Last updated on March 25, 2024

W. Robert Jenkins, dean of Livingston College, wrote the following letter to the Class of 1985, included in the college yearbook, Senior Record.

Dear Graduate:

Congratulations on your degree and best wishes for the future. I hope that Livingston College and Rutgers University have served you well and that your memories will be mostly fond ones. You have been here when major changes have taken place and the gains, perhaps also the losses, which resulted from those changes have had a direct effect on you. However, change is inevitable in a dynamic establishment; we should expect and welcome change, as it reflects progress. Improvements in the future include our new (at last!) student center. I hope that all of you will come back to see and enjoy the completed project. We also look to a continued improvement in the ranking of Rutgers University because, as our reputation improves, so does the value of your degree. Big things are beginning to happen here, and I firmly believe that Rutgers University is to be the premier public institution in the East.

You, as graduates, can continue to be a part of Livingston College, and we need you to continue your association with us. Alumni are the best representatives of a college, and your support of us in conversation with others will boost our visibility and reputation. Encourage students to apply and attend Livingston College; speak up as graduates of Livingston College, not of Rutgers University; give a little time back to us, and when you can, contribute your financial support to our many programs.

As always, I will feel a personal loss when you leave. It is a price one pays in getting to know and like an essentially transient population. Please keep in touch, and let us know what you’re doing, because that is one of the real rewards of having gotten to know you.

So, for one more time — good luck, best wishes, and fond memories.

Affectionately,
W. Robert Jenkins
Dean