Founded as Queen's College in 1766 to train future ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church, the school grew into the state university of New Jersey.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- The old bronze bell atop Rutgers University's administration building doesn't ring out very often.
Donated by Henry Rutgers in 1826 -- when the Revolutionary War veteran gave a $5,000 bond to save the school from financial doom -- the bell tolls only on the most special occasions, such as commencement day or significant anniversaries.
Today will be one of those occasions. With the Scarlet Knight on horseback and students dressed in colonial costumes, Rutgers plans to ring the bell as it kicks off its 250th anniversary celebration, a year full of commemorative events and initiatives leading up to its 250th birthday next November.
The ringing of the bell, used to signal the change of classes when the campus was much smaller, underscores the significance of the upcoming year for America's eighth-oldest college, Rutgers President Robert Barchi said.
"It's not any one thing, it's the whole year," Barchi said of the celebration. "It's making a statement about Rutgers and to make sure people appreciate the fact that we have been around 250 years."
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Founded as Queen's College in 1766 to train future ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church, the school was renamed Rutgers College in 1825 and grew into a land-grant institution and, eventually, the state university of New Jersey in 1956.
It added campuses in Camden and Newark, including law schools, and in 2013 acquired its first medical school from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
"We have been here through the entire history of our state, through the entire history of our country," Barchi said. "Rutgers has reinvented itself many times as society has changed, as the state has grown, as the needs of the people who look to Rutgers for an education has changed."
The university will honor its history over the coming year through a series of events, lectures, classes, concerts, books and films. The celebration culminates with alumni speakers returning to all three campuses for a "Day of Revolutionary Thinking" on Nov. 10, 2016.
Rutgers created a website with the full details for its 250th anniversary events.
Between 4 p.m. and 5:30 on today, when Rutgers will ring the bell atop Old Queens, students and alumni can try on a tricorn hat, take a picture in a photo booth, test their Rutgers trivia knowledge and watch the Rutgers 250th anniversary film. Alumni will be dressed as important figures from throughout Rutgers history.
Barchi said he hopes the anniversary celebration helps students and alumni see that Rutgers is in a different category than other colleges.
"A lot of universities are having their 50th anniversary, and a lot of them are having their 150th, but there aren't very many that are celebrating 250 years," he said. "That's a long time."
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