Members of the Biotechnology Council of New Jersey are invited to join Celgene Corporation in enhancing the number of highly-trained researchers poised to make contributions to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other related industries in New Jersey. As the flagship public institution in the State for research and graduate education, the Rutgers reach is extensive: from genetics to computational biology, from stem cell research to biomedical engineering, from cancer biology to pharmaceutical chemistry, from microbiology to environmental sciences. The budget crisis in New Jersey continues to have a dramatic effect on higher education, with Rutgers sustaining sizeable budget reductions in all of its missions, including research and the support of graduate students. The goal of this initiative is to help offset reduced funding for graduate students. The generosity of members of the Biotechnology Council, in the form of full or partial fellowships, will allow Rutgers to attract the students with the greatest potential to New Jersey, while enabling these first-year students to focus on their studies and the initial stages of their research. The first year is the time in their careers when they would normally have been supported on a fellowship with funds provided by the State. The benefits to Biotechnology Council members could include:

• Attracting to New Jersey a top young scholar in a critical discipline;


• Introducing this scholar to your opportunities for research and development;


• Identifying a strong candidate for summer internships;


• Sustaining connections with this scholar throughout progress towards the Ph.D. degree, via subsequent internships or collaborative research;


• Recruiting the new Ph.D. for a career.

The competition for the most promising new students is intense. Once enrolled, Rutgers and its scientists anticipate having sufficient external grant resources to support these students after the first year. The challenge is in identifying sufficient funds to attract the best and the brightest to come to New Jersey, where they may establish new roots, connect to New Jersey industry, and become additions to the State’s highly skilled workforce.

Biotechnology Council members would be able to select the area of studies of the graduate student, or choose to fund a graduate student from a traditionally under-represented background. The candidates would be selected by the Graduate School Dean’s Office from a national or international pool of highly talented young scholars with the highest potential for success in their chosen area of studies and research. Not only would you be acknowledged by Rutgers for your donation, but the Biotechnology Council of New Jersey will be highlighting the interactions between these graduate students and Council members in future newsletters. As the Rutgers University Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization, your gift would be tax deductible as allowed by law.

For more information, please contact Dr. Jolie Cizewski, Acting Dean of the Graduate School-New Brunswick, (732-932-2720) or Mike Andrulis (732-932-0621).