Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
was established in 1956 with an endowment from Florence Peshine Eagleton (1870–1953), and it focuses on state and national politics through education and public service. Ruth Mandel served as director for over 20 years, before being succeeded in that role by
John Farmer Jr.
John J. Farmer Jr. (born June 24, 1957) is an American author, lawyer, politician, and jurist. He is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, where he also leads the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience (CPR).
in September, 2019.
The institute is located at the Cook-Douglass Campus in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Wood Lawn, which listed is the
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office within ...
and
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Background
Florence Peshine Eagleton was a suffragist and a founder of the New Jersey League of Women Voters. She advocated for increased access to higher education for women. She was one of the first women to serve as a trustee of
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
. She left more than $1,000,000 in her will to establish the Wells Phillips Eagleton and Florence Peshine Eagleton Foundation, which became the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Eagleton directed that her support be applied:
... for the advancement of learning in the field of practical political affairs and government othat a knowledge of the meaning of democracy may be increased through the education of young women and men in democratic government. ... It is my settled conviction that the cultivation of civic responsibility and leadership among the American people in the field of practical political affairs is of vital and increasing importance to our state and nation ... I make this gift especially for the development of and education for responsible leadership in civic and governmental affairs and the solution of their political problems.
Centers and program
The Eagleton Institute of Politics has several centers and programs:
* The
Center for American Women and Politics
The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Established in 1971, it is nationally and internationally recognized as the leadin ...
(CAWP) aims to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life.
* The Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, established in 1971, conducts several statewide public opinion surveys each year and contracts with government agencies and non-profit organizations for contract polling work.
* The Center on the American Governor seeks to promote research and discussion on the role of state governors in the United States. The center is building an extensive virtual archive and sponsors a range of academic activities and public forums on topics and issues relating to the office of governor across the country as well as the administrations of selected holders of the office in New Jersey and other states.
* The Center for Youth Political Participation (CYPP), through research, public service, and educational programs, is dedicated to exploring civic education at the high school level and political participation among young adults. CYPP initiatives include RU Ready RU Voting, State House Express, the Young Elected Leaders Project, and the Darien Civic Engagement Project
Other Eagleton programs and initiatives include:
* Clifford P. Case Professorship of Public Affairs — established by the university's board of governors in 1980 and named in honor of Clifford P. Case, longtime U.S. senator from New Jersey. The holder of the professional typically visits one of Rutgers' three campuses for a few days each year. Past holders have included
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell Jr. (born August 20, 1933) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A leading member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Maine from 1980 to 1995, and as Senate Majority Leader from 19 ...
,
Olympia Snowe
Olympia Jean Snowe (; born February 21, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outcom ...
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy Hagel ( born October 4, 1946)J. William Fulbright
James William Fulbright (April 9, 1905 – February 9, 1995) was an American politician, academic, and statesman who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1945 until his resignation in 1974. , Fulbright is the longest serving chair ...
, and former president
Gerald R. Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
.
* Arthur J. Holland Program on Ethics in Government — established in 1989 and named after
Arthur John Holland
Arthur John Holland (October 24, 1918 – November 9, 1989) was Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey for twenty-six years and president of the United States Conference of Mayors.
Biography
He was born in Trenton, New Jersey on October 24, 1918.
He was r ...
, longtime mayor of Trenton. The program organizes an annual lecture at the university as well as workshop at the New Jersey League of Municipalities'
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
conference. The program also awards a stipend "to support a student undertaking a project designed to promote ethics in government."Centers/Programs: Arthur J. Holland Program on Ethics in Government Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Eagleton staff
*
John Farmer Jr.
John J. Farmer Jr. (born June 24, 1957) is an American author, lawyer, politician, and jurist. He is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, where he also leads the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience (CPR).
– Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Director of the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience, Former
New Jersey Attorney General
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confir ...
* John Weingart – Associate Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics and author o ''Waste is a Terrible Thing to Mind'' * Elizabeth Matto – Director of the Center for Youth Political Participation
* Debbie Walsh – Director, Center for American Women and Politics
* Ashley Koning – Director, Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling
* Michael Soga – Coordinator, Building Services