Rider alumnus and Trustee makes $2 million gift to University

On Dec. 5, Rider University hosted a ceremony to dedicate the auditorium in Anne Brossman Sweigart Hall in honor of distinguished alumnus and Board of Trustees member William M. Rue ’69. The ceremony also celebrated the recent $2 million scholarship gift from Rue and his wife, Joan, to the Rider University endowment. Endowed scholarship support is Rider's highest fundraising priority.

The Rues have been long-time supporters of Rider and its students. Over the past 20 years, more than 40 students from Rider's College of Business Administration have benefited from their generosity as recipients of the William M. and Joan Rue Endowed Scholarship. 

"My wife and I are proud to financially support students so that they can share in all the wonderful academic, social and leadership experiences Rider provides," Rue said. "I am a firm believer of leading by example, so my hope is that when these students become successful, they also will give back and create more opportunities for those who want to pursue a Rider education." 

Rue earned a Bachelor of Science in Insurance Management from Rider before joining his family’s insurance company after graduation. Now the chairman and owner of Rue Insurance in Hamilton Township, N.J., Rue has been one of Rider’s most consistent and active supporters. He has served as a Trustee of the University for 24 years and he is a member of the President’s Council.

Rue is also on the board of directors for Selective Insurance Group, 1st Constitution Bank and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was named board chairman in 2015. In 2004, he and his family established the Rue Foundation to support local education and community-based social programs.  

Previously, Rue served as chair of the 1996-2003 Campaign for Rider University and held the position of president of the University’s Alumni Association. In addition, he has served on numerous University committees.

"If not for financial aid and scholarships, I would not be here," said junior Sandra Ciccarelli, a business student and current Rue scholarship recipient, who spoke before an audience that included other current and past beneficiaries. "During my senior year of high school my father underwent multiple heart surgeries and my family income decreased a lot, and the thought of continuing my education was up in the air. It is with your help that I am able to receive this amazing college experience."

Prior to this most recent honor, Rue was the recipient of Rider's Distinguished Alumnus Award, the University’s Gordon Prichard Award for Volunteer Service and a Sesquicentennial Medal of Excellence for his dedicated service to the University.

Rue’s close ties to Rider extend to his late father, Charles L. Rue Jr. '24, who was also a graduate.

“Bill's consistent loyalty, leadership and service to this institution has been nothing short of remarkable,” said Rider University President Gregory G. Dell’Omo. "Looking back, his support has played a meaningful role in so many major campus initiatives, and it's clear his generosity will continue to have an impact on students and the University as a whole into the foreseeable future."

Several multimillion-dollar gifts have bolstered Rider’s recent fundraising efforts, including one of the largest individual gifts ever received in University history. The University raised a record amount of funds in the fiscal year that ended in June.