...for your communityC I V I C E N G A G E M E N T

C A M D E N

Through a series of major initiativesand incremental steps, Rutgers–

Camden is making an impact witheffective and practical programs thattransform lives and communities.

We see these opportunities with clear-eyed optimism. As the southernmostcampus of Rutgers, New Jersey’s landgrant university, Rutgers–Camden has along history of applying the talents ofour faculty, students, staff, and alumnito the challenges that face families,towns, cities, and communities in ourregion and beyond.

Because each community setting isunique, our work follows no formula.Instead, we collaborate with ourpartners with the agility and flexibilityevident in the wide array of courses and programs developed to addresspressing needs.

By working closely with communitymembers and groups, religiousorganizations, government agencies,businesses, foundations, and nonprofitorganizations, we prove the value ofRutgers–Camden as a regional anchorinstitution while helping our neighborsachieve their goals. Together, we aredeveloping a national model for civicengagement that demonstrates what canbe accomplished when a world-classresearch university embraces its role asan engaged community member.

Our students and faculty benefitgreatly from the connections betweentheir academic work and the lives oftheir fellow citizens. While learningthrough action, our students developthemselves as future professionals andas human beings. Rutgers studentsemerge from community-based learn-ing, clinical experiences, and volunteeractivity with a clear understanding of the importance of their work. AtRutgers–Camden, our research andteaching faculty are not satisfied withbeing recognized as among the best inthe world. They also strive to put theirinnovations to work to become the bestfor the world.

These pages offer only the briefestsnapshot of the deep portfolio ofRutgers–Camden’s civic engagementinitiatives. We encourage you to bringus new opportunities for our studentsand faculty to learn while creatingpositive change. I invite you to learnmore by contacting Andrew Seligsohn,Rutgers–Camden’s director of civic engagement, at ajs@camden.rutgers.edu.

Sincerely,

Wendell E. Pritchett, J.D., Ph.D.Chancellor

Engaging lives for a bright future

“Together, we are developing a national model for civic engagement that

demonstrates what can be accomplished when a world-class research

university embraces its role as an engaged community member.”

Rutgers Jumpstart

Improving lives and strengtheningcommunities starts at the earliest

ages. Just ask the Rutgers–Camdenstudents who participate in a civicengagement program that providesearly childhood mentoring to pre-schoolers in Camden. Rutgers is partof a national Jumpstart network of 70colleges and universities who traincollege students to work withpreschool children to improve theirchances for success in kindergartenand throughout school.

These Rutgers “Jumpstarters” makea major commitment to the program,volunteering 300 hours over thecourse of the academic year. Aftercompleting 35 hours of rigoroustraining, each Rutgers student worksone-on-one with an assigned childfor 12 to 15 hours a week at the LEAPAcademy University Charter Schoolin Camden.

“Rutgers–Camden’s Jumpstart isthe first in New Jersey, in a city withso many needs,” says Dr. GloriaBonilla-Santiago, a Rutgers Board ofGovernors Distinguished ServiceProfessor of Urban Studies and thefounding director of the Center forStrategic Urban Community Leader-ship at Rutgers. The LEAP AcademyUniversity Charter School is one of the center’s signature projects.

Rutgers student Bashawn Moore

was a member of the first group ofJumpstarters in 2008. “I’m honoredto be a part of the pioneering Jump-start group in New Jersey,” theEnglish major says. “I know that I am having a direct impact on thestudents’ lives at such a young age.The personal bonds that the childrenmake with us last long after sessionends every day. We matter to thembecause they matter to us.”

Research shows that a solid rela-tionship between a child and a caringadult can have a major impact onliteracy and other skills in very youngchildren. For that reason, it is criti-cally important for Jumpstart Corpsmembers to work closely withparents of their students.

“What I like most about Jumpstartis the fact that we get to directly makea positive impact and influence thekids in Camden and their families,”says Duke Olurin, a Rutgers–Camdensenior and economics major.

Focusing on language, literacy, and social skills, classroom activitiesensure that children enter kinder-garten prepared to succeed in school.Jumpstarters read high-qualitychildren’s literature in small groupswith their students to promotevocabulary and comprehension andengage preschoolers in group activ-ities that deepen their understandingof books. “The program is incrediblyliterature rich. It’s a stable environ-

ment with multiple adults in the room that get on the child’s level andwork with them all for their benefit,”Bashawn says.

Working as a team, 45 Rutgers–Camden students work with 90preschool children at LEAP Academyannually. “There’s an incredible in-terest at Rutgers in both early child-hood education and in communityservice,” Gloria notes. She sees Jump-start as “part of the whole initiative ofRutgers engaging the community anddoing public service.”

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L E A R N I N G

“I know that I am having a direct

impact on the students’ lives at

such a young age.”

Rutgers–CamdenCenter for the Arts

Since 1976, the Rutgers–CamdenCenter for the Arts (RCCA) has

expanded horizons and opportunitiesthrough innovative arts-based pro-grams that serve the children, teens,and teachers of the Camden CityPublic School District on site atRutgers, through outreach to theschools, and via distance learning.RCCA’s Education, Enrichment, andCommunity Arts Programs aredesigned to:

• build skills and abilities withinvarious arts disciplines;

• foster self-awareness of individualartistic assets;

• augment knowledge of the arts inhistorical and cultural context;

• increase understanding of the arts asintegral to the quality of life; and

• promote regular participation in awide range of arts.

Designated a Major ArtsOrganization of New Jersey by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, RCCA has three main venues.The Walter K. Gordon Theater, theStedman Gallery, and the Black BoxStudio serve as regional focal pointsfor visual and performing arts rangingfrom international touring artists andcompanies to local theater andstudent-derived works.

Professional arts educators designand provide research- and curricular-based arts education programs for theregion’s pre-K through 12 schools, as well as after-school and summerprograms in the city of Camden. Arts education programs include in-classroom artist workshops andon-site performances and educationalactivities.

Community artworks and gardenshave been created under the guidanceof RCCA professional teaching artists.RCCA partners with Camden com-munity organizations on projects that incorporate the arts into neigh-borhoods, which enhance urbanenvironments and strengthen the community. rcca.camden.rutgers.edu

LEAP Academy Partnership

Founded in 1997 throughcollaboration with the Rutgers–

Camden Center for Strategic UrbanCommunity Leadership, the LEAP(Leadership, Education, andPartnership) Academy UniversityCharter School creates positiveoutcomes and opportunities for more than 800 Camden children ingrades pre-K through 12 every year. Inaddition to raising college awareness,preparedness, and attendance, thischarter school enhances academicsuccess with holistic support forstudents and families. The Rutgers/LEAP Centers of Excellence sup-plements LEAP Academy curriculumthrough its two-year preschoolprogram, on-site health services,parent training, and intensive pre-college programming. The result?Since 2005, every student in all fivegraduating classes has been acceptedinto college. leapacademycharter.org

SPARC Program

Middle and high school studentsacross the city of Camden and

Salem County have an opportunity toreceive intensive exposure to scienceand health care disciplines throughthe Science Preparation Alliance ofRutgers and Camden (SPARC)program. Rutgers–Camden partnerswith the acclaimed Coriell Institutefor Medical Research, a Camdencorporate neighbor, on this initiativeto encourage precollege students to pursue their interest in science,particularly biological, brain,behavioral, and cognitive sciences.SPARC activities help studentsunderstand the importance of sciencein their everyday lives by relatingbiological and psychological inves-tigations of human health andbehavior to their own biology andpsychology, and see the relevance for themselves. sparc.camden.rutgers.edu

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Building skills, fosteringself-confidence, and

expanding horizons...

...Rutgers works with families and schools

Marshall-BrennanConstitutionalLiteracy Project

The Marshall-BrennanConstitutional Literacy Project

is dedicated to teaching high schoolstudents about their constitutionalrights and how to use their knowl-edge of the law to become effectivecitizens. Top upper-level studentsfrom the Rutgers School of Law–Camden—the second law school inthe country to offer this program—are selected to study the Bill of Rightsin a year-long law school seminar. Inthe spring semester, they develop andteach a course in constitutional law to high school students in Camden.Working in teams, the law student“fellows” help make the U.S. Consti-tution come alive for young peopleby teaching four classes each week ina range of partner schools. The lawstudents also coach Camden studentsin local and national moot courtcompetitions and serve as rolemodels and mentors.

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Rutgers Future Scholars

Beginning in the summer before their eighth grade year, students in the Rutgers Future Scholars programbecome part of a unique precollege community that cultivates their academic growth, social development,

and personal enrichment. Academically promising students from Camden public schools and from the LEAPAcademy University Charter School engage in events, workshops, tutoring, and mentoring, with each yearbuilding upon the next. Scholars who successfully complete the five-program throughout high school and areadmitted to Rutgers will receive a scholarship, funded through a range of grants and donations, which covers thecost of their college tuition for four years. children.camden.rutgers.edu/future_scholars

to prepare children

for new achievements.

Opportunity Reconnect

Individuals released from correctional facilitiesface overwhelming challenges as they begin to

transition back into society, from the complex(counseling for drugs) to the seemingly simple(applying for jobs online). Receiving guidance forthese and other issues is integral to successfulreentry, but the formerly incarcerated first mustlocate it among the complex network ofgovernmental and social service systems.

Men and women undertaking reentry can findthe support they need at Opportunity Reconnect–Camden, a new one-stop center that houses a hostof agencies under one roof. “What we’re doing hereis based on information from the ‘Governor’sStrategy for Safe Streets and Neighborhoods,’” saysJoseph Cassisi, director of Opportunity Reconnect.

The 2007 New Jersey report cited by Josephfound that the majority of former inmates willreturn to prison within three years unless they canfind employment, reunite with their families, andobtain substance abuse or mental-health treatment.In Camden, studies show that about 65 percent ofadult offenders will be rearrested within five yearsof their release.

By centralizing government agencies andcommunity-based programs in one venue, returneescan find the services they need in a convenient, andcost-effective, way.

The center represents an outgrowth of work theSenator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs atRutgers–Camden had conducted with the CamdenSafer Cities Initiative, a public safety partnershipcomprised of 40 community agencies. Funded by agrant from the Nicholson Foundation, Rutgers–Camden joined forces with the New Jersey Division

of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the CamdenCounty Board of Social Services, and the CamdenCounty One-Stop Employment Center, amongother organizations whose staff meet one-on-onewith clients at the Volunteers of America buildingon Federal Street.

“We see a wide spectrum of backgrounds amongthose who come here. Some have a high school orGED degree and are interested in pursuing collegeeducation opportunities. Others need adult basicskills such as GED classes and literacy training,”Joseph explains.

Bryan Morton, a project coordinator at Oppor-tunity Reconnect, stresses the importance of edu-cation to everyone who walks through the center’sdoors. “I inform clients, ‘You have to take educationseriously. You have to obtain your GED orspecialized training,’” Bryan notes.

Working side-by-side Joseph at OpportunityReconnect, Bryan helps others navigate the coursehe successfully did. “I am someone who has livedthrough it, from standing on a street corner, tobeing in prison, to being who I am now. Iunderstand,” he says. Bryan received his bachelor’sdegree in urban studies from Rutgers–Camden in2010 and is now pursing his master’s degree inpublic administration.

On computers that Rutgers–Camden hasdonated, Bryan helps clients create resumes andapply for employment online, among other duties.He hopes that initial clients develop into repeatvisitors, and Opportunity Reconnect becomes aplace where the formerly incarcerated can returnthroughout their reentry journey. “Our top prioritiesare to provide information, encouragement, andaccess to needed services, and to remind our visitorsthat it is never okay to quit."

G O V E R N M E N T & P O L I C Y

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Federal PrisonerReentry Pro BonoProject

Every year, hundreds of federalinmates released from prison face

significant hurdles before successfullyreintegrating into their communities.The Rutgers School of Law–Camdenestablished the Federal Prisoner Re-entry Pro Bono Project to helpex-offenders make a smoothtransition. Trained Rutgers lawstudents, under supervision of amanaging attorney, work with theclient’s federal probation officer tohelp resolve a client’s outstandingcivil legal issues, such as acquiring adriver’s license, paying child support,finding appropriate housing, orsecuring drug and alcohol treatment.Clients meet with law students at thefederal courthouse on Cooper Streetin Camden throughout the semester,or until the client’s case is resolved.Third-year law students may representthe client in court if necessary.camlaw.rutgers.edu

CamdenCommunityDevelopment

In preparation for Peace Corpsassignments, students in the

international public service anddevelopment track of the Rutgersmaster of public administration(M.P.A.) program spend their firstyear working with nonprofit housing,health, human services, education, orplanning organizations throughoutCamden. Rutgers students havehelped citizens improve theirneighborhoods by creating vegetablegardens and parks with Volunteers ofAmerica; have worked towarddeveloping a supermarket in theNorth Camden neighborhood withRESPOND, Inc.; and have studiedgreen jobs potential in Camden withthe New Jersey ConservationFoundation. The Department ofPublic Policy and Administration atRutgers–Camden offers fiveconcentrations within the M.P.A. inaddition to its Ph.D. program.dppa.camden.rutgers.edu

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The Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs (WRI) atRutgers–Camden engages Rutgers faculty and students with

public administrators, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, andcommunity leaders to address the challenges that affect the citizensof southern New Jersey. WRI delivers policy-relevant research onpublic issues that cut across local, regional, national, and globalboundaries. In addition to high-quality research, the instituteprovides technical assistance to governments and nonprofitorganizations, facilitates neutral convening of stakeholders andcitizens, and establishes service learning opportunities for Rutgersstudents. Below are a few of WRI’s current initiatives.wrand.rutgers.edu

� The Camden Safer Cities Initiative is a pilot public safetyinitiative in Camden that is supported by a grant from the stateattorney general. Comprised of more than 40 members from thecommunity, including law enforcement, criminal justice, and socialservice agencies, the initiative’s steering committee meets monthly at Rutgers to discuss the offender-based strategy that WRI has helpedto design.

� The Municipal Prevention Planning Initiative addresses risk andprotective factors affecting juveniles within communities. WRI hasbeen chosen by the state attorney general to staff prevention boardsin Camden, Trenton, and Vineland. Utilizing city-wide data, WRIassesses the current prevention system and available resources, andmakes recommendations for improvement.

� For the Sexual Assault Prevention Coalition of Camden,Gloucester, and Cumberland counties, WRI facilitates discussionswith each coalition regarding current sexual assault statistics, risk andprotective factors affecting sexual violence, and resources available torespond to sexual violence. This dialogue allows opportunities todevelop policy, practice, and programmatic recommendations.

Civil Practice Clinic

When Lula Williams purchasedher home in Pennsauken, she

thought it had enough bedrooms forher family of five adopted and fosterchildren ages four through 19. Butwhen the Division of Youth andFamily Services (DYFS) inspected it,Lula discovered that the home lackedthe proper number of legal bedroomsshe was required to have in order toprovide adequate housing accordingto the agency.

“I needed a five-bedroom house,and I thought I was buying a five-bedroom house,” explains Lula, aCamden community activist andgreat-grandmother. “When it wasinspected by DYFS, I was told it wasnot a five-bedroom. It was only athree-bedroom.”

To make her house into a legalfive-bedroom dwelling, Lula secureda state-subsidized loan and hired acontractor to properly install win-dows into the two basement bed-rooms. With her house up to codeand approval from DYFS, she set outto recoup the money she had spent toturn her home into a legal residencefor her family.

On the advice of a friend, Lulacontacted South Jersey Legal Services(SJLS). A division of the nonprofitLegal Services of New Jersey, SJLS

provides free legal assistance in civilmatters to low-income SouthJerseyans and seniors fromBurlington to Cape May counties,and brings many of these cases to theRutgers School of Law–Camden.Lula’s case was referred to the school’sCivil Practice Clinic, which issupported by a grant from the NewJersey State Bar Foundation.

Then third-year students KevinGolden and Chuck Holmgren wereassigned to Lula’s case and continuedthe work started by law students inthe previous semester. “We had to getup to speed with what occurred priorto our involvement with Ms.Williams’s case while continuing towork with the case,” says Kevin, nowan attorney with the civil defensefirm of Shimberg & Friel in CherryHill. “It was intimidating initiallybecause for the first time we were notinvolved in a hypothetical legalproblem. This was a real person withreal issues who needed help.”

Both a course and an office staffedby law students, the Civil PracticeClinic is one of four clinics offered bythe Rutgers School of Law–Camden.Upper-division law students, underdirection of faculty-attorneys, handlehundreds of cases for real clients inneed of representation. Every year,Rutgers clinics help individuals andfamilies with more than 30,000

hours of free legal services. Kevin and Chuck devoted 18 to 20

hours per week to Lula’s case andrepresented their client throughoutmediation, despite demandingschedules that included full-time jobsand family obligations. “The work onthis case could not wait for exams orsick kids,” explains Chuck, anassociate at Wilbraham, Lawler, andBuba in Haddonfield. “We tirelesslyreviewed Ms. Williams’s case and ourposition, researched the case law, andtalked to experts who are

knowledgeable about real estate.” In the following semester, a new

team of law students continued Lula’s case and helped her reach asettlement. Chuck says that hewanted to end the case with theknowledge that Lula was representedjust as well as practicing attorneys. “I would recommend to anyone that they work with the Rutgers lawstudents. I knew they were going todo a good job. I had no doubt aboutit,” Lula says. “They were so very niceto me. And I want to say thank you.”

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The Rutgers School of Law–Camdenassists members of the community

with free legal advice and representationthrough its clinical and pro bonoprograms. Children and adults can findlegal help through programs in a varietyof areas, including the following.camlaw.rutgers.edu

Immigration andLegal Referral ProBono Project

Camden immigrants and ESLfamilies who need help

navigating the American legal systembenefit from free legal information,advice, and referrals provided throughthe law school’s Immigration andLegal Referral Pro Bono Project.Trained students from the RutgersSchool of Law–Camden makepresentations to community groupsabout access to health care and foodstamps, legal rights in relation to thepolice and immigration authorities,and other matters. Law students andtheir attorney supervisors also meetindividually with clients to helpidentify their legal problems; provideadvice and information; and makeappropriate referrals to South JerseyLegal Services, Rutgers law school’sclinical programs, and the CamdenCenter for Law and Social Justice.

Domestic ViolencePrograms

Rutgers’ domestic violenceprograms provide legal advice

and representation to more than 600people each year seeking restrainingorders in Camden, Burlington, andGloucester counties. The RutgersSchool of Law–Camden offers twoprograms in this challenging area: theDomestic Violence Clinic and theDomestic Violence Pro BonoProject. In the clinic, individualsreceive legal services from lawstudents under the supervision offaculty who are experts in domesticviolence. Individuals who are seekingrestraining orders without legalrepresentation can find guidancefrom law students through theDomestic Violence Pro Bono Project.

Child Advocacy and Justice

In the Child and Family AdvocacyClinic, Rutgers law students

represent children in abuse andneglect cases while ensuring that thechild welfare system sufficientlyaddresses the needs of their clients.This clinic protects the legal rights ofchildren in a variety of areas,including public benefits, education,immigration, medical, and mentalhealth issues. The law school alsohosts the Children’s Justice Clinic, aholistic program that uses multipleapproaches to resolve problems forCamden youth facing charges. Lawstudents work with their clients toaddress the causes of their legal prob-lems, which may assist young clientsin building more hopeful futures.

Street Law ProBono Project

Camden’s youngest residents facetremendous legal challenges, and

many have had very difficultexperiences in the legal system. Lawstudent volunteers in the Rutgers–Camden law school’s Street Law ProBono Project seek to empoweryoung people in Camden andsouthern New Jersey by engagingthem in discussions about the law intheir everyday lives. Law studentsmeet with young people in highschools, juvenile detention centers,shelters, and other settings to talkabout lease agreements, tenants’rights, criminal law, workplacediscrimination, and citizen advocacy,among other topics. The Rutgers–Camden program began in 2007 andis supported in part by a grant fromthe New Jersey State Bar Foundation.

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Rutgers–Camden helps citizens address real issues through

fair access to the legal system.

New Jersey Small BusinessDevelopment Center

During the economic downturn that began in2007, thousands of small business owners in

the Delaware Valley struggled to keep theirbusinesses open. Many owners who did not closetheir doors saw profit margins shrink as thenational economy continued to spiral downward.David McDaniel, co-owner of Earle’s Tire Service in Bordentown, was no exception. “We were a good, solid company, but the economy killed us,”he reflects.

Earle’s Tire Service is a family-owned tire dealeropen 24 hours a day, located near a truck stop at the I-295 and New Jersey Turnpike interchange.With low demand for goods and products andfewer trucks on the road, a downturn in theeconomy meant detoured business for David, hismother Janice Van Blarcom, and his brother LloydVan Blarcom Jr.

David sought to rescue the business his fatherLloyd Sr. started in 1976 and save the livelihoods of his eight employees. At first he looked intoobtaining a home equity or personal loan fromlocal banks, but was repeatedly denied. “No bankwould talk to us, because the company was losingmoney,” David explains. So he turned to theinternet, searching for “small business owner helpNew Jersey,” and discovered the New Jersey SmallBusiness Development Centers.

As part of a statewide network, the New JerseySmall Business Development Center (SBDC) atRutgers–Camden provides comprehensive small

business counseling and educational opportunitiesto new, current, and potential small businessowners in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, andSalem counties. Last year, the SBDC at Rutgers–Camden assisted 585 individual business owners.

For small business owners like David who seekguidance with applying for loans, the SBDC helpsorganize the required information in the acceptedformat. Lenders expect to see cash flow projection, aprofit and loss statement, and projected year-endbalance sheets. “We assist by helping the clientconvert the financial information they already have

into a financial statement that lenders are able tounderstand and analyze,” says Gary Rago, directorof the SBDC at Rutgers–Camden.

Beginning in early 2009, he worked with Davidto prepare a financial statement for loan proposals.Initially, Gary advised him on cash flow planning,identifying financing options, and preparingfinancial projections. After the loan application wasaccepted, the SBDC continued to assist David bydeveloping marketing materials. “If it was not forGary and the SBDC, we would not have survived,”David says. “They really did help us out.”

Supported by the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration, the New Jersey EconomicDevelopment Authority, and the Rutgers School ofBusiness–Camden, the SBDC at Rutgers–Camdenoffers business and financial experience to smallbusiness owners through confidential, individualcounseling in a number of areas. “Many owners wemeet with have enormous experience in sometechnical field, but have not been exposed tobusiness disciplines such as financial planning,preparing and understanding financial information,and marketing. We do not charge clients for theconsulting services we provide,” Gary notes.

The center also trains more than 1,700 studentsin their workshops each year. SBDC trainingworkshops offer classes and certificate programs atlocations in South Jersey for free or for a nominalcost. Entrepreneurs can learn how to write abusiness plan, how to market a business, and howto understand financial statements. Workshops also cover contract law, negotiating skills, and taxes, among its business topics. For more infor-mation about the SBDC at Rutgers–Camden, visitrsbdc.org.

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Executive Education at Rutgers Schoolof Business–Camden

Through Executive Education, the RutgersSchool of Business–Camden provides innovative

training solutions to individuals and businessesthroughout the Delaware Valley region and theworld. Rutgers’ Executive Education offers bothclassroom and online education in a variety ofbusiness topics as well as certificate programs that boost professional skills for employed andunemployed individuals. Funding for thesecertificate programs is available to unemployed stateresidents through the New Jersey Department ofLabor’s Workforce Development Program and One-Stop Centers. Executive Education alsoprovides management- and executive-level trainingfor individuals through its open enrollmentprograms and customized training for organizationsin nearly every industry, including manufacturing,government, health care, and technology.imed.rutgers.edu

Rutgers–Camden Technology Campus

Promoting economic growth in New Jersey andthe Delaware Valley, the Rutgers–Camden

Technology Campus (RCTC) is an independent501(c)(3) mixed-use business incubator thatprovides new businesses with the support needed togrow and thrive. The RCTC delivers state-of-the-artdedicated and virtual office space in the WaterfrontTechnology Center in Camden. Tenants arepredominantly for-profit early-stage companies thatreceive professional mentoring, managementassistance, subsidized rent, access to venture capital,and many other supportive services. Upon“graduating” from the RCTC, businesses receive theassistance they need to locate in the city of Camdenor elsewhere in New Jersey. rutgersbiz.com

Business Leader Development Program

The Business Leader Development Program at the Rutgers School of Business–Camden

encourages civic engagement as an opportunity forundergraduate students to hone leadership skillswhile helping others in the community. Pastinitiatives include involvement with programs suchas Stamp-Out Hunger Food Drive for Camden foodbanks and others in the immediate community.Participants are selected based on their leadershippotential and work to earn leadership credits beforecompleting their degree. Students are encouraged toaccomplish this goal by working with programs,activities, or events that give back to the communityand help others in need.

Middle and High School StudentEntrepreneurship

Funded by a grant from the Geraldine R. DodgeFoundation, a new program offered by the

Rutgers School of Business–Camden providesmicrofinance entrepreneurship training to teachersthat they will bring back to the community. Theprogram encourages Camden’s middle and highschool students to start ventures that improve thetriple bottom line of people, planet, and sustainableprofit. This initiative aims to develop youthentrepreneurs in order to revitalize the community,and encourages them to attend college.

Rutgers Office of EconomicDevelopment

Based on the successful models of other urbanuniversities, the Rutgers–Camden Office of

Economic Development encourages retail growthand other forms of investment by utilizing theintellectual and physical assets of Rutgers to supporteconomic growth activity in Camden and neigh-boring regions. Through this office, Rutgers partnerswith public, private, and nonprofit organizationswith a shared goal of creating a knowledge-basedeconomy that will attract businesses that benefitfrom the research and activities at Rutgers–Camden.oed.camden.rutgers.edu

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)program provides free assistance to low-income

Camden residents in preparing federal and NewJersey state tax returns. Under the auspices of theRutgers School of Law–Camden Pro Bono Programand the Internal Revenue Service, VITA helps nearly 400 families annually receive hundreds ofthousands of dollars in tax refunds. Trained lawstudents meet with Camden residents for the threemonths prior to the April 15 filing deadline.Through VITA, many clients discover that they areeligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, a federalinitiative through which recipients are entitled toadditional refunds.

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Driving economic growth in southern New Jersey, Rutgers facilitates the region’s success.

For more information, contact:

Andrew Seligsohn, Ph.D.Director of Civic Engagement

ajs@camden.rutgers.edu856-225-6754

camden.rutgers.edu

C A M D E N

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is dedicated by law and by purpose to serving all people on an equal and nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, see polcomp.rutgers.edu • Design: EGADS • Photography: David Michael Howarth, Nick Romanenko

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a leading national public research university and the state’s

preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education. Rutgers is dedicated to teaching that meets

the highest standards of excellence; to conducting research that breaks new ground; and to turning knowledge into

solutions for local, national, and global communities.

As it was at our founding in 1766, the heart of our mission is preparing students to become productive members of

society and good citizens of the world. Rutgers teaches across the full educational spectrum: preschool to precollege;

undergraduate to graduate and postdoctoral; and continuing education for professional and personal advancement.

Rutgers is New Jersey’s land-grant institution and one of the nation’s foremost research universities, and as such, we

educate, make discoveries, serve as an engine of economic growth, and generate ideas for improving people’s lives.

At Rutgers–Camden, our community-based programs foster neighborhood revitalization, drive economic growth,

and bring people together. Learn more about how Rutgers–Camden collaborates with communities and organizations

to improve the quality of life for citizens across the Delaware Valley.