The Presidential Medallion

The medallion bears the university seal and an outline of the state of New Jersey with three inset garnets marking Rutgers’ presence in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. Both the medallion and the chain are decorated with ivy and oak leaves. The ivy representing the university and oak leaves representing the state tree of New Jersey, the red oak.

The presidential medallion and chain were first presented at the inauguration of Francis L. Lawrence when he became Rutgers’ 18th president. Continuing with this inaugural tradition, Jonathan Scott Holloway was presented with the presidential medallion and chain on his official investiture as Rutgers’ 21st president on November 5, 2021.

The president’s chain, representing the chain of office, was designed and cast in sterling silver by Robert Cooke, professor at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts, and Don Myhre, a 1991 graduate of the school. William Happel, a Vermont sculptor and then visiting artist at the school, assisted the pair.

The medallion and chain were commissioned by past chairs of the Boards of Governors and Trustees and made possible by their generous contributions.