PISCATAWAY - Rutgers Athletics celebrated the achievements of its 134 student-athletes who will earn degrees in 2019 at the University's annual convocation ceremony, held Sunday afternoon at HighPoint.com Stadium. Alums and Super Bowl champions Jason and Devin McCourty delivered the commencement address, speaking about the journey they took to reach their goals and the power of positive thinking.
The McCourtys made history on Feb. 3, 2019, when they became the first set of twins to play together in, and win, a Super Bowl. Off the field, the former Scarlet Knights continue to make headlines as they dedicate their time to the fight against sickle cell anemia by collaborating with the New Brunswick-based nonprofit Embrace Kids Foundation.
"We quickly learned that people who love you won't always tell you, 'Chase your dreams,' " Devin McCourty said. "But if we accept those fears from others, how can we unlock our true purpose here on this Earth? "Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result. The power of positive thinking can change your life."
Before the McCourty twins spoke, President Robert Barchi bestowed upon them honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees and presented New Jersey Governor and former U.S. ambassador Phil Murphy with an honorary Doctor of Laws.
Barchi also presented a replica of the 1973 Doctorate of Humane Letters given to Paul Robeson, who was only the third black student to ever attend Rutgers when he graduated in 1919. Robeson excelled in football, basketball and track & field for the Scarlet Knights before becoming a world-renowned singer and actor, a spellbinding orator and a passionate activist and humanitarian.
2018-19 was a trailblazing year in the classroom for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers set a school-record for Big Ten All-Academic honorees in both the fall (85) and winter (46) seasons and expects to do the same when spring accolades are announced. RU also had another strong showing in Academic Progress Rate (APR), averaging a 990, well above the NCAA average of 983. A school-record nine programs earned recognition from the NCAA for their multi-year APR scores. Nine recognized programs ranked second in the Big Ten, behind only Northwestern.
An estimated 18,825 graduates will receive degrees from Rutgers this year. Since its founding in 1766, Rutgers has awarded 598,874 academic degrees, not including 2019.
Today's convocation signaled the 253rd commencement "On the Banks." The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers is the nation's eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of only nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution.
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