A generous bequest from a Scarlet Knights alumnus more than four decades ago supports student-athletes while allowing business students who manage the endowment to earn valuable hands-on experience.
Rutgers Excellence across
New Jersey and Beyond
WE ARE YOU is an ongoing series of stories about the people who embody Rutgers University’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, building community, and the common good.
‘Together, WE ARE YOU’
With nearly 600,000 alumni worldwide and almost 360,000 living in New Jersey, Rutgers University’s powerful influence resonates throughout the state and around the globe. Every day, more than 67,000 students, 8,000 faculty members, and 14,000 staff on our campuses and in the field embrace excellence in the pursuit of education and research. Their explorations and expertise range from the arts to engineering, the sciences to the humanities, business to health care, farming to teaching to public service, and much, much more.
We hope you enjoy this video and the many WE ARE YOU stories to come.
David T. Bender—An Enduring Legacy
The generosity of a Rutgers graduate from the last century continues to inspire students and alumni in a remarkable, ever-widening sphere of influence. A bequest from the estate of David T. Bender more than four decades ago established the David T. Bender Trust, which supports student-athletes in eight Olympic sports and offers Rutgers business students valuable hands-on experience managing the endowment. Rutgers alumni Jorge Barreiro RBS’08, RC’08, Ray Flood RC’67, Greg Francfort ENG’79, and Gianna Glatz SAS’21, GSE’23—each profoundly influenced in their own way by Bender’s spirit and actions—honor his legacy and carry it forward today.
Talib Morgan
From harnessing the power of web and mobile technologies to exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence, Talib Morgan NCAS’96, RBS’98 helps companies adapt to a rapidly changing business landscape while simultaneously keeping the human touch front and center. Making connections—whether between technology or people—is important to Morgan. It’s the motivation behind his service as vice chair of the Rutgers University Alumni Association and as a board member of his local YMCA.
Cal Maradonna
Cal Maradonna met his wife, Bonnie CCAS’76, at Rutgers when they were undergraduates. Together, they established the Constance M. Ryan Scholarship to honor Bonnie’s mother, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers–Camden at age 72. They also established a scholarship in the name of Cal’s mother, Mary Frances Kehoe, to help talented students find their future through a life-changing Rutgers education. A Loyal Son of Rutgers, Cal has been part of the university community for more than 55 years—he and his family are scarlet through and through.
Sean Brown
Sean Brown’s passion for community service took him across the country and around the world, from New Orleans to South Africa. As an undergrad at Rutgers, Brown founded Young Urban Leaders, an organization supporting leadership development for young adults. Today, in his work as CEO of Disruptxn, he continues to lead in his community working with small businesses and nonprofits focused on social justice and social mobility.
Rachel Degutz
Focus, dedication, commitment—Rachel Degutz SAS’20, GSE’21 brings these qualities and more to her classroom every day as a middle school science teacher. They have also served her well as a top athlete and 2023 Season 15 finalist on the hit television game show, American Ninja Warrior.
Kaleena Rogers
Get to know Kaleena Rogers, a Rutgers–Newark graduate helping the next generation of mental health professionals find their way forward. Kaleena shares her Rutgers pride as she walks among the stacks of Dana Library, where her father worked for more than 30 years.
Khary Golden
Meet Khary Golden, a Rutgers–Camden graduate who is improving education outcomes for children and families as the founder of Camden U, an innovative nonprofit that provides Camden residents the opportunity to enroll in the nation's first competency-based college degree program.
New Jersey native and Rutgers turfgrass PhD alumnus Richard Hurley has been a leader in breeding grasses used on golf courses around the world, ranging everywhere from Australia to the Masters, which is hosted each year in Georgia. For decades, the iconic Augusta National Golf Club has used cool-season grasses developed at Rutgers.
Senator Raymond Lesniak, who served 40 years in the New Jersey Legislature championing groundbreaking legislation, will be inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.