Rutgers Alum Makes ‘Largest Scholarship Gift Ever’ to University

NEWARK, NJ — A former Rutgers student in the 1950s who now runs a national marine construction firm has pledged a $10 million donation for scholarships at the university’s school of engineering.

According to university administrators, Richard Weeks, a 1950 Rutgers graduate who grew his family’s small marine construction company into an industry leader, has made a commitment of $10 million to support undergraduate scholarships at the Rutgers School of Engineering. Weeks’s pledge is the largest gift to Rutgers for scholarships and the largest ever to the engineering school.

The Richard N. Weeks Endowed Scholarship demonstrates “the power of education to change lives forever,” Rutgers President Robert Barchi said.

It isn’t the first time Weeks has given back to his alma mater. In 2014, he pledged $6 million toward the construction of Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering, which opened in September at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

“Rutgers is at the forefront of engineering education,” Weeks said. “I created this scholarship so that even more students will have the opportunity to get a first-class education at Rutgers and go on to find solutions to society’s greatest challenges.”

University administrators provided the following background about Weeks’ accomplishments:

“After graduating from Rutgers, Weeks began working for his father’s company, which loaded cargo ships in New York Harbor. Upon succeeding his father in running the business, he expanded and diversified its services. Today, Weeks Marine is a leading marine construction, dredging and tunneling firm, with operations across North America. In recognition of his vital contributions to engineering and business, he was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2017.”

“Mr. Weeks is a great friend to the university and to the School of Engineering," said Thomas Farris, dean of the School of Engineering. "The Weeks Endowed Scholarship will elevate the school by helping it nurture future generations of leaders essential to America’s economic, technological, and industrial success."

“The pipeline of highly skilled engineers created by Mr. Weeks’s support will help feed the nation’s growing demand for the profession,” Farris added.

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Photos: Rutgers University