This Spring, Rutgers-Camden unveiled a new event called the Raptor Rise Pitch Competition. Roughly 20 students presented entrepreneurial ideas for the chance to receive funding. Judges awarded five different prizes to the winners on April 15th. There are plans to extend the Pitch Competition to other campuses and universities in the future.

This event was organized by faculty from the Business School, most notably Dr. Thomas Fewer alongside Dean Monica Adya. Dr. Fewer is an Assistant Professor of Management at Rutgers-Camden, as well as an undergraduate alum. He explained that the event came together as part of an effort to support entrepreneurship on campus. Just this year, the Business School launched an official Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major. Fewer said that they wanted to “build out some co-curricular opportunities around that.”

However, this competition is not just for business students. In fact, both Dr. Fewer and Dean Adya mentioned that they wanted this contest to be all inclusive. Dean Adya said, “A good number of the pitches that we are vetting through this year are not necessarily business school students. We really want to think about entrepreneurship in a big way.” She added, “[Entrepreneurs] can come from sciences, community based projects, as well as from business schools.” 

It was also expressed that the pitches did not need to be based on fully developed projects. Many submissions featured concepts in their early stages. As stated on the competition’s webpage, pitches were evaluated based on three criteria: “clarity, creativity, and realistic next steps”. Initially, there were around 30 applicants. Judges narrowed that number down to 20. On March 25th and 26th, contestants pitched their businesses virtually. 10 pitches were selected to move on to the final round, which was conducted on April 15th in the Fine Arts Building. Those contestants were mentored by Rutgers alumni to prepare for the final stage. 

Dr. Fewer shared some details about the variety of pitches they heard. One pitch revolved around assisting disabled veterans. Another focused on reinforcing cultural identities and ancestral roots. He was impressed by the contestants and the diversity of their ideas. “A lot of [the pitches] have a connection to the Camden community, which is really neat”, he said. “It’s clear that the students are being informed by what they’re seeing in the real world.”

The winners received a number of grants to fund their small businesses. Judges determined the top 3 awards, as well as the “Community Impact Award”. The audience decided on the “People’s Choice Award”. Prize amounts ranged from $3,000 to $500. 

Dr. Fewer explained that everything came together “rather quickly”. Additionally, the response was “bigger than expected”. He has high hopes for this event in the future and Dean Adya agrees. She said, “Eventually the goal is that this becomes a regional competition where we can invite other schools–both two year colleges and other universities–to pitch at Camden.” She also mentioned expanding the range of sponsorships and extending the judging period.

Rutgers continues to support the participants outside of the competition as well. They were encouraged to further develop their business models at the Rutgers Small Business Development Center. With the help of consultants, students were able to receive personalized advice and guidance.

Students can expect the Raptor Rise Pitch Competition to return again next year. Dr. Fewer attributed much of their success to everyone involved. He emphasized that its collaborative nature is crucial. “Something like this isn’t possible without so many people touching it. It’s truly not possible without this entire community of folks really rallying behind a vision.” 

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Full-time students in America struggle to stay financially afloat. In 2025, the American Consumer Price Index for all items rose by 2.7%. By the end of 2025, New Jersey ranked among the 10 most expensive states to live in according to World Population Review. The average cost of living in the country is expected to keep rising, so it’s going to be important to stay ahead of the curve.

Nicholas Reale is a senior at Rutgers–Camden. He has a hard time earning a satisfactory income due to his decreased availability. He mentioned that most of his days are spent on campus, so his weekly hours at work have suffered. As much as he recognizes the importance of going to school, he knows the accompanying tribulations well. 

“On top of being a full time student, I still have bills to pay and I have to work”, said Reale. “I know going to school will help me make more money in the future but as of right now, things are tough.”

In spite of these hardships, Reale has managed to get by over the past few years. He found budgeting his spending to be especially useful. He recommended breaking down expenses over a three month period to come up with an average number. From there, he suggested using that as a guide to determine how much you can realistically spend in the future.

Reale also stressed the importance of FAFSA. He encouraged students to look into the program, noting that the NJ Pell Grant has lifted much of the burden from his tuition. He shared, “You need to get into FAFSA. It is the only reason why I am able to go to school.” He said that FAFSA could be more affordable than people think. He specifically proposed becoming an independent applicant to reduce costs.

Jennifer Gonzalez is a former student from Rutgers–Newark. She graduated with a double major and took five courses per semester. She often felt stretched thin between a multitude of responsibilities. Even with a steady source of income, it wasn’t easy for her to meet her goals. Her part time job had a negative impact on her academic performance. 

Gonzalez explained, “Financing through that was a little bit better but my time became so much worse. It really made it difficult to give my best effort in all of my courses.”

However, she was able to make ends meet through a handful of campus resources. She highlighted on-campus jobs as good opportunities for students because of their flexible scheduling. Paid internships allowed her to make money while also pursuing career goals. She also recommended resources such as the Student Food Pantry, which provides free meals to volunteers. The Food Pantry is available at all Rutgers locations.

When reflecting on her college experience, Gonzalez appreciated how it taught her to prioritize a balanced lifestyle. In order to get the most out of their investments, she urged students to be mindful of how they’re dividing their time.

“A failed class is essentially money you won’t get back”, she said. “Nobody wants to end up with more debt than necessary.” She believes that it’s important to only take on what you can handle, or else financial stress could become life stress.

Those at Rutgers are not alone in their financial struggles. With the proper skills, these challenges can at the very least be mitigated. By carefully budgeting one’s expenses and time, students can improve their spending habits and mental wellbeing. By engaging with campus resources, they can find the proper support while also staying on top of their classes. 

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On Wednesday, February 18th, Rutgers-Camden launched the “AI Campus” program. It is overseen by Vice Chancellor for Research, Thomas S. Risch and Senior Program Coordinator, Ojobo Agbo Eje. It will allow students to research and develop AI software to be used for various projects. Opinions amongst Rutgers students are mixed, with some expressing weariness towards the impact that a program like this might have.

The AI Campus at Rutgers-Camden is a part of a larger initiative called the “National AI Campus”. According to their official website, the AI Campus movement is built around “project-based-learning.” Some of the specific applications that they focus on are, “biomedical imaging, natural language processing, genomics, self-driving cars, etc.”

Thomas Risch explained that this model has been particularly successful in many California state universities such as CASU Dominguez Hills. He expressed the desire for the Rutgers–Camden branch to meet the rising standards of the National model. He said, “One of our big, overreaching goals with the AI Campus is to make sure South Jersey is ready for an AI workforce.”

Risch also mentioned that some of the events may include topical conversations such as ethics or psychological effects of AI. He later noted that concerns around these topics and the development of Artificial Intelligence are valid. However, he believes that AI is a powerful tool for research.

Both Thomas Risch and Ojobo Agbe Eje agreed that AI can’t be avoided. Eje, who is in charge of managing the infrastructure and process of the program, was especially interested in working with that inevitability. He wants to cultivate a cooperative learning environment so that people can equip themselves with the ability to adapt to the ever changing technological world. 

He had these words to say on the matter: “As an institution that seeks to prepare people for what the future is, we cannot hide under the rock. The overall goal of the AI Campus is to make sure that our people–faculty, staff, students–are up to speed and comfortable with AI.” Eje feels strongly about bridging the gap between unrestrained AI adoption and the complete rejection of its positive benefits. 

Wayne Reynolds is a grad student in the Emerging Media program with the goal of becoming a screenwriter. He considers AI to be a detriment in his field, as many companies are prioritizing generative software over original work from creatives. He is worried about the lack of regulations and how that may affect writers and artists.

Reynolds is skeptical about the decision to incorporate AI based research into Rutgers–Camden. Although he isn’t fond of AI integration, he offered his perspective on how Rutgers can encourage ethical research: “There needs to be an emphasis on assisting students, not merely doing the work for them.” He also believes that artificially generated content should be prohibited.

Erin Gallagher, a math major with minors in education and statistics, feels more cautiously optimistic. She believes Rutgers is at least making an effort to utilize AI in ethical ways. Gallagher acknowledged it can be useful in certain situations, noting the creation of assignments by professors and fellow students who use AI software to practice math problems. On the flipside, she questioned if it could be diminishing the need to learn mathematics. 

In general, Gallagher expressed how she’s anxious about how society will be changed by AI over time, “Looking to the future, it’s a little scary. Like, where are we gonna end up? Are we gonna devolve or evolve? Overall, I guess we’re just gonna kind of go in with fingers crossed and hopefully we’re all gonna be okay.”

In short, AI Campus administrators claim to be mindful about the potential dangers of AI, while also remaining dedicated to advancing its capabilities. They want to provide Rutgers-Camden students the means to be able to explore this rapidly changing technology on their own. Some of those students are still apprehensive about the program; others are open to it, so long as ethics are being carefully considered. 

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