The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers-New Brunswick shared news of the profound loss of former Eagleton director Professor Ruth B. Mandel, who escaped the Holocaust with her family and devoted her life to promoting democracy and civic engagement. Mandel died this morning at age 81; her death was caused by ovarian cancer.

“This is very sad news at a difficult time,” said John J. Farmer, Jr., director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. “The loss of Ruth will be felt not just by Eagleton, by Rutgers, and by The National Holocaust Museum, but by the thousands of students, colleagues, and friends whose lives she has touched in her inimitable, deeply caring way. The community – the family, really – that Ruth built and nurtured here at Eagleton wants nothing more at this moment than to gather to celebrate her life and to mourn. Although the current public health emergency prevents us from meeting in person, I assure you that we will offer opportunities for virtual gathering, and will come together in person on a brighter day to celebrate Ruth’s presence in all of our lives.”

The New York Times’ obituary for Mandel recognized her lifelong passion and commitment, referring to Mandel as “a voice for women in politics.”

At the time of her death, Mandel was Board of Governors Professor of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and a Senior Scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. She stepped down in August, 2019 as director of Eagleton after 24 years of distinguished leadership; before that, from 1971-1984, she was a founder and director of CAWP.

Appointed Eagleton’s director in 1995, Mandel focused for nearly a quarter century on shaping a distinctive, pathbreaking institution, widely known and respected as the Rutgers “Place for Politics.” She nurtured existing strengths in an Institute established in 1956 and expanded Eagleton’s work into new arenas.

Throughout her career at Rutgers, Mandel was active in service to the University. She was involved in the founding of the Institute for Women’s Leadership, the board of the consortium of women’s programs at Rutgers, the national Public Leadership Education Network, and the Women and Politics Program within the Department of Political Science. She chaired or served on numerous search committees, including a presidential search.

Mandel taught at various times in both the Department of English and the Department of Political Science at Rutgers. She also led Byrne seminars for first-year students in recent years on a variety of political topics. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service by Chatham College and an honorary Doctor of Public Administration by Georgian Court University.

Mandel’s work at the Institute was informed by her own government service as an appointee to both federal and state bodies. She was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, the governing body for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and reappointed and designated vice chair of the board by President Bill Clinton; her service to the museum extended from 1991-2005. She was the founding chairperson of the Museum’s Committee on Conscience. More recently, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy appointed her to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

Dr. Mandel is survived by her daughter, Dr. Maud Mandel, president of Williams College, son-in-law Steve Simon, and grandchildren Lev and Ava as well as by her husband, Jeff Lucker, a history teacher at Princeton High School, and her ex-husband and dear friend, Barrett Mandel of New York City.

Please visit Eagleton’s website for a full history of Ruth B. Mandel’s life.