, political activist Wendy Osefo, Class of 2016 (Camden, PhD), political commentator and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Rebecca Quick, Class of 1993, journalist and anchor (CNBC's Squawk Box) Larry Stark, Class of 1956, Boston journalist and theater critic, Theater Mirror Mike Taibbi, Class of 1971, journalist and correspondent for NBC Nightly News Milton Viorst, Class of 1951, journalist, author, Middle East scholar Cathy Young, Class of 1988, journalist and non-fiction author
Music Kenny Barron, jazz pianist in Dizzie Gillespie quartet Regina Belle, singer ("A Whole New World") Laurie Berkner, children's musician, Jack's Big Music Show Just Blaze, Grammy Award-nominated hip hop producer David Bryan, keyboardist and member of band Bon Jovi Tyler Clementi, violinist who died by suicide after a roommate used a webcam to spy on him Jim Conti, tenor saxophonist for the third wave ska band Streetlight Manifesto Mike Glita, musician, producer, songwriter, manager, and former bassist for New Jersey post-hardcore band Senses Fail Roger Lee Hall, music preservationist, composer Mark Helias, bassist, composer Frank Iero, guitarist and backup vocals for the band My Chemical Romance; lead singer of post-hardcore/screamo band Leathermouth; co-founder of the Skeleton Crew company (dropped out, was on a scholarship) Ben Jelen, musician Brian Joo, Korean R&B singer; half of Fly to the Sky Tomas Kalnoky, lead singer-songwriter and lead guitarist of third wave ska band Streetlight Manifesto; formed Catch 22 and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution Lenny Kaye, lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group