Type: Exhibition case

Name: Livingston College

Detail: Livingston College opened in 1969 and was the first coeducational, liberal arts college at Rutgers University. It embodied “the spirit of social responsibility and cultural awareness demanded by students" during the sociopolitical changes in the United States in the 1960s. As a result, the college offered new and progressive academic departments including urban studies and planning and journalism. The music department at Livingston College offered a variety of instrumental and vocal classes and was headed by Laurence Ridley―the first jazz professor at Rutgers who was also the primary architect of jazz performance as a field of academic study at Rutgers University. In addition to the music program, Livingston also hosted a college band and Jazz Ensemble, a Jazz Society dedicated to promoting and preserving awareness and knowledge of jazz as an art form, yearly music festivals featuring ethnic dance, poetry, music, and drama; and college-sponsored events including music tribute nights and an array of concerts.