In March 2020, the Class of 2023 left Douglass in the middle of their first year of college due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the next year and a half, they persisted through online learning, built community across computer screens, and adapted and re-adapted to evolving uncertainty in the wider world. On May 13, the College was thrilled to come together to honor this special graduating cohort at the 102nd Douglass Spring Convocation.
The College is honored to announce that five members of the Douglass community have been awarded Fulbright grants this year. Douglass students account for over a quarter of all Rutgers students awarded this prestigious recognition in the 2022-2023 school year. Douglass caught up with two of the awardees, Gabrielle Jacob DRC'20 and Aditi Kiron DRC'22, to learn more about their awards, the work they are doing as part of the program, and where they hope to take their future careers.
This past month, Douglass held the second annual Douglass Discovery Day, a student showcase celebrating Douglass excellence in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Student cohorts participating in experiential learning opportunities through Douglass Discovery programs and the Global Village gave presentations on their ongoing or completed projects, highlighting the student population's wide range of interests and talents.
* The following is a message from Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway to the Rutgers Community
Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,
Please join me in congratulating Meghan Rehbein, whom I have appointed permanent Administrative Dean of Douglass Residential College. This appointment follows her distinguished service since last June as Interim Administrative Dean.
On Friday, March 3, the Douglass Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee presented the fourth annual Women's Day at Douglass. Over 200 students, staff, and community members gathered in the Kathleen W. Ludwig Global Village Living-Learning Center for an activity fair, student performances, spoken word artists, and lunch. Students also put on a fashion show, displaying and sharing cultural style from their heritages.
During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Black women staff and students at Douglass gathered over zoom to share their experiences as Black women in America. The zoom call would be the first of many spaces created, both in person and virtual, in a pivotal new program series at Douglass known as Black Women’s Voices.
Industrial engineering major Chelsea Obade DRC’25 is a leader in the classroom, the research laboratory, and the Reilly Douglass Engineering Living-Learning Community. An accomplished STEM student, Obade has excelled in her field. At the same time, she’s embraced an interdisciplinary approach to her major, leading her to use her talents in unexpected ways.
This past month, Douglass students and staff traveled to Kuwait! While abroad, students took part in educational and service-learning experiences centered around the feminist topics they study and research as part of the Douglass Global Leaders program.
On Sunday, December 4, Douglass’ Annual Yule Log Ceremony took place in Vorhees Chapel. Stair seniors, The Traditional Events Committee, and the Voorhees Chapel Choir led the community in a program filled with songs, readings, and traditions drawn from a diverse mix of cultures and religions. This year, Julianne D'Avirro Humphrey DRC’23 and Amanda Shapiro DRC’23 led the planning of the event as the student co-chairs of the Douglass Traditional Events Committee.
"We are happy to have helped continue this long-standing tradition and as seniors we are excited to pass it on to our next co-chairs,” said the duo.
This year’s Douglass College spirit tent was buzzing with red pine pride at the 2022 Homecoming celebration! On October 22, 2022, alumnae, staff, and students came together to celebrate all things Douglass before the Rutgers Homecoming football game. Attendees participated in raffles, current students connected with alumnae, and staff spoke to guests about the power of the Douglass Difference. Our community is at its strongest when we come together to share the uniquely transformative nature of the Douglass journey. The College thanks everyone who stopped by the tent to celebrate!
At Douglass, diversity, equity, and inclusion is expansive, offering a wide array of initiatives to serve students from a multitude of unique experiences—including those who have had to take alternative paths to the typical college experience. During the month of November, the College is celebrating its thriving population of nontraditional students—students over the age of 23 pursuing a college education—and raising awareness for the challenges they face.
“Part of being a diverse and inclusive university is accepting and accommodating those from different backgrounds than the traditional demographic of students on campus,” said Gail Lordi DRC’24, a nontraditional aged Douglass student studying ITI and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.