Livingston College was founded in 1969 with the mission of bringing together a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff in a shared-learning community committed to the pursuit of academic innovation and excellence. Today, that mission is embraced by the entire university, and Livingston College distinctively emphasizes building community through leadership and understanding.

Dedicated to expanding opportunities for its students, the college fulfills its mission through its core curriculum, its minor in organizational leadership, its internship programs, and its student life activities. Livingston offers its students the personal attention of a small college community in the midst of a major research institution rich in outstanding opportunities.

Its original motto, "Strength through Diversity," particularly comes to life in the college's signature lecture series, the Global Futures Symposia. Livingston's goal is to offer an undergraduate education that prepares every student to think critically and to act responsibly in the contemporary world. The college offers the broadest possible choice at the university of more than 60 majors. The academic program is designed to give students an excellent foundation in the liberal arts and an in-depth understanding of their chosen fields of interest. Courses in fulfillment of distribution requirements give students experience in the humanities, natural and social sciences, and quantitative and analytical studies. Students are also introduced to the diversity of world cultures and develop insight into the origins and character of significant national and global contemporary issues.

At Livingston, students are encouraged to pursue the college's unique minor in organizational leadership. Unifying the theoretical and practical elements of organizational dynamics, the minor ensures that the student's academic background includes a component immediately recognizable by potential employers as valuable to their organizations. The program complements instruction offered in Rutgers' professional schools and offers important curricular options to students pursuing degrees in arts and sciences. The college is committed to providing an open forum where ideas and values may be examined and restructured in the light of newly acquired knowledge both in and beyond the classroom.