Message from the Director

Ruth B. Mandel   Director, Eagleton Institute of Politics   Board of Governors Professor of Politics   bio available here   Read more about Ruth B. Mandel, as published in The Times of Trenton, April 25, 2006.

Welcome to the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. I hope you will use this virtual visit to learn about Eagleton's longstanding commitment to study American politics and government and to educate a broad, diverse audience about political processes and participation in the U.S.

Eagleton is a respected education, research and public service unit of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The Institute is located on the University's New Brunswick campus. For more than four decades, the Institute has been conducting innovative and practical research, educating graduate and undergraduate students, and informing policymakers and the public. We develop new knowledge and understanding of emerging topics and themes in American politics and government in order to encourage more responsive and effective leadership.

The Institute is home to two specialized research centers: the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP). Among the topics our faculty and staff currently explore are:
   • youth political participation
   • ethics and openness in government
   • political parties, campaigns and elections
   • mass media and politics
   • New Jersey politics and government
   • public opinion polling
   • issues of pluralism and diversity in politics
   • state legislatures, politics and policymaking
   • women's political participation
   • electronic democracy.

Florence Peshine Eagleton, a suffragist and founder of New Jersey's League of Women Voters, made the bequest that established the Institute in 1956. Today, Eagleton faculty and staff work closely with political practitioners and scholars from around the state and across the nation to accomplish Florence Eagleton's ambitious goal: "the development of and education for responsible leadership in civic and governmental affairs and the solution of their political problems."

The Institute is located in Wood Lawn, a gracious nineteenth-century mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its Carriage House. We enjoy a comfortable setting for classes, public programs, study, and informal gatherings.

After you've checked out our web site, consider an in-person visit. Perhaps you'll want to attend one of our public programs, or you may want to spend time with us for graduate or undergraduate study. We look forward to welcoming all who share our interest in the people, processes and institutions that comprise American democracy.

Ruth B. Mandel