Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis to Keynote Rutgers–Camden Commencement in Landmark Centennial Year
Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis will deliver the keynote address Tuesday, May 19 at this year’s Rutgers University–Camden and Graduate School commencement as the institution celebrates its Centennial year.
Commencement exercises to be held at Freedom Mortgage Pavillon coincide with the university’s Centennial, recognizing Rutgers–Camden’s founding in 1926 as the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey.
The university has marked the milestone with special programs and events throughout the year under the theme “Celebrating a Century of Excellence.”
An internationally known scholar, Tillis has led Rutgers University–Camden since July 2021. During his tenure, the university rose in the U.S. News and World Best Colleges ranking in 2023 to #49 in top public schools and #98 in national universities. Under his leadership, Rutgers–Camden was recognized as a Minority Serving Institution in 2022 and an Asian American (AA) and Native American Pacific Islander (NAPI)-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) in 2023.
Tillis established the “15-in-5” Chancellor’s Strategic Initiatives, which invested in experiential learning, research, and development opportunities for the university community. One outcome of the initiatives was the creation of the Chancellor’s Mayoral Internship Program, a partnership with the City of Camden that has provided dozens of students with hands-on experience in public service alongside municipal officials.
Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, Tillis a noted scholar in the field of Afro-Hispanic studies. He is author and coeditor of several books, including Manuel Zapata Olivella and the Darkening of Latin American Literature, The Trayvon Martin in ‘US’: An American Tragedy (Peter Lang, 2015), The Afro-Hispanic Reader and Anthology (Randal Publishing, 2018), and Critical Perspectives on Afro-Latin American Literature (Routledge, 2012). He has served as editor of the journal Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association, as coeditor of the Afro-Hispanic Review, and as associate editor of the International Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies.
A first-generation college student, Tillis holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in Spanish literature from Howard University. He earned his Ph.D. in Latin American literature (with an Afro-Hispanic emphasis) from the University of Missouri at Columbia. He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the National University of Asuncion, Paraguay.
Four distinguished speakers will follow Tillis at school-specific commencement ceremonies to take place Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 21. For more information, please visit our Commencement page.
