History of the Rutgers Research Council

The Rutgers Research Council was established in 1943, as a faculty committee to advise the president on matters relating to research. At the time, $33,000 was allocated by the state to the university for faculty requesting research support.

In the early 1950s, the university appointed a director of the Research Council to advise the president and assist the faculty in obtaining both internal and external funding. In 1960, the director was given an assistant. Both were tenured faculty who continued to meet their teaching and research responsibilities. A Research Council Office was established to provide administrative support for the Research Council, and to serve as a central clearing house for information on available internal and external research funding, as well as on the status of research projects throughout the university.

In 1965, a newly appointed dean of the Graduate School in New Brunswick, Dr. Henry Torrey, a distinguished physicist, was made director of the Research Council; he headed both offices, whose functions were otherwise separate. From its inception, Graduate School–New Brunswick deans had been members of the Research Council. The dean was named director and remained so until 1973.

A University-wide Director of Research, Dr. David Pramer, was appointed in 1973, and he assumed responsibility for the Research Council Office. In 1975, this office became the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the research advisory functions became the responsibility of a Research Advisory Board. This board is a standing committee of faculty and administrators convened from time to time by the University Vice President for Research to discuss research policy matters.

The Research Council budget increased from an initial $33,000 in 1943 to approximately $400,000 by 1980, when it had separate programs for funding travel for participation in national and international conferences, travel for visiting private and public funding agencies, research colloquia, subvention for the publication of scholarly books, research projects, and other creative activities in all fields of learning. The budget steadily decreased to a level of only $140,000 by 2011 and remained at that level until 2019. In that year, Professor Kathleen Pottick, chair of the Research Council, met with President Barchi to secure more funds from the university to support the council. As a result, the Research Council’s budget was increased from $140,000 to $300,000.

During this period, under the leadership of Dr. Antoinette Y. Farmer, the use of rubrics to score each application became standard practice in the application review process. The council launched a website to showcase the names of award recipients and their projects, and informational sessions were established.

The leadership structure was changed to a co-chair model, with Dr. Antoinette Y. Farmer and Dr. Kathleen Pottick serving as the first co-chairs. The co-chair leadership structure remains in place today.

Under their leadership, the number of program awards expanded from two to four: the Individual Fulcrum Awards Program, the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Awards Program, the Social and Racial Justice Awards Program, and the Subvention Program for the Publication of Scholarly Books. The Multidisciplinary Collaborative Awards Program was established as a mechanism to facilitate research collaboration across all four chancellor-led units.

During this period, a two-part review process was instituted, and the Research Advisory Committee was established. The Research Council is responsible for the first level of review of all applications. The second level of review is conducted by the Research Advisory Committee, which makes the final determinations regarding awardees.

Finally, the eligibility criteria were modified so that non-tenure-track faculty could now apply for these program awards. It became standard practice that faculty whose projects were not funded would receive feedback to strengthen their submission for the next Research Council Award cycle.

In 2025, the number of program awards expanded from four to six. The six programs were the Climate Action Awards Program, the Individual Fulcrum Awards Program, the Manuscript Awards Program, the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Awards Program, the Social and Racial Justice Awards Program, and the Subvention Program for the Publication of Scholarly Books. The Manuscript Awards Program was established to help faculty members publish authoritative, thought-provoking, and field-changing books.

Back to Our Roots 

In 2026, the Research Council was transferred from University Academic Affairs to the Office for Research. The number of program awards decreased from six to five, and a new award, the AI for Societal Impact Awards Program, was established. This award program was established under the leadership of Dr. Antoinette Y. Farmer and Dr. Michael Palis. The five program awards are the AI for Societal Impact Awards Program, the Individual Fulcrum Awards Program, the Manuscript Awards Program, the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Awards Program, and the Subvention Program for the Publication of Scholarly Books.

The Research Council is comprised of 20 faculty members representing all disciplines and chancellor-led units. The council is organized into eight discipline-related committees. The Research Advisory Committee is comprised of 10 faculty members who have previously served on the Research Council. Appointments to both the Research Council and Advisory Committee are made by the co-chairs of the Research Council for a term of 3 years, renewable once. 

Leadership Over the Years 

1973–2009, Dr. David Pramer

2009–2012, Dr. Joan Marter

2012–2018, Dr. Margaret Marsh

2018–2020, Dr. Kathleen Pottick

February 2020 to September 2020, Dr. Antoinette Y. Farmer, Acting Chair

2020–July 2024, Dr. Antoinette Y. Farmer and Dr. Kathleen Pottick

August 2024–Present, Dr. Antoinette Y. Farmer and Dr. Michael A. Palis