President Holloway’s Initiatives

In service of President Holloway's vision for Rutgers’ future, defined by the three hallmarks of his presidency—achieving the ideal of beloved community, relentlessly pursuing academic excellence, and developing strategic institutional clarity—he has established several key initiatives. They are briefly summarized below.

Climate Action Plan

Dr. Holloway has endorsed the President's Task Force on Carbon Neutrality and Climate Resilience, an initiative established under president emeritus Robert Barchi in 2019 and led by professors Robert Kopp, Kevin Lyons, and Angela Oberg. After nearly two years of research and deliberation, including town halls and other forms of public engagement, the task force delivered its final report and recommendations to Dr. Holloway in June 2021. President Holloway has accepted the task force's call for a carbon-neutral Rutgers by 2040. Visit the Office of Climate Action website for more information.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In his opening message as president of Rutgers, Dr. Holloway shared his belief that delivering on the principles of equity and inclusion requires constant attention and a determined commitment to improve. He asserted that Rutgers would identify and take concrete and measurable actions to address social, economic, and racial inequities. After commissioning an internal University Equity Audit that identified shortfalls in the university’s pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion, he appointed the university’s first senior vice president for equity, Enobong (Anna) Branch, and supported the work of that office in developing Rutgers’ first-ever diversity strategic plan. Visit the University Equity and Inclusion website for more information.

Task Force on Civic Engagement and Public Service

Setting a goal of making Rutgers University synonymous with civic engagement and public service, President Holloway has charged a small task force with answering the question: What are the best means by which Rutgers can elevate and celebrate civic engagement as an ongoing call to action across the university community? The task force, led by Rutgers–Camden Senior Vice Chancellor Nyeema Watson and Eagleton Institute of Politics director Elizabeth Matto, was asked to submit recommendations by June 2024 for building on existing strengths, fostering a continuing culture of service, providing resources and opportunities for students to perform service, and defining goals for making Rutgers nationally known in this area. Read their final report, which outlines a clear understanding of the current civic engagement landscape along with recommendations to advance the work in the short, medium, and long terms.

Office of University Labor Relations

In order to improve lines of communication between the administration and the university's unions, President Holloway announced the formation of an Office of University Labor Relations within the Office of the President. The office is led by David Cohen, vice president for university labor relations and special counsel for labor affairs. The new office coordinates the work formerly conducted by the Office of Labor Relations within University Human Resources and the Office of Academic Labor Relations within Academic Affairs. Visit the Office of University Labor Relations website for more information.

Rutgers Scarlet Service 

At his inauguration in November 2021, President Holloway declared that civic engagement is a critical component of a Rutgers education and a path toward appreciating our differences, restoring civil discourse, and working in service to the common good. He announced the Rutgers Scarlet Service initiative, which provides summer internship experiences to Camden, New Brunswick, and Newark undergraduates at public service-oriented nonprofit organizations and direct-service government offices, coupled with a course on public service. In 2023 the program expanded to include internships in Washington, DC. Visit the Rutgers Scarlet Service website for more information.

Future of Work Task Force

In his May 2021 message regarding the repopulation of Rutgers campuses, President Holloway announced formation of a task force to examine the future of work and make recommendations for possible changes to university policy and procedures. The Future of Work Task Force, led by Senior Vice President Vivian Fernández with representation from across the university, focused on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic remote working experiment as they relate to improving the student and patient experience, enhancing quality, building capacity, saving on costs, increasing innovation, and promoting employee well-being. President Holloway accepted the task force's report and recommendations in June 2022 and announced a pilot (now in its second year) authorizing flexible working arrangements for positions and units where that is possible. In 2023 he launched the Presidential Employee Excellence Recognition Program, another recommendation of the task force. Visit the Future of Work website for more information and to access the task force report.

Achieving Strategic Clarity

In 2020, President Holloway declared it a priority to achieve institutional strategic clarity in order to bolster Rutgers’ position as one of the nation’s best public universities. A small team led by Senior Vice President Brian Ballentine has tackled several initiatives toward this goal, including a five-year review of the university’s budgeting model, a study of online education at Rutgers, and an ad hoc committee on divestment from fossil fuels. The three-year pilot concluded in 2023, while the administration incorporates strategic clarity as an operating principle in all planning.

Strategic Funds

The President and Chancellors have access to dedicated discretionary funds in each year’s budget that they can use for strategic purposes that further Rutgers’ ability to serve its students and the community, support its faculty and staff, and strengthen its programmatic offerings. Strategic funds are typically directed toward mission-critical initiatives and priority areas such as the launch of new student aid and scholarship programs or academic initiatives; faculty recruitment and development; equity and access; and critical operations or infrastructure needs. Strategic funding is not intended to be a source of long-term funding. It is intentionally allocated for short-term, fixed periods of time to spur innovation or address urgent needs. Rutgers schools and units receiving this funding must report annually to the President’s Office on how funds were used.