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Department of Government Relations
Rutgers logo
Department of Government Relations
Rutgers logo
Department of Government Relations
Rutgers logo
Department of Government Relations

Department of Government Relations

Committed to effective education and advocacy on Rutgers’ behalf.

About Government Relations

Led by Senior Vice President for Government Relations Francine Newsome Pfeiffer, the Department of Government Relations is comprised of two offices, the Office of State Government Relations and the Office of Federal Relations, that each play a universitywide role in communicating Rutgers’ excellence as a top public research university, valuable contributor to the quality of life in New Jersey, and leader in its commitment to public service.

The Government Relations team is primarily responsible for advocating on the university’s behalf with elected and other government policymakers in New Jersey and Washington, DC. The department also oversees the Rutgers Scarlet Service programs, which establish civic engagement as a critical component of higher education and forge a path toward appreciating difference, restoring civil discourse, and serving the common good through public service internships in the region and in Washington, DC.

Office of the Senior Vice President

The department is led by Senior Vice President for Government Relations Francine Newsome Pfeiffer.

Learn More
Winants Hall on the College Avenue campus

At a Glance

$546.9
million

Value of federal financial aid to Rutgers students

Academic Year 2024-2025

69,000+

Undergraduate and graduate students across Rutgers

$516.1
million

Federal research expenditures at Rutgers

Fiscal Year 2025

358K+

Almost 60 percent of Rutgers' 600,000+ alumni live in New Jersey

Rutgers Government Relations

Assemblyman William Spearman, Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, Francine Newsome Pfeiffer, Senior VP for Government Relations, Ian Grubman, Acting Senior Director of Federal Relations
Sen. Joe Cryan, Thaddeaus Diggs, Director of Community Engagement for Rutgers Health, and Shante Palmer, Vice Chancellor for External and Governmental Relations at Rutgers Newark.
Asw. Linda Carter and Councilwoman Petra Gaskins of New Brunswick
Tour of New Jersey small business development center
Rutgers research center
Sen. Cory Booker speaks at Rutgers University
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) discuss federal support for community health centers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while at the Eric B. Chandler Health Center at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick.

Left to Right: Assemblyman William Spearman, Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, Francine Newsome Pfeiffer (Senior VP for Government Relations), and Ian Grubman (Senior Director of Federal Relations).

Left to Right: Francine Newsome Pfeiffer (Senior VP for Government Relations), George Leblanc (VP for Government and Fiscal Affairs), Eugene Lepore (VP for State Government Relations and Policy), Shante Palmer (Vice Chancellor for External and Governmental Relations at Rutgers-Newark), Senator Joe Cryan, and Thaddeaus Diggs (Director of Community Engagement for Rutgers Health).

Left to Right: Eugene Lepore (VP for State Government Relations and Policy), Francine Newsome Pfeiffer (SVP for Government Relations), Assemblywoman Linda Carter, and New Brunswick Councilwoman Petra Gaskins.

Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, joined Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson, Dean of Rutgers Business School Lei Lei, and Associate Professor Kevin Lyons, Ph.D., in Newark for a tour of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJ SBDC) and a roundtable discussion with Rutgers students on the importance of diversifying US trade.

Rutgers Office for Research's Jeetendra Eswaraka (left), Michael Zwick (right) welcomed NJ State Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (center), NJ State Assemblyman Chris Tully (center right) to a tour of university research facilities. The group visited the Research Tower and the Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine. Though presentations and throughout the tour, Rutgers University leaders highlighted the ways in which Rutgers supports all faculty members and provides important resources to industry partners.

(l. to r.) Triada Stampas, President and CEO of Fulfill, Doug Fisher, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture, US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) (speaking), and NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) participate in a panel discussion at the NJ Hunger, Nutrition and Health in New Jersey conference, held at the Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health on the Cook campus.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) discuss federal support for community health centers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while at the Eric B. Chandler Health Center at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick.

Students on campus

Rutgers Impact

New Jersey’s largest research university with campuses in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick, and research and clinical locations across the state.

Discover Rutgers University

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Rutgers Excellence

Standing among the nation's leading research universities, Rutgers is acclaimed for the excellent achievements of our people and for their contributions to society in the pursuit of education, research, and health care.

Great Things to Know about Rutgers

Great Things to Know about Rutgers

Chock-full of university distinctions and information, share the Great Things brochure digitally or in print with constituents and use the facts in your own material.

Rutgers New Brunswick campus

Rutgers–New Brunswick

As a member of the Association of American Universities and the Big Ten Academic Alliance, Rutgers University–New Brunswick conducts life-changing research and offers premier education in a diverse community.

Rutgers Newark students walking on campus

Rutgers–Newark

Leveraging its diverse student and faculty population and high-impact scholarship, Rutgers University–Newark is a leading urban research university that cultivates the talent essential to transforming communities and changing the world.

Rutgers Camden campus

Rutgers–Camden

Located just minutes from Philadelphia, Rutgers University–Camden delivers groundbreaking work that impacts the world while offering its students truly experiential education in an intimate, supportive environment.

RBHS students on Rutgers Newark campus

Rutgers Health

Through the activities of Rutgers Health, Rutgers stands as one of America’s largest and most comprehensive university-based centers for studying and improving human health and health care.

Students: Get Involved

Rutgers Advocacy Corps
Available to students from all majors and schools at any of Rutgers’ three campuses, Advocacy Corps, run by the Office of Federal Relations, is the university's signature advocacy education program.

Federal Relations Internship
The Office of Federal Relations sponsors a nine-week, paid undergraduate internship each summer. The internship offers a unique government affairs experience in Washington, DC. 

Rutgers Scarlet Service in Washington, DC (RSS-DC)
RSS-DC provides meaningful summer internship experiences to Rutgers University undergraduate students at government offices and public service-orientated nonprofit organizations while expanding their knowledge and skills to be engaged citizens. 

Students walking on the Livingston campus