Convocation 2026
This year, the theme of Convocation was Scarlet Raiders: Rooted in Newark & Rising In Excellence.
Watch the video of Convocation 2026 below.
Convocation 2026 marked the official beginning of the new academic year. The ceremony and festival brought together faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners to welcome our new undergraduate students.
Convocation celebrates the enduring spirit of RutgersUniversity–Newark—a university where excellence is pursued with purpose, where diversity drives innovation, and where education serves as a catalyst for meaningful change.
This year’s ceremony recognized the university’s anchor mission and established the expectation and importance of academic excellence with the theme Scarlet Raiders: Anchored in Newark, Rising in Excellence.
Speakers for the ceremony included:
- William F. Tate IV, Ph.D., President, Rutgers University
- Tonya Smith-Jackson, Ph.D., C.R.E., Chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark
- Honorable Ras Baraka, Mayor, City of Newark
- Jeffrey A. Robinson, Ph.D., Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark
- Corlisse Thomas, Ph.D., Sr. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Sr. Advisor to Chancellor
- Daniel Cortez, President, Student Governing Association, School of Arts & Sciences Newark
- Kalila Scott, Student Speaker, Rutgers Business School