Senator Ronald L. Rice
Endowed Scholarship
Grants are awarded to full-time junior or senior students, in good standing with financial need, and enrolled as a School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) major, as a major or minor in the School of Arts & Science (SAS) Political Science, Africana Studies, Sociology & Anthropology, History, or with a demonstrable history of commitment to community engagement and social justice.
The Senator Ronald L. Rice Endowed Scholarship is the result of a generous donation by the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. It celebrates the work of the late senator and his commitment to social and racial justice and community engagement. Senator Rice was a founder and the longtime chair of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus. He was a tireless advocate for criminal law reform and particularly for laws, policies, and practices that address racial bias. As RU-N Chancellor Nancy Cantor noted, Senator Rices’ “courage in the unrelenting pursuit of a more just and equitable community, state, nation, and world will continue to inspire us.”
Senator Ronald L. Rice (Senator Rice) was the representative of NJ’s 28th Legislative District and the longest-serving Black lawmaker in NJ. He was first elected to the NJ Senate in 1986 and served until 2022. Senator Rice graduated with an MA degree in criminal justice from RU-N SCJ (after receiving his AS in police science from Essex County College and a BS in administration and planning from John Jay College of Criminal Justice). He served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War and was a police officer and a detective with the Newark Police Department. He served 16 years on the Newark City Council, including 4 years as Deputy Mayor.
eligibility
The award is open to full-time undergraduate students in good standing who will be in their third or fourth year in the first fall semester of the award and who are enrolled as a criminal justice or justice studies major in the SCJ, enrolled as a major or minor in the School of Arts & Science (SAS) Political Science, Africana Studies, Sociology & Anthropology, History, or with a demonstrable history of commitment to community engagement and social justice. Students must have financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Aid and University rules in effect on the date of the award. Qualified students must submit the appropriate University-approved financial aid form each year to be eligible for an award.
(Photo L-R: Assemblywoman and NJLBC Chair Shavonda Sumter, Senator Ronald L. Rice, daughter Yuki Rice Faison, son Ronald C. Rice.)
Award Requirements
Award recipients will be Senator Ronald Rice Scholars and will be part of a cohort of students whose learning experiences will include mentoring, internships, and collaboration.
Recipients must attend a small number of mandatory meetings held in the fall and spring semesters. They may participate in an internship offered through the SCJ or the SAS Center for Politics and Race in America (CPRA). Internship oversight is provided by the SCJ Director of Community Outreach and by the SAS Director of CPRA or their delegates.
In the spring of each academic year, Senator Ronald Rice Scholars must prepare a research report or summary brief as a culminating assignment. They will present their reports or briefs to the university community and members of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus at the CPRA’s “Senator Ron Rice Annual Scholarship Recipient Conference.”
Amount of Award
Scholarship awards will be made annually. In 2024-25, we expect to award four scholarships of $1,500, two at SCJ and two at SAS-N.
Deadline for Application
October 25, 2024. Applicants must submit an essay of no more than 500 words outlining their history of commitment to community engagement and social justice, and a letter of support from a community organization with whom they have worked or a faculty member.
Administration of the Award
Send your application by email to Assistant Dean Christal Harry at charry@scj.rutgers.edu with the Subject Line: Ronald Rice Scholarship, and include your essay as an attachment.
For More Information
For more information about the Senator Ronald L. Rice Endowed Scholarship, please contact Assistant Dean Christal Harry at charry@scj.rutgers.edu for SCJ Students and Dean Sofia Pinto-Figueroa at spinto@rutger.edu for SAS-N students.