For generations, Rutgers has been a vital partner in the Garden State’s cherished county fair tradition through Rutgers Cooperative Extension and its 4-H Youth Development Program.
In celebration of Rutgers’ 250th anniversary this year, we celebrate, “Rutgers. Revolutionary for 250 Years.” Fairgoers had the chance to be a part of history by visiting the Rutgers 250 Exhibit and recreating the signing of the charter that launched Queens College, the precursor to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, on November 10, 1766.
Rutgers' tradition of revolutionary teaching, research, and service has endured for nearly 250 years—a milestone few have reached. Founded 10 years before the American Revolution, in 1766, Rutgers, is the eighth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States —one of only nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution. Rutgers has grown from a private colonial college to one of the largest, most diverse universities in America. Today, Rutgers is a leading national public research university that has more than 67,000 students and 22,000 faculty and staff who learn, work, and serve the public at Rutgers locations across New Jersey and around the world. To put our reach and impact into perspective, Rutgers University has awarded more than half a million degrees (551,132 degrees, to be exact) and has more than 470,000 living alumni worldwide.
The signing of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, officially created the national Cooperative Extension System to aid in diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture and home economics and to encourage the application of the same.
Rutgers hired George B. Thrasher as the first Cape May County Agent in 1915. This made Cape May County the sixth county in New Jersey to offer extension services to county residents.
Today, In Cape May County, Rutgers Cooperative Extension is committed to helping both youth and adults improve their knowledge and skills, enhance their quality of life, and resolve problems in areas of food, nutrition, health and wellness; food safety; agriculture; environmental and natural resource management; and youth development.
For more information about Rutgers Cooperative Extension in Cape May County, please call 465-5115, ext. 610.
Photo: Jenny S. Carleo, Cape May County Agricultural and Resource Management Agent with Daniel Kluchinski, Chair of Rutgers Agricultural and Resource Management Department and Assistant Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Marilou Rochford, County Extension Department Head and Family and Community Health Sciences Educator at the Cape May County 4-H Fair on July 21, 2016.