UCM created 29 unique content topics for the reputation campaign that were distributed across multiple channels and reached approximately 483,000+ readers.
UCM Annual Highlights
University Communications and Marketing (UCM) enhances Rutgers' status and recognition as a world-class public research university.
Showcasing the Rutgers Edge
To advance the awareness of Rutgers’ excellence and support a presidential initiative to improve Rutgers' reputation, UCM manages a multi-year reputation campaign. Spotlighting the accomplishments and innovations of our scholars, our multichannel content distribution in FY 2026 reached 483,000+ readers and resulted in 117.6+ million impressions.
Using cultivated lists to reach academic leaders and other higher education influencers, UCM sent 18 direct emails featuring university accomplishments and initiatives, promotional content, and faculty and student achievements, which achieved a 42% average open rate.
To elevate stories of excellence, UCM developed videos featuring topics from across the campaign, such as Rutgers' impact as a research and education powerhouse. These videos received 7.2 million impressions through paid ad placements and owned channels that resulted in 779,000+ video views.
There were 173,000+ pageviews to the rutgers.edu/edge campaign landing page from digital advertising, enewsletters, social media, and direct email click-throughs to learn more about campaign topics and facts.
To reach target-specific audiences of academic leaders and alumni working in higher education, 22 sponsored LinkedIn posts were placed and received nearly 2 million impressions.
The campaign included more than 81 advertising placements in focused media outlets, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The New York Times, and other outlets in target media markets.
Proactive outreach to news media has earned the attention of 12 target publications, selected for their influence on higher education leaders. Rutgers has appeared more than 575 times in these media outlets, with mentions about Rutgers' initiatives, research, faculty, and students.
UCM produced a video, "What Makes Rutgers Excellent," that showcases Rutgers' scope and excellence in research, health, service, and academics that received more than 50,000 video views.
Conference Sponsorship
Rutgers had a strong presence at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) annual meeting in Philadelphia. UCM wrapped lobby columns in Rutgers scarlet with points of distinction based on our areas of excellence, highlighted in Rutgers’ Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from APLU. The sponsorship conveyed a strong message: Rutgers proudly stands among the nation’s leading public and land-grant universities.
Rutgers Today
Rutgers Today is the universitywide news center promoting news, features, and videos with daily content additions and updates on all things Rutgers.
Highlights of FY 2026
- 2.1 million pageviews
- 166 regular and special issues published
- 324 stories created and shared
Distribution channels
- Daily enewsletter
- Special enewsletters for fans, followers, and local officials
- Rutgers Today website
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Social media
Showcasing Rutgers’ ROI to New Jersey
As part of a broader effort to quantify the university’s return on investment to state residents, UCM launched a campaign highlighting Rutgers as an economic powerhouse. Timed to coincide with the state budget season and ongoing university advocacy efforts, the campaign features key analysis from a recent comprehensive economic impact study.
Advertising
Advertisements ran across various New Jersey media outlets and on platform boards at four major transit hubs, including the north and southbound sides of the New Brunswick train station. Both the ads and transit display feature QR codes, driving traffic to a dedicated landing page with the video and expanded content. In FY 2026, the campaign earned a total of 4.3+ million impressions.
Landing Page
The dedicated campaign landing page received more than 3,000+ pageviews from digital and out-of-home advertising, enewsletters, social media posts, and direct email click-throughs to learn more about Rutgers strengthens the economy.
Video
The video includes deeper data from the comprehensive report, as well as resident and business perceptions of Rutgers from an awareness and viewpoint study conducted earlier this year. It received 3,300+ views in FY 2026.
Backgrounders
UCM produced an economic impact one-pager and a university backgrounder with facts, figures, and highlights for higher education budget testimony and advocacy.
Presidential Communications
President Tate’s First Year in Office
President William F. Tate IV hit the ground running at the start of his presidency on July 1, 2025, with significant news coverage of his first day at Rutgers. UCM covered his comprehensive schedule of visits with students, faculty, staff, and leaders across the university, and meetings with dignitaries in New Jersey and Washington, DC.
• 448,130 impressions and 37,195 engagements on social media
• 258 news hits, including NJ.com
In partnership with the Rutgers University Foundation, UCM covered the inauguration of President Tate, delivering his inaugural vision to university stakeholders and the public through written stories, pitched content, social media posts, emails, videos, and photos.
• 66,242 video views
• 187,713 impressions and 18,838 engagements on social media
The Rutgers Edge Newsletter
President Tate launched his newsletter, "The Rutgers Edge," outlining Rutgers' successes, challenges, and his vision for our future. UCM designed the newsletter, copyedited the text, and distributed it to approximately 180 Board of Governors, Board of Trustees, trustees emeriti, and Foundation Board of Directors.
UCM maintains president.rutgers.edu, which features President Tate’s portrait, a video and photo gallery of him at events, news clips, and his messages to the university community. In FY26, the page received 92,778 pageviews.
UCM secured and promoted national coverage of President Tate’s vision for Rutgers as a global biomedical research hub in Investment Reports and The Washington Post, supported by digital ads and Rutgers channels. UCM also facilitated a Philadelphia Tribune interview to reach prospective students and families in the Philadelphia region and developed an ad highlighting the president’s opportunity agenda for Positive Community.
UCM published 85 posts on President Tate’s activities and engagement with the Rutgers community, generating a total of 1.3 million impressions and 126,141 engagements.
University News and Media Relations
UCM tracks all news coverage of Rutgers and develops daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual news coverage reports for university leadership and governing boards that capture the breadth and sentiment of the coverage.
Highlights of FY 2026
506,231
news stories cited Rutgers
93%
Rutgers news stories were favorably ranked as neutral to positive for the institution
68
news stories that resulted from UCM's pitching and promoting efforts
500
Rutgers experts were cited by the news media
Pitching and Promoting Stories
UCM executed media plans to promote these activities, experts, and programs.
2026 FIFA World Cup
UCM created and promoted several stories around Rutgers’ role in the World Cup.
• 1.3 million impressions and 67,346 engagements on social media
• 5,400 pageviews on Rutgers Today
• 7 news stories, including USA Today and Inside Higher Ed
Announcing New Director of Athletics
Keli Zinn was appointed by President Tate as Rutgers University's new director of athletics. UCM widely shared the announcement with Rutgers Athletics and the Rutgers Foundation.
• 228,800 impressions and 23,000 engagements on @RutgersU social media
• 260 news stories, including Sports Illustrated
All three campuses ranked in the top 50 national public universities in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings. Rutgers–Newark and Rutgers–Camden ranked #5 and #9, respectively, for social mobility.
• 230 news stories, including NBC New York
• 39,273 impressions and 1,012 engagements on social media
• 39% email open rate among higher education leaders
Black History Month
To recognize Black History Month, UCM shared several stories and created social media posts spotlighting significant Black alumni and students and their impact on history.
• 199,699 impressions and 17,767 engagements on social media
• 4,944 pageviews on Rutgers Today
• 19 news stories, including PEOPLE and MyCentralJersey.com
New Jersey’s Gubernatorial Election
UCM highlighted and promoted Rutgers experts offering insights on the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election.
• 39,107 pageviews on Rutgers Today
• 1,040 news stories, including ABC News, WNYC, CNN, and The Hill
Rutgers Experts on Current Events and Trends
UCM successfully pitched Rutgers faculty to comment on a variety of hot topics, ranging from the Charlie Kirk murder, the hit-and-run deaths of two New Jersey teenage girls by their classmate, how “6-7” became popular, dating violence, school cell phone bans, and more.
• 25 news stories, including Newsweek and NJ.com
Monitoring Rutgers across All Social Media Channels
UCM uses social media listening tools to monitor the conversations people are having about Rutgers across all platforms to gain insights that inform our understanding of public sentiment regarding the institution, its reputation, and overall brand.
1.4 million Rutgers brand mentions in FY 2026
Mentions are counted across over 100 million data sources in 50+ languages and 25+ social networks and other platforms.
Storytelling through Video
UCM produces video content to tell the stories of Rutgers people and places for Rutgers.edu, Rutgers Today, social media platforms, and other university projects and channels.
Highlights of FY 2026
• 3 million total video views, including YouTube and Vimeo
• 56 videos produced for UCM channels
Brand Template Library
Developed over months of research, feedback, and collaboration with a universitywide committee, UCM launched the Rutgers Brand Template Library, an easy-to-navigate collection of templates designed to help faculty, staff, and students create on-brand materials with ease, regardless of design experience. The library includes more than 50 professionally designed templates across Adobe, Microsoft, and Canva platforms, organized into eight template categories. Since its launch in late 2025:
- 7,201 assets downloaded
- 21,619 page views
- 97% satisfaction rate among Rutgers communicators
UCM continues to solicit feedback from university communicators to evolve the library and meet their needs.
Brand Management
UCM defines, elevates, and protects the Rutgers brand by managing our brand assets and enhancing the public prominence of the university through effective communications.
The Rutgers Visual Identity Guidelines were refreshed with new updates, including revised clear space requirements, the new Sir Henry logo, guidance on using the secondary color palette, and more. Additionally, in collaboration with IP&O, UCM made significant updates and improvements to the university’s signage guidelines, enhancing their functionality and alignment with the university’s visual identity. Those guidelines include the latest design, placement, and use of the Rutgers R logo.
In collaboration with the School of Arts and Sciences, UCM developed an application to create Rutgers-branded and formatted email message signatures. This easy-to-use application formats the logo in the correct color, size, and resolution, sets a standard font for signature text, and applies a streamlined approach to information ordering for title, department, and contact information. The application includes options for universitywide, campus, school, and central administrative office logos for any email client.
UCM refreshed its exhibit kit inventory with new fabric-tension display banners designed to be more resistant to damage and wear-and-tear. Additional inventory for items in high demand were also added, such as step-and-repeat banners, podium drapes, and table cloths. UCM offers Rutgers-branded exhibit kit materials to faculty and staff to represent Rutgers at conferences, symposia, workshops, county fairs, and other events.
UCM's revised signature generator is the system from which faculty and staff can download Rutgers R graphics packages and request new signatures. To date, UCM has created more than 1,300 new signatures for units universitywide.
UCM maintains the Communicators Network to reach communicators universitywide, providing guidance and resources on Rutgers' branding policies and assets. The network’s annual meeting in December brought together 190 communicators—an all-time high attendance record—to hear from experts on using the new Rutgers brand template library, how to pitch to today’s news media, AI in higher education, connecting with alumni, and more. Attendee feedback resulted in a 98% satisfaction rating.
UCM offers self-guided, virtual training courses on communications policies and best practices. Users who complete the seven core modules, two additional courses, and quizzes can earn a Rutgers Communicator Certificate.
The ACE program offers easy access to communications firms with service agreements in place with the university, making engagement for Rutgers units faster. With vendors available in 10 marketing and communications categories, Rutgers units can utilize the ACE program for help on a variety of projects.
FY 2026
• 37 of our 67 ACE suppliers engaged
• 279 purchase orders issued
• Total spend: $4.22 million
In adherence with Rutgers’ advertising policy, UCM reviews all advertisements, ensuring that Rutgers is presented in a consistent, coherent, and brand-standard manner.
FY 2026
• 346 ads reviewed
• $10.7 million total media buys
• 1.7 billion impressions
Photography and Other Digital Assets
UCM provides the Rutgers Digital Asset Library for faculty and staff to store, organize, and share photos and videos with the university community.
FY 2026
• 35,300+ total assets in database
• 11,600+ assets downloaded
• 3,600+ assets added
R House Online Shop Launches
UCM officially launched R House, the university’s first and only one-stop online shop for unique, school-based, and hard-to-find Rutgers merchandise—eliminating the need for shoppers to visit multiple websites to purchase different items. The online store aggregates merchandise from various vendors into one centralized location, benefiting users and small vendors. In FY 2026, R House fulfilled 4,872 orders for over 10,000 items.
Promoting Rutgers
Rutgers Special Collection
UCM launched and promoted the 2025 Rutgers Special Collection through R House, a limited-edition line celebrating university landmarks through unique T-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags. Designed for the first time by two students, Elliot Dong and Sarah Virgilio, the collection featured eight collages highlighting icons like Old Queens, Willie the Silent, the Rutgers–Newark arch, and the Paul Robeson Library.
America 250 Collection
UCM designed and launched a limited-edition merchandise line celebrating America’s 250th birthday and Rutgers’ role as one of only nine colonial colleges. The 2026 Special Collection—which was made available exclusively online at R House through the end of June—is the bestselling collection to date.
UCM, in collaboration with University Procurement Services, manages the Swag Portal, an online platform that encourages the strategic sourcing of Rutgers-branded merchandise and making finding and buying Rutgers-branded merchandise easier.
• 491 Rutgers units placed orders
• 3,500+ total orders placed
• $5.1 million in total orders
• $6 million in savings
Rutgers.edu
UCM manages the universitywide channel to the Rutgers digital universe. In September 2025, UCM launched a redesigned rutgers.edu homepage, marking its first major update since 2020. The redesign debuts “Picture Yourself at Rutgers,” a weekly rotating hero image showcasing the student experience. Results demonstrated higher engagement on the page with the CTA banner attracting significant attention.
Overall, in FY 2026, rutgers.edu received:
- 7 million pageviews
- 3.3 million visitors
Rutgers Core Component Library (RCCL)
The RCCL is a multi-template website tool that helps Rutgers units create branded, accessible, and engaging sites with an improved user experience—saving time and money. Explore our demo site for design components, documentation, how-to guides, and examples of RCCL-built websites.
65+
components
124+
sites using the RCCL to date
29
new RCCL site requests initiated in FY26
Campaigns and Initiatives
To commemorate the semiquincentennial of the United States, UCM launched a webpage highlighting the ways in which Rutgers has been part of our nation’s shared history and culture since the early days of the republic. Facts were shared through social media, Rutgers Today, and rutgers.edu.
UCM developed a comprehensive webpage that hosts information on the FIFA World Cup 2026 as it relates to Rutgers. Several stories and a video were also produced about Rutgers’ role in the World Cup, including its selection as a host site for the Senegal Men’s National Team and the fact that Rutgers-bred turfgrass is on almost all the playing fields. UCM also developed ads for Newark Liberty International Airport and well-traveled highways, welcoming visitors from around the world.
Branding the President’s Suite
UCM refreshed the artwork and fixtures throughout the President’s suite, with 34 in-house-produced acrylic pieces across the lobbies, hallways, offices, and conference room that highlight Rutgers milestones, innovations, notable alumni, and campus beauty. UCM also produced a digital display featuring Rutgers imagery on two new suite monitors.
Commencement 2026
UCM promoted and supported Rutgers' 260th Anniversary Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Identity Refresh
UCM developed a refreshed look for Commencement 2026, designed to modernize the identity, generate excitement, and build awareness. A variety of print and digital materials were produced with the new look, including a refreshed comprehensive mark package, invitations, save-the-dates, GIPHY animations, templates for custom graduate yard signs, the program, and event wayfinding materials.
UCM promoted the Class of 2026 and highlighted the Commencement ceremonies through more than 100 stories and posts.
• 4.8 million impressions and 370,200 engagements on @RutgersU social media
• 10 news stories, including NJ.com and NorthJersey.com
UCM manages the Commencement website, which received more than 91,500 visitors and nearly 279,000 pageviews. The ceremony was streamed live, posted on the website, and distributed to news outlets. UCM also completed new photography, videography, and graphic design for the site, as well as a wide range of marketing materials.
Issues, Emergency, and Crisis Management Communications
UCM coordinates with Institutional Planning and Operations (IP&O) and communication teams across the university to notify the Rutgers community of urgent issues, testing, and emergency notifications.
- Responded to media inquiries and issued news releases about events involving the university, including federal actions, institutional changes, leadership transitions, and cybersecurity attacks.
- Executed communications plans to alert the university community about 2 urgent weather-related messages.
- Delivered 7 emergency messages to inform the university community about operational issues impacting Rutgers' campuses.
UCM's Work Receives International Recognition
UCM's work received 21 awards this year, earning international recognition in the creative and marketing industry, including:
- 5 Platinum and 8 Gold Hermes Creative Awards
- 3 Silver and 3 Bronze Telly Awards
- 2 Best of District II Awards from the Council for Advancement & Support of Education
