Summer Service Kickoff 2023 RSSI RSS-DC Full Group

Rutgers Scarlet Service

Rutgers Scarlet Service establishes civic engagement as a critical component of higher education and forges a path toward appreciating each other’s differences, restoring civil discourse, and serving the common good.

Program Overview

President Jonathan Holloway created the Rutgers Scarlet Service program because he believes Rutgers should be a leader in its commitment to public service. “Students will work for nonprofits, serve the broader community, and gain the opportunity to learn about people who are unlike themselves—who face different struggles and come from different backgrounds, countries, races, or religions,” he said. “Participating in this program will make our students better citizens and our world a better place.”

Through Rutgers Scarlet Service, undergraduates from all campuses are selected for internships at public service-oriented nonprofit organizations and direct-service government offices. Students gain hands-on experience addressing national issues including public health, infrastructure, education, and the environment while developing a better understanding of themselves and building relationships with others. Participating students receive stipends and take related three-credit courses.

The program grew out of a President Holloway’s 2021 New York Times op-ed on national service and began in the summer of 2022 with 100 students interning in and around New Jersey. Rutgers Scarlet Service has already grown to include an additional cohort in Washington, D.C., the epicenter of American government, politics, and public leadership.

Scarlet Service Programs

New Jersey Liberty State Park ocean front view

Summer Internships

Rutgers Scarlet Service places undergraduate students in meaningful summer internship experiences, with stipends, at public service-oriented, nonprofit organizations and direct-service government offices in New Jersey, New York City, and Philadelphia metropolitan areas.

Scarlet Service in Washington, D.C.

Rutgers Scarlet Service provides meaningful summer internships, with stipends, to undergraduate students at government offices and public service-oriented, nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C.

President Jonathan Holloway poses with Rutgers Scarlet Service students

Support Scarlet Service

The Scarlet Service initiative supports Rutgers' beloved community, creating a better university—and a stronger democracy. Show your support in facilitating good citizenship and help provide vital opportunities for students to serve society through public service internships, volunteerism, nonprofit work, and more.

Student Service Stories

Every year through Rutgers Scarlet Service, undergraduates from all campuses gain hands-on experience addressing national issues while developing a better understanding of themselves and building relationships with others. This past summer, students tackled issues of food insecurity, worked with children in the foster system, provided guidance for immigrants and made a difference in many other ways as Scarlet Service interns.

Read Student Service Stories

Byrne Seminar: Citizenship, Institutions, and the Public

President Jonathan Holloway's Byrne Seminar for first-year students is designed to heighten understanding of the roles and responsibilities of citizenship and features conversations with distinguished leaders on critical questions related to citizenship. The seminar builds upon the Scarlet Service principles of establishing civic engagement as a critical component of higher education.

Learn More