Alumna Makes $250,000 Gift to Establish Endowment for Childhood Studies

By Tom McLaughlin

Rutgers University–Camden

will continue to be a global leader at the forefront of research and initiatives focused on improving the lives, opportunities, and understanding of children, thanks to a $250,000 gift from alumna Nancy Shuman to establish the Nancy Seagrave Shuman Endowment for Childhood Studies.

Shuman, a 1968 graduate of the Rutgers–Camden

College of Arts and Sciences

(CCAS) with a bachelor’s degree in medical technology, established the fund to ensure that various initiatives within Rutgers–Camden’s

Department of Childhood Studies

will receive ongoing support in perpetuity.

“The well-being of children is deeply important to me,” says the Allentown, Pa., resident. “I hope that my gift provides increased momentum for the Department of Childhood Studies and related programs at Rutgers–Camden to help make a difference in the lives of children in the Camden community, the Greater Delaware Valley region, and beyond.”

Howard Marchitello, dean of the

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

at Rutgers–Camden, praises Shuman for her continued support of Rutgers–Camden’s Department of Childhood Studies and its students. He notes that, because of her generosity, the students’ work will, in turn, be dedicated to ensuring the general well-being of students in Camden City and the greater South Jersey region.

“This act of generosity will reach countless beneficiaries for many years to come,” says Marchitello. “The College of Arts and Sciences is deeply moved by Ms. Shuman’s support and faith in our faculty and students, and in the vision of our Department of Childhood Studies.”

After earning a state scholarship, Shuman was drawn to Rutgers–Camden for the medical technology degree that it offered at that time. She remembers that she was among only three students in the inaugural cohort of the major and the intensive coursework was largely the same as for pre-medicine.

After completing three years of the four-year degree, she served a 12-month internship at the former West Jersey Hospital in Voorhees.

Upon graduating from Rutgers–Camden, Shuman continued working as a medical technologist in the blood bank at West Jersey Hospital.

She and her husband, Clyde, later settled in Allentown, where he and a partner founded Precision Medical, a global leader in respiratory devices.

Shuman has been a generous benefactor to Rutgers–Camden over the years, previously contributing to the CCAS Dean’s Endowed Scholarship Fund and the Center for Children and Childhood Studies Gift Fund.

Rutgers–Camden’s Department of Childhood Studies focuses on putting the issues, concepts, and debates that surround the study of children and childhoods at the center of its research and teaching missions.

Nancy and Clyde Shuman

Through a multidisciplinary approach, childhood studies aims both to theorize and historicize the figure of the child and to situate the study of children and childhoods within contemporary cultural and global contexts.

The curriculum in the department spans several disciplines in scope and purpose, and provides students with a strong background in both humanistic and social science perspectives on children and their representations. This approach prepares students for careers in many areas, including academics, public policy, social services, youth programming, and education.

Rutgers–Camden launched the nation’s first Ph.D. program in childhood studies in 2007. The program provides an advanced theoretical and methodological study of children and childhood. It prepares scholars capable of innovative research in this interdisciplinary field, as well as policy leaders with new perspectives in child-related social practice.

Second-quarter run lifts NJCU past Rutgers-Camden women

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Jan. 18, 2020) – The New Jersey City University women’s basketball team scored the final 13 points of the first half and 19 straight points over the second and third quarters combined as it went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 67-57, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

With their third straight win, the Gothic Knights improve to 6-8 overall and 4-5 in the NJAC. It marked the first time since January, 2002 that NJCU has won three straight conference games.

Rutgers-Camden fell to 9-6 overall and 2-7 in the NJAC with its second straight loss.

—

NJCU has won its last two games against Rutgers-Camden, dating back to last season, after the Scarlet Raptors had won seven straight in the series. Rutgers-Camden leads the all-time series, 39-26.

The Gothic Knights got off to a quick 5-0 start and led, 12-2, before the Scarlet Raptors cut the gap to 17-12 at the end of the quarter. Senior guard

Fatimah Williams

scored 10 of those points for Rutgers-Camden.

The Raptors continued their surge by scoring the first five points of the second quarter – all by sophomore guard/forward

Tamara Johnson,

including a layup 1:29 into the quarter that tied the game at 17-17. Those were the last points the Raptors scored until two minutes into the third quarter. NJCU ran off the last 13 points of the first half, to take a 30-17 halftime lead, and followed with the first six of the third quarter to make it a 36-17 game and a 10:39 scoring drought for the Scarlet Raptors.

The Gothic Knights built a 39-19 lead before the Raptors whittled the margin to as close as eight points (56-48) with 2:43 remaining in the game. They also cut the gap to eight points (62-54) with 26 second remaining.

Senior guard Hannah Johnson led NJCU with 23 points, aided by 9-for-12 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-5 from three-point range. Junior forward Ayanna Lewis had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while adding six blocked shots.

Freshman forward Sarah Edmond collected 13 points for the Gothic Knights, junior guard Alexandria Sams had eight assists, and six steals.

Williams notched her third double-double of the season for Rutgers-Camden, collecting 23 points to tie for game-high honors. She also had a game-high 13 rebounds, tying her career high set on Jan. 13 against the University of Valley Forge. Her 23 points raised her career total to 1,044, moving her into 13th place on the program’s all-time list. She passed Andrea Fogel (1986-89), who had 1,037 points.

Tamara Johnson collected 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Freshman forward/center

Kayla Newton

and freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

both added six rebounds, while scoring nine and eight points, respectively.

NJCU shot 25-for-57 (43.9 percent) from the floor and Rutgers-Camden shot 20-for-62 (32.3). The Raptors held a 42-38 edge off the boards, but also made 27 turnovers, while NJCU had 24.

The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Wednesday when they host Rowan University at 6 p.m.

Big first half powers NJCU past Rutgers-Camden men

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Jan. 18, 2020) – The New Jersey City University men’s basketball team raced to a 50-25 halftime lead and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 83-66, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday.

The Gothic Knights improve to 7-9 overall and 4-5 in the NJAC with their ninth straight win over Rutgers-Camden. They lead the all-time series, 66-5.

Rutgers-Camden falls to 5-10 overall and 2-7 in NJAC play.

After a couple of early lead changes, sophomore guard Kayton Darley put NJCU ahead to stay, 5-4, with a jumper. The Gothic Knights had an 11-point run midway through the half and closed out the first 20 minutes by scoring the final seven points. Their 50-25 lead at the break was fueled by 11 points from junior guard Denzel Banks and 10 from Darley.

The Raptors managed to cut their deficit to 14 points on three occasions in the second half, but couldn’t slice NJCU’s lead to single digits.

The Gothic Knights placed nine players in the scoring column, led by Banks with 15. Senior forward Jaimik Moore and junior forward Jahmere Calhoun both notched 14 points, while senior forward Sam Toney added 13 and Darley finished with 10.

Banks and Calhoun both notched 10 rebounds to finish with double-doubles, helping NJCU control the boards, 43-24.

Junior guard

Arian Azemi

finished with a game-high 26 points, only three days after collecting a career-high 35 in a win over Montclair State University. Azemi added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

Senior forward

Isaac Destin

notched 21 points and a team-high three steals for the Raptors, while junior forward

Ian McCarthy

scored seven.

Rutgers-Camden shot 20-for-46 (43.5 percent) from the floor, while NJCU shot 27-for-63 (42.9). The Raptors made 23 turnovers and the Gothic Knights had 19.

Rutgers-Camden hosts Rowan University in an 8 p.m. NJAC game Wednesday.

Rutgers‒Camden Scholar Aims to Prevent Harm to Agriculture

TO THE POINT

by Studying How Plants Cope With Stress

CAMDEN CITY NJ – Research led by

Rutgers University‒Camden

biology professor Xingyun Qi on salinity stress to crops could help other scientists and farmers uncover ways

to protect crops from destruction.

High salt conditions, one of the biggest threats to agriculture, impair crop development.

In Qi’s Rutgers–Camden research lab, she is studying how plants respond to environmental stress, such as drought, high salt, or extreme cold conditions, which could cause severe damage to crops.

“The sensitivity of crops to harsh climates and soil conditions is a major limitation for food production,” says Qi, an assistant professor, who recently joined

Rutgers‒Camden’s biology department

High salt conditions can kill plants and significantly impair crop yield on at least 20 percent of irrigated land worldwide, Qi explains.

Corn crops are particularly vulnerable to damage by high salt conditions. The effects of crop damage can have wide-ranging implications for access to food supplies.

As one of the most important food crops on the planet, corn has a variety of uses as a food source and as an additive to products such as ethanol in gasoline.

Damage caused by increased salinity in the soil of corn crops could affect humans as well as livestock around the world. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, corn is the most widely produced feed grain in the nation. Farmers feed corn to cattle, pigs, and chickens.

Qi says studies show that corn crop yields can decline by 50 percent under high salt conditions.

The popular vegetable is integral to the U.S. economy, so any damage to crops could have a bearing on the economy. In the 2018-19 crop marketing year, the United States exported more than $11 billion in corn to more than 70 countries.

In plant tissue, small pores known as stomata allow a plant to take in carbon dioxide, which is necessary for photosynthesis. The stomata, which look like tiny mouths, also help with transpiration, the exhalation of water vapor through the stomata. They also help to reduce water loss by closing when conditions are hot or dry.

While research has revealed the core molecular pathway of stomatal development and environmental factors including light and carbon dioxide to regulate stomatal formation, Qi is studying the regulation of salinity stress on stomatal development, an area that has not been explored extensively.

Understanding how plants withstand dangerous environmental conditions would minimize damage to crops and save farmers from losing crops and thousands of dollars in revenues.

“With my experience in plant biology, I hope my research can expand our knowledge a bit on plant tolerance mechanism, so that we can genetically engineer stress-tolerant plants.”

The Rutgers–Camden researcher is studying the model plant Arabidopsis, which has mild tolerance to environmental stresses. It is the organism of choice for a wide range of studies in plant sciences. The other plant Qi is studying is Thellungiella, which can tolerate high salt, drought, and cold conditions.

By comparing the effects of stresses on the two plants, Qi hopes to gain insight into the mechanism of plant stress tolerance.

Qi joins Rutgers‒Camden from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Washington, where she was a postdoctoral fellow studying the development of stomata.

In Qi’s lab at Rutgers‒Camden, she will expand on the plant biology work she has been doing for the past 10 years. “I can now pursue scientific questions using the unique combination of my knowledge and expertise, and make some contribution to our understanding of plant biology,” says Qi.

As an undergraduate student in China, Qi became interested in plant biology through her love of peonies, orchids, and lotus flowers. The structure, properties, and biochemical processes of growing flowers fascinated her.

Big second quarter helps MSU sink Rutgers-Camden women

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (Jan. 15, 2020) – The Montclair State University women’s basketball team outscored Rutgers University-Camden by 20 points in the second quarter and went on to defeat the Scarlet Raptors, 88-53, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.

The Red Hawks, who improved to 11-4 overall and 6-2 in the NJAC with their sixth straight win, held a narrow 15-11 lead after one quarter before going on a 26-6 run in the second quarter. They had a nine-point run in the first quarter on a trio of three-pointers by junior guard Taylor Brown to take the lead for good at 15-9.

In the second quarter, Montclair State had an early seven-point run before closing out the half by scoring the last 12 points. They held a 41-17 lead at the break.

The loss snapped the Scarlet Raptors’ four-game winning streak and dropped Rutgers-Camden to 9-6 overall and 2-6 in the NJAC.

Montclair State now leads the all-time series, 45-17, after Rutgers-Camden won the two head-to-head games last season.

Freshman guard Nickie Carter paced the Red Hawks with 22 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the floor, including three treys. Brown, who was 4-for-8 from three-point range, finished with 12 points and a game-high six assists, while freshman forward Saniya Myers added 11.

The Red Hawks, who shot a red-hot 15-for-29 (51.7 percent) from three-point range, placed 13 players in the scoring column. Junior forward Kayla Bush had a game-high 12 rebounds to help Montclair State hold a 48-27 advantage off the boards. Bush added nine points as she barely missed a double-double.

Senior guard

Fatimah Williams

collected a game-high 15 points for the Scarlet Raptors, two days after joining the 1,000-point club against the University of Valley Forge. Williams raised her career total to 1,021 points.

Freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

finished with 12 points for the Raptors, while sophomore guard/forward

Tamara Johnson

added 11 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward/center

Kayla Newton

paced the Raptors with 10 rebounds, tying her career high accomplished three previous times this season.

Rutgers-Camden shot 20-for-61 (32.8) from the floor, including 3-for-14 (21.4) from three-point range. Montclair State was 33-for-64 (51.6) from the floor.

The Scarlet Raptors return to NJAC action Saturday with a 1 p.m. game at New Jersey City University.

Azemi powers Raptor men to first win at MSU since 2004

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (Jan. 15, 2020) – Junior guard

Arian Azemi

scored a career-high 35 points and senior forward

Isaac Destin

notched his sixth double-double of the season to power the

Rutgers University-Camden men’s basketball team over Montclair State University, 89-77, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.

Rutgers-Camden snapped a four-game losing streak, raising its record to 5-9 overall and 2-6 in the NJAC, while Montclair State fell to 8-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

It was only the Raptors’ second win in their last 14 games against Montclair State, with the last coming in Camden by a 72-71 score on Jan. 10, 2018. It was Rutgers-Camden’s first win

Montclair State since Jan. 28, 2004, a 77-70 victory.

Montclair State leads the all-time series, 55-11.

Led by the all-around play of Azemi, the Scarlet Raptors built a 44-36 halftime lead. Azemi notched 19 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals in the opening half, while Destin added 10 points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes. A layup by Destin early in the half gave the Scarlet Raptors the lead for good at 4-3.

Montclair State cut the deficit to a single basket on a pair of occasions in the second half. With 15:37 remaining, the Red Hawks made it a 51-49 game, but junior forward

Ian McCarthy

answered with a clutch three-pointer for the Scarlet Raptors.

With 13:45 remaining, it was a 56-53 game before a jumper by Destin sparked the Raptors on a six-point run. The Red Hawks never came closer than six points the rest of the way.

Azemi’s 35 points were the most at Rutgers-Camden since Vincent Anfield Jr. scored 39 against Stockton University on Jan. 31, 2018. The first-year Raptor, who played two seasons at California’s San Bernardino Valley College, beat his previous Rutgers-Camden scoring high of 29 points, set against Rowan University on Nov. 26. He also added his Raptor career high of nine steals, while dishing off six assists and grabbing eight rebounds. His points, assists and steals were all game highs.

Destin, meanwhile collected 23 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. His scoring output lifted his career total to 1,064, passing the total of 1,053 points shared by Phil Larsen (1953-57) and Keith Harris (1963-67) on the all-time program list. Destin moved into 12th place in program history, with his next target being the 1,141 points recorded by James Washington (1995-98).

Sophomore guard

Keysean Simmonds

added 10 points and four assists for the Scarlet Raptors, while McCarthy canned nine points.

Senior guard Akbar Hoffman scored 31 points for the Red Hawks.

Rutgers-Camden shot 34-for-56 from the floor (60.7 percent), including a 14-for-24 performance by Azemi. The Red Hawks were 30-for-65 (46.2) and held a slim 34-32 edge off the boards.

Rutgers-Camden plays another NJAC game Saturday when it travels to New Jersey City University for a 3 p.m. contest.

Rutgers University–Camden Named “Best Bang for the Buck” University

By Mike Sepanic

Rutgers University–Camden

once again has been recognized by

Washington Monthly

magazine as a great value, while also earning high overall rankings among research universities across the nation.

Among schools in the Northeast, Rutgers–Camden is named 24th in the “

Best Bang for the Buck

” category, which recognizes those institutions that help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.

Washington Monthly

’s overall 2019 ranking for national universities, which emphasizes such factors as social mobility, research, and promoting public service, Rutgers–Camden is ranked 57. This is the first year that Rutgers University–Camden appears in this category due to its recent elevation to R2 research university classification by Carnegie.

“Rutgers–Camden is committed to access and affordability,” says Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Phoebe Haddon. “We pride ourselves on providing students with a world-class Rutgers education at an affordable price. Our students are guided in the classroom and outside in internships, research, and civic engagement projects in the supportive, personalized setting which is a hallmark of Rutgers–Camden. We are pleased organizations recognize that Rutgers–Camden is a great value. Being recognized on

Washington Monthly

’s Best Bang for the Buck list affirms our commitment to our students and the wider community we serve.”

Factors that

Washington Monthly

utilizes to formulate its rankings include the percentage of low-income students who receive federal aid, the net price of attendance after financial aid, the number of students involved in the Peace Corps and ROTC, and faculty awards for research.

More than 7,350 students are enrolled at Rutgers University–Camden in undergraduate and graduate programs, led by faculty committed to excellence in research and teaching. Nearly 40 majors, including special programs and an Honors College, comprise the

undergraduate academic experience

. The campus also offers 27

graduate programs

, including three interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs, a doctorate in nursing practice, an MBA, and the only

law school

in southern New Jersey.

In 2016, Rutgers University–Camden received a signature honor when it was named as New Jersey’s first

Purple Heart University

by the Military Order of the Purple Heart in recognition of the university’s commitment to supporting its student-veterans. In 2015, Rutgers University–Camden was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its

Community Engagement Classification

designation in recognition of Rutgers–Camden’s strength in civically engaged learning and community service.

Rutgers-Camden women win third straight game, 63-57

CAMDEN, N.J

(

Jan.

, 2020

) –

The

Rutgers University-Camden women’s

basketball team opened its game here Saturday with a seven-point run and went on to post a

63-57

victory over Rutgers University-Newark in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest.

The win was the third straight for the Scarlet Raptors, all coming in a six-day span during the week. They raised their record to 8-5 overall and 2-5 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Newark fell to 1-12 overall and 0-7 in the NJAC with its 11th straight loss.

Newark now leads the all-time series, 39-31.

Freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

scored the first five points of the game for the Scarlet Raptors and senior guard

Fatimah Williams

added the next field goal as Rutgers-Camden took a 7-0 lead. The Raptors led, 15-6, after on

e quarter and 30-18 at halftime, with Pitts notching all nine of her points during

the first 20 minutes and sophomore forward

Breanna Ettrick

scoring all seven of her points for the game.

The second-half production was carried by Williams, who notched 19 points to finish with a game-high 25, while junior guard

Shane Holmes

scored seven of her 10 points after the break. Holmes also finished with a game-high five assists, while sophomore forward

Tamara Johnson

added four assists.

Holmes added a career-high seven rebounds to lead the Scarlet Raptors, while Johnson, Williams and Pitts notched six apiece.

Rutgers-Newark received a big game from sophomore guard/forward Dorian Capurso, who notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Sophomore guard Syncere Lambert added nine points and senior center Comfort Akinbo added eight. Freshman forward Ebony Odom Barnes grabbed eight rebounds, helping the Scarlet Raiders hold a 42-38 edge off the boards.

Rutgers-Camden shot 21-for-56 from the floor (37.5 percent) and 18-for-29 (62.1) from the foul line. Rutgers-Newark was 19-for-50 (38.0) from the floor and 13-for-28 (46.4) from the line.

Newark made 21 turnovers and Camden had 15.

The Scarlet Raptors have another three-game week next week, beginning with a non-conference 7 p.m. game

Monday

at the University of Valley Forge.

Stingy Newark defense shuts down Camden men

CAMDEN, N.J

. (

Jan.

, 2020

) –

The

Rutgers University-Newark men’s basketball team entered Saturday’s New Jersey Athletic Conference contest coming off a

program-record defensive effort and the Scarlet Raiders didn’t hurt their nationally-ranked defensive ratings against Rutgers-Camden.

Newark held the Scarlet Raptors to 38 points as it defeated Rutgers-Camden, 59-38, to raise its record to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the NJAC. The victory came only three days after the Scarlet Raiders shut down NJAC foe Montclair State University, 58-29, to set a program record for fewest points allowed.

Rutgers-Camden fell to 4-9 overall and 1-6 in the NJAC with its fourth straight loss.

Rutgers-Newark

, which entered the contest with the 10th-ranked defense in Division III,

has won

seven

of its last

eight

games against Rutgers-Camden, although the two teams split last season’s two-game series. Rutgers-Newark leads the all-time series, 5

-36.

The Scarlet Raptors held the lead only early in the game, scoring the first field goal on a layup by junior guard

Arian Azemi,

falling behind on a

trey by Newark senior guard Chase Barneys and then scoring the next four points to take a 6-3 lead. Newark countered with the next six points, taking the lead for good at 9-6 on a three-pointer by sophomore forward Jamir Patterson with seven minutes gone in the game. By halftime, the Scarlet Raiders held a 33-19 lead and they led by as many as 31 points (58-27) in the second half.

Barneys finished with a game-high 20 points, while Patterson canned 10 and added six rebounds for the Scarlet Raiders. Junior guard David Logan had a game-high four assists

and

added a team-high seven rebounds as Newark held a 41-27 advantage off the boards.

Azemi finished with 17 points for the Scarlet Raptors, including 13 in the second half. Sophomore guard

Keysean Simmon

led the Raptors in scoring during the first half, notching six of his eight points. Senior forward

Isaac Destin

collected game highs of eight rebounds and three blocked shots

Rutgers-Newark shot 21-for-53 from the floor (39.6 percent) and 8-for-15 (53.3) from the foul line, but the Scarlet Raiders also had nine treys (in 19 attempts), including four by Barneys.

Rutgers-Camden shot 14-for-43 (32.6) from the floor, including only 1-for-10 from three-point range. The Raptors went 9

–

for-13 (69.2) from the foul line.

Rutgers-Camden

plays another NJAC

Rutgers-Camden women post non-conference win at Abington

ABINGTON, Penn. (Jan. 6, 2020) – The Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team scored the first nine points of its non-conference game here Monday night and went on to defeat Penn State University-Abington, 66-46.

The victory snaps the Scarlet Raptors’ four-game losing streak and lifts Rutgers-Camden to 6-5. The Nittany Lions fall to 3-6 with their third straight defeat.

Senior guard

Fatimah Williams

and freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

scored five and four points, respectively, as the Scarlet Raptors jumped off to their quick start. Although Abington closed its deficit to 12-11, the Lions never caught the Scarlet Raptors.

Rutgers-Camden held a 35-27 lead at halftime and opened its margin to 47-37 at the end of the third quarter.

Williams led all players with 20 points, shooting 8-for-19 from the floor (2-for-6 from three-point range) as she raised her career scoring total to 948 points. With 52 more points, she will become the 14th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

Pitts notched 15 points and eight rebounds for the Scarlet Raptors, while sophomore guard/forward

Tamara Johnson

added 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Junior guard

Shane Holmes

dished off a game-high five assists and tied Williams for game-high honors with three steals.

Sophomore guard Lacy MacLachlin scored 13 points to lead the Nittany Lions, while senior guard Sydney Barrow added 10 points. Junior guards Ashya Gaddy and Iman Richmond both scored nine points, while collecting eight and seven rebounds, respectively.

Rutgers-Camden shot 38.1 percent (24-for-63) from the floor and held a 43-36 advantage off the boards. The Scarlet Raptors also had only 13 turnovers, while forcing 22 by the Nittany Lions.

Penn State-Abington shot only 15-for-49 from the floor (30.6).

The Scarlet Raptors play their first home game of the new year on Wednesday when they host Ramapo College in a 6 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game.