List of Rutgers University people

This is an enumeration of notable people affiliated with Rutgers University, including graduates of the undergraduate and graduate and professional programs at all three campuses, former students who did not graduate or receive their degree, presidents of the university, current and former professors, as well as members of the board of trustees and board of governors, and coaches affiliated with the university's athletic program.

Also included are characters in works of fiction (books, films, television shows, et cetera) who have been mentioned or were depicted as having an affiliation with Rutgers, either as a student, alumnus, or member of the faculty.

Since 1785, twenty men have served as the institution's president, beginning with Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1735–1790), a Dutch Reformed clergyman who was responsible for establishing the college.

He is charged with implementing board policies with the help and advice of senior administrators and other members of the university community."

Frequently, the president also occupies a professorship in his academic discipline and engages in instructing students.

An 1825 donation from Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist Colonel Henry Rutgers (1745–1830) reopened the school after many years of financial problems. The Trustees renamed Queen's College to Rutgers College to honor his generosity.
The Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was the driving force behind establishing the college. Hardenbergh traveled to England in 1763 to lobby King George III on the proposal and, in 1766, obtained a charter from New Jersey's provisional governor, William Franklin. [ 1 ] [ 2 ]