Rutgers University–Newark is a modern complex with a student population of 12,000. It is located on 38 acres in the center of the educational, medical, and cultural district known as University Heights. Newark is also the business, financial, and legal center of New Jersey. Rutgers-Newark and its academic neighbors--New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers Health Sciences-Newark, Essex County College, and Seton Hall Law School--provide a wide range of higher education opportunities to a student population of almost 50,000, making Newark a true college town.
In addition to the Newark College of Arts and Sciences, University College-Newark, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, the School of Public Affairs and Administration, and the School of Criminal Justice, there is also the Graduate School-Newark, Rutgers Law School, and the School of Nursing (part of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences). Rutgers University–Newark also is home to the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, within the Aidekman Research Center, where an international faculty conducts intensive research on such brain disorders as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, stroke, dyslexia, and schizophrenia. The Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies; the Graduate Division of Global Affairs; and the Center for Information Management, Integration, and Connectivity are located at the university as well.
On campus, theater performances, lectures, concerts, films, and exhibits provide a vibrant cultural environment. A wide range of athletic and recreational facilities are available in the Golden Dome Athletic Center, including a swimming pool, racquetball courts, two gymnasiums, and workout rooms equipped with aerobic and Nautilus machines and free weights.
Rutgers-Newark is computer-linked through a fiber optic cable, and residence halls are wired to accept personal computers. Computer labs are equipped with a full complement of sophisticated software and learning tools and are accessible throughout the campus. Wireless technology is also available in many buildings and classrooms.
The John Cotton Dana Library is part of the comprehensive and
technologically sophisticated Rutgers University Libraries system. With access
to more than three million volumes and a growing collection of digital
resources, the Dana library offers services, workspaces, and computer
workstations. The Institute of Jazz Studies is renowned by music scholars
around the world for its unmatched collection of jazz archives.
Rutgers-Newark enjoys a close institutional relationship with New Jersey Institute of Technology, located across the street from the campus. The two schools have well-aligned academic calendars and complementary curriculum offerings, which allow students to enroll in courses at both institutions.
Newark's cultural community includes the Newark Public Library, Newark Museum, New Jersey Historical Society, New Jersey Performing Arts Center complex, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Newark Symphony Hall, and Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art. The city's central business district has been transformed by new glass, brick, and steel office buildings and landscaped plazas. A sports-minded student can attend a New Jersey Devils hockey game at the new Prudential Center, catch an Atlantic League minor league baseball game at the Bears and Eagles Stadium, or enjoy one of the city's many public parks. Nearby neighborhoods include the Ironbound district, home to the largest Portuguese community in the United States, with its abundance of restaurants and small businesses.
The city's central business district, a rich source of internships and job opportunities, is home to major corporations such as IDT, Verizon, Prudential, PSE&G, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, MBNA, and many others, as well as the law firms and government offices that make Newark the state's legal center. Newark's superb public transportation system links Newark to Manhattan and all it has to offer, as well as to other major cities, while most major New Jersey highways lead to Newark. Nearby Newark Liberty International Airport is among the nation's fastest-growing airports.