UCM created 42 unique content topics for the Rutgers Excellence campaign that were distributed across multiple channels and reached approximately 783,000+ readers.
UCM Annual Highlights
University Communications and Marketing (UCM) enhances Rutgers' status and recognition as a world-class public research university.
By the Numbers
Brand Building Highlights of FY 2025
7.2M
pageviews
Rutgers.edu
Rutgers.edu
1.8M
pageviews
Rutgers Today
Rutgers Today
602.3K
news stories
cite Rutgers
2.5M
total video views
9.7K
images
downloaded from
Rutgers Digital Asset Library
Rutgers Digital Asset Library
Rutgers Excellence Campaign
To advance the awareness of Rutgers’ excellence and support a presidential initiative to improve Rutgers' reputation, UCM launched the Rutgers Excellence campaign. Spotlighting accomplishments and innovations of our scholars, our multichannel content distribution in FY 2025 reached 783,000+ readers and resulted in 78.6+ million impressions. Google Ad Words received 909,000+ impressions.
Using cultivated lists to reach academic leaders and other higher education influencers, UCM sent 37 direct emails featuring university accomplishments and initiatives, promotional content, and faculty and student achievements and achieved a 35% 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 6.2 million impressions through paid ad placements and owned channels that resulted in 762,700+ video views.
There were 157,300+ pageviews to the Rutgers.edu/excellence campaign landing page from digital advertising, enewsletters, social media, and direct email click-throughs to learn more about campaign topics and facts.
The campaign included more than 155 advertising placements in focused media outlets, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, The New York Times, and other outlets by target media markets.
To reach target-specific audiences of academic leaders and alumni working in higher education, 35 sponsored LinkedIn posts were placed.
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 680 times in these media outlets, with mentions about Rutgers' initiatives, research, faculty, and students.
UCM developed a video, "What Makes Rutgers Excellent," that showcases Rutgers' scope and excellence in research, health, service, and academics that received 2,900 video views.
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 2025
- 1.8 million pageviews
- 177 regular and special issues published
- 367 stories created and shared
Distribution channels
- Daily enewsletter
- Special enewsletters for fans, followers, and local officials
- Rutgers Today website
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Social media
Campaigns and Initiatives
UCM created a website to highlight the university's protocols for free expression on campus: guidelines that apply to all members of the community, including students, faculty, staff, visitors, and external groups wishing to participate in free expression at a Rutgers location. The website provides relevant policies, standards, resources, and FAQ.
UCM conducted an assessment of the current internal communication landscape. Insights from listening sessions with leadership, faculty, and staff shaped recommendations for incremental enhancements to communication processes and systems. A measurement framework with stakeholder feedback loops and regular reporting was developed to track progress over time. Benchmarking with peer institutions was also conducted. These efforts have informed recommendations for a more coordinated, relevant, and effective internal communication ecosystem.
UCM created a resource for the university community to assist with navigating proposed and changing federal government actions and requirements. Pertinent messaging was consolidated on the website and FAQ were developed to clearly state the imperative that Rutgers faculty and staff work to understand the reach, legal implications, and impact of new federal rules and that the focus remains on Rutgers' core mission, supporting students’ educational journeys and open lines of communication.
Working to improve and enhance new employee onboarding at Rutgers, UCM in collaboration with UHR revised the New Employee Welcome and Benefits Orientation presentation, produced two welcome videos—one sent with a new employee welcome email and the other video featuring colleagues from across the university—and designed Rutgers R pins with an attached bookmark outlining the Rutgers values and encouraging recipients to Wear Your Pin with Pride!
Presidential Communications
UCM promotes the announcement of William F. Tate IV as Rutgers' 22nd president, beginning July 1, 2025.
• 23,225 pageviews on Rutgers Today
• 329 news hits including WNYC and USA Today
• 364,417 impressions/33,746 engagements on social media
• 41.6% email open rate for higher education leaders
UCM creates a new website for incoming President Tate. It features his portrait, a video and photo gallery of the day he was appointed president, and messages to the university community from the chair of the Board of Governors.
A Message from William F. Tate IV
As President Tate began his tenure as Rutgers’ 22nd president, UCM provided support to the President’s Office for his Day One message sent on July 1 to the university community.
News Event
UCM managed an event for then President-Designate Tate immediately after he was appointed so he could meet with representatives of the news and participate in a question-and-answer session. UCM also shared information about his appointment with a news release to the media.
As the university prepared for a new chapter under President Tate's leadership, UCM collected notable posts on social media: from the New Jersey State House, from Capitol Hill, from alumni, and from across the university
Newly appointed President Tate, wearing a custom New York Yankee pinstripe jersey with #22, throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 2025, a day after being announced as Rutgers' 22nd president.
• 55,829 impressions/6,621 engagements in social media
• 7 news hits, including NJ.com
Presidential Search
Concluding a national search, on May 19, 2025, the Rutgers Board of Governors, with the advice and consent of the Rutgers Board of Trustees, approved the appointment of William F. Tate IV as the university's next president, his tenure beginning July 1, 2025.
To support the work of the presidential search committee, UCM initiated a multipronged promotional campaign to support the search for and announcement of Rutgers’ 22nd president.
Presidential Leadership Profile
UCM created a Presidential Leadership Profile, an overview of Rutgers and its mission, goals, and achievements, as a supplement to the campaign.
President-Designate Website
Upon the announcement of a new president of Rutgers, UCM transitioned the search website to the President-Designate website adding a portrait of William F. Tate IV taken that morning by the UCM photographer, posting the announcement of the appointment, producing a video highlight, and collating a photo gallery of the day's events
Rutgers Today News
Rutgers Today news stories and other media coverage provide information about each element of the search process.
• 5,894 pageviews on Rutgers Today
• 20 news stories, including NJ Spotlight News and ROI-NJ
Presidential Search Website
UCM created and publicized a comprehensive website for Rutgers' search for its 22nd president. It provides information on the process, timeframe, the search committee, ways in which the university community can provide input, and documents search announcements and communications. Launched on November 27, 2024, and through May 14, 2025, the site had:
• 18,653 pageviews
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 2025
602,300
news stories citing Rutgers
94%
Rutgers news stories are favorably ranked as neutral to positive for the institution
900
news stories that resulted from UCM's pitching and promoting efforts
505
Rutgers experts were cited by the news media
Pitching and Promoting Stories
UCM executed media plans to promote these activities, experts, and programs.
Tonya Smith-Jackson was appointed chancellor of Rutgers-Newark, effective August 1, 2025. UCM widely shared the announcement.
• 180,648 impressions/10,321 engagements on social media
• 4,272 pageviews Rutgers Today
• 40.6% email open rate among 7,000 higher education leaders
Showcasing Federally Funded Research
Key research initiatives made possible with funding from the National Institutes of Health showcase the broad range of communities impacted by our work.
• 6,385 impressions/530 engagements on social media
• 19,217 pageviews on Rutgers Today
Celebrating Scarlet Service
UCM promoted the fourth summer of Rutgers Scarlet Service internships. The department also assisted with the selection and interviewing of potential students.
• 60,673 impressions/5,924 engagements on social media
• 125 pageviews on Rutgers Today
UCM highlighted key moments in Black history at Rutgers with archival and new photography. Content included facts on Paul Robeson, Herb Conaway—an alumnus sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives, and a Rutgers expert on the history of Black church hats, among others.
• 200,244 impressions/15,271 engagements on social media
• 6,510 pageviews on Rutgers Today
For the second consecutive year, Rutgers–New Brunswick was the #15 top public university, and all three university locations at Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick were among the top 50 public and top 100 national universities.
• 80 news stories including The Star-Ledger
• 209,541 impressions/16,286 engagements on social media
• 29% email open rate among 7,000 higher education leaders
Members of the Rutgers community shared what they wanted others to know about their experiences. Content included an essay page, a video about Adaptive Sports Day programs, posts about our students with disabilities and caregivers, and an events page.
• 34,160 impressions/1,671 engagements on social media
• 11,900 video views of Adaptive Sports Day
Managing Universitywide Social Media Accounts
UCM tracks, manages, and monitors @RutgersU social media channels.
Highlights of FY 2025
897,000+
social media followers
32 million
social media impressions
1,734
social media posts
Monitoring Rutgers across All Social Media Channels
UCM uses social media listening tools to monitor the conversations people are having about Rutgers across all social media to gain insights that inform our understanding of public sentiment regarding Rutgers, its reputation, and its overall brand.
1.3 million Rutgers brand mentions in FY 2025
Mentions are counted across over 100 million data sources, in 50+ languages, and across 25+ social networks and other platforms.
Storytelling through Video
UCM produces content to tell the stories of Rutgers people and places through video for Rutgers.edu, Rutgers Today, social media platforms, and other university projects and channels.
Highlights of FY 2025
2.5 million total video views, including YouTube and Vimeo
56 videos produced for UCM channels
Issues, Emergency, and Crisis Management Communications
UCM coordinates with Institutional Planning and Operations and communication teams across the university to notify the Rutgers community of urgent issues, testing, and emergency notifications.
- Responded to 70 media inquiries and issued news releases about events regarding the university including federal actions, student visas, Rutgers' 22nd incoming president, and the resignation of the athletic director
- Executed communications plans to alert the university community about 6 urgent weather-related messages
- Delivered 3 emergency messages to inform the university community about operational issues impacting Rutgers' campuses
Support for Government Relations
UCM collaborates with the Government Relations team to align communications with policy priorities, amplify key messages, and foster meaningful engagement with stakeholders.
Rutgers' Impact in N.J.
A two-month strategic campaign targeted the state's elected officials and policymakers during the annual budget season. Digital ads, videos, and sponsored content leveraged existing assets and highlighted the impact Rutgers makes throughout the state.
Telling the Rutgers Story Through Budget Priorities
To support Rutgers’ engagement with federal and state policymakers, UCM collaborated with our Government Relations colleagues to produce a brochure titled A Budget That Reflects Our Priorities. Designed to reinforce Rutgers’ value as N.J.’s public research university, the brochure was distributed to legislators and key stakeholders. UCM printed 1,000 copies for strategic outreach efforts.
Economic Impact Highlights
UCM developed a document outlining key messaging points and supporting data that demonstrate Rutgers' contributions to New Jersey. This flexible tool provides communicators and advocates, particularly in state and federal relations, comprehensive talking points and statistics.
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.
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 1,100 new signatures for units universitywide.
UCM provides Rutgers-branded exhibit kit materials to faculty and staff to represent Rutgers at conferences, symposia, workshops, county fairs, and other events. The exhibit kits, which include table covers, vertical banners, podium drapes, signs, and media backdrops, were refreshed with the Rutgers R logo.
The Brand Aid enewsletter, a resource emailed to faculty and staff several times throughout the year, focuses on the continued transition to the new Rutgers R visual identity. UCM continues to provide assistance to aid with implementation universitywide.
UCM worked with the Middle States team to produce templates that offer a polished, cohesive design for upcoming Middle States communications.
UCM oversees the Rutgers Visual Identity System. With the transition to the new Rutgers R well underway, we’re scanning university communications for often overlooked old logos on social media, forms, digital credentials, and more and reminding users of the resources available to make updates.
UCM maintains the Communicators Network to reach communicators universitywide and provide guidance and resources about Rutgers' branding policies and assets. More than 175 university communicators attended an event hosted by UCM that included presentations on Generative AI, Social Listening, and Advertising Best Practices. Attendee feedback included a 96% satisfaction rating.
The ACE program includes outside communications firms with service agreements in place with the university, making engagement for Rutgers units faster and easier. Rutgers units utilize the ACE program to work with vendors for projects that fall within 10 marketing and communications categories. The program currently features 67 suppliers.
Document skills, knowledge, and abilities with digital credentials. Digital badges are awarded for demonstrating completion of cocurricular, extracurricular, or noncredit-related learning. A digital certificate is earned when the learner has completed all the necessary requirements and assessments and has been given access to accept and share the digital certificate.
In adherence with Rutgers’ advertising policy, UCM reviews all advertisements, ensuring that Rutgers is presented in a consistent, coherent, and brand-standard manner.
FY 2025
• 364 ads reviewed
• $10 million total media buys
• 1.3 billion impressions
Promoting Rutgers
Launch of Online Store
UCM launched a new ecommerce platform for Rutgers merchandise: R House. It offers a curated selection of products to promote items that don't typically appear in traditional retail outlets. The online store aggregates merchandise from various vendors into one centralized location, benefitting users and small vendors.
NCAA College Football
UCM partnered with EA in the successful launch of EA Sports College Football 25 for the PlayStation and Xbox, marking the game's first installment since 2014. Beginning in 2021, the team worked closely with EA to provide guidance and feedback to ensure an authentic representation of Scarlet Knights football. The game outperformed expectations, becoming the best-selling video game in U.S. history, with Rutgers fans making their team a favorite to play.
Growing Merchandise Program
UCM signed 54 new licensing partnerships in FY 2025. New vendors were added to Rutgers’ portfolio while also expanding existing partners into new product categories. New licenses include popular activewear brand Rhoback, sportswear brand Pro Standard, and trendy headwear manufacturers No Rivals and Branded Bills. Categories ranged from wearable blankets (Logo Brands) to neon signs (ArtGlo, Saturday Neon). Additional branded merchandise from these and other partners is available through retail channels carrying Rutgers products.
Swag Portal for Rutgers-Branded Merchandise
UCM, in collaboration with University Procurement Services, manages the Swag Portal, an online platform that encourages the strategic sourcing of Rutgers-branded merchandise. Making finding and buying Rutgers-branded merchandise easier, the portal streamlines the purchasing and design process for Rutgers units to secure promotional items: apparel, bags, pins, specialty items, giveaways, and more. Units realize savings from competitive and discounted pricing.
- 453 Rutgers units placed orders
- 3,200+ total orders placed
- $4.7 million in total orders
- $4.9 million in savings
Commencement 2025
UCM promoted and supported Rutgers' 259th Anniversary Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
For the first time, this year’s Commencement required digital tickets and parking passes for graduates and their guests. To ensure a smooth transition, UCM created and published a detailed web page explaining the new process for obtaining these digital items. The change was also widely publicized through social media channels and a press release to the media.
UCM promoted the Class of 2025 and highlighted the Commencement ceremonies through more than 100 stories and posts.
276 news stories
2.3 million @RutgersU social media impressions
221,624 @RutgersU social media engagements
UCM manages the Commencement website, which received 88,000+ visitors and 175,000+ pageviews. The ceremony was streamed live on the website, and the video was posted on the website and distributed to news outlets. UCM also completed new photography, videography, and graphic design elements for the site and a wide range of UCM-produced marketing materials.
Great Things to Know About Rutgers
UCM created the Great Things to Know about Rutgers brochure as a communications tool for units universitywide to show what makes Rutgers a distinctive and highly respected institution in the Garden State, the nation, and across the globe. Printed brochures are available to university leaders and communicators to share internally or externally--with community leaders, high school guidance counselors, job candidates, and conference attendees, for instance. A companion website allows users to explore enhanced content digitally or download a PDF of the brochure.
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
70+
sites using the RCCL to date
31
new RCCL site requests initiated in FY25
Photography and Other Digital Assets
UCM provides the Rutgers Digital Asset Library to store, organize, and share photos and videos with the university community. Providing access to thousands of curated images and a growing number of videos, the self-serve asset management tool is accessible to faculty and staff to create collections and share and download photos and videos.
Highlights of FY 2025
- 31,600+ total assets in database
- 9,700+ assets downloaded
- 2,900+ assets added
UCM's Work Receives International Recognition
UCM's work was honored with the following Hermes Creative Awards, international recognition within the creative and marketing industry.
Platinum Award
- Welcome to Rutgers (video/corporate image)
Gold Awards
- Rutgers on the Rise (publication/corporate image)
- Adaptive Sports Day (event video)
- Excellence Campaign (marketing campaign)
- After Losing Her Hand in an Accident, Rutgers Staffer Launches 5K to Help Amputees (writing)
- After Giving Birth on the Way to the Hospital, Doctoral Student Defends Dissertation the Same Day (writing)
- What Makes Rutgers Excellent (video/corporate image)
UCM Videos Earn Prestigious Awards
The Telly Awards honor excellence in television and video production from some of the most respected players in the industry. UCM was recognized with:
Silver Awards
- Rutgers Teaches Leaders the Power of Kindness (social issues)
- Rutgers Senior Conducts Rainbow Symphony (DEI)
- Adaptive Sports Day at Rutgers (DEI)
Bronze Awards
- What Makes Rutgers Excellent (educational institution)
- Rutgers Quadruple Major Trains for Ironman World Championship (fitness, health, wellness)
