Mason Gross
Alumni
Keep In Touch
- Update your contact info here to receive event invites, MGSA updates, and alumni opportunities
- Share kudos, news, exhibitions, and career moves via our online form
- Join the Mason Gross LinkedIn community to network, share news and job opportunities, and interact
- Connect with the Rutgers University Alumni Association for alumni resources, benefits, and more
- Subscribe to our bi-weekly events e-newsletter
- Read the latest issue of MGSA magazine and enjoy additional video content
- Follow us on social media platforms like Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X for MGSA updates!
- Show us your high hair, your goth phase, your skinny eyebrows: All throughout our golden anniversary in 2026, we’re sharing pictures of alums performing, working, or just hanging out on campus during their time at MGSA. Photos of memorabilia, like tickets, T-shirts, or event programs, are also encouraged! Submit images through our Photo Submission Form.
Give Back
- Donate to the Mason Gross Funds. You can find all MGSA giving opportunities here
- Discover volunteering opportunities at Rutgers
- Share opportunities with our alumni team by emailing us at alumni@mgsa.rutgers.edu
Explore the MGSA Shop for a variety of customizable apparel, accessories, and more
Events
We have launched a wide variety of events to connect with alumni, both from MGSA and the wider Rutgers community. Recent events include traveling to Washington, D.C., to host an alumni reception prior to a performance of Death on the Nile at Arena Stage, featuring alum Ryan Michael Neely; gathering for a singalong at Kirkpatrick Chapel to celebrate the David Drinkwater Endowed Scholarship; and receptions in New York City, Philadelphia, and New Hope, PA. Upcoming events include:
June 6, 2026 | Rutgers ArtsFest: Celebrating 50 Years of MGSA
Come back to New Brunswick to celebrate 50 years of the school that helped shape your creative journey. Enjoy a day of performances, workshops, screenings, and more at Rutgers ArtsFest, an event bringing together alumni, faculty, students, and friends of Mason Gross. As part of this milestone anniversary, the day will celebrate the creativity, community, and legacy that have defined Mason Gross across generations. Register by May 29 at the link below and plan to spend the afternoon and/or evening of June 6 with us. You won’t want to miss this!
CHECK OUT THE Rutgers ArtsFest Schedule
Review the schedule and start planning your day!
Please note: Shuttle buses will run between locations throughout the day. All venues are accessible.
Explore maps and venues. Register your vehicle at the link below.
1–2:45 p.m. | Check-In + MGSA Alumni Meet-Ups
Start your day on Bettenbender Plaza and visit our MGSA Alumni Gathering Space inside to catch up and reminisce.
Location: Douglass Campus, Rehearsal Hall 104
1–3 p.m. | Scarlet Arts Rx
Great for families and folks of all ages. Participate in activities that foster belonging and wellness through the arts, such as a community mural, henna designs, and Scarlet Squirrel and the Campus Beets, an original coloring book created in partnership with Rutgers Dining and Rutgers Gardens.
Location: Douglass Campus, Bettenbender Plaza (at Nicholas Music Center)
1:30–2:30 p.m. | Campus Bus Tour
See all that’s old and new at Rutgers on a one-hour tour led by our Scarlet Ambassadors.
Location: Pick up at Bettenbender Plaza (at Nicholas Music Center)
1:30–5 p.m. (self-guided) | Today and Tomorrow Exhibit
View art work by students from the class of 2026 BFA and MFA programs in the Department of Art & Design. Across and between design, drawing, media, painting, photography, print, and sculpture, the work embodies the department’s experimental and interdisciplinary nature. On view June 4–10, 2026.
Location: College Avenue Campus, Civic Square Building, Mason Gross Galleries
2:45–4 p.m. | Garden State: Short Film and Conversation
Catch the N.J. premiere of Art & Design faculty Julie Langsam’s 2023 short film, Garden State, a visual meditation on the natural and industrial landscape of New Jersey. Stick around for a conversation about art and the environment, featuring Langsam, Department of Landscape Architecture faculty Anita Bakshi, sound designer and Filmmaking faculty Kevin T. Allen, and cinematographer and Filmmaking alum Emily Girgis.
View the official Garden State trailer.
Location: College Avenue Campus, Civic Square Building, Florio Forum
3–4 p.m. | The Trees Speak Concert
Experience a song cycle focusing on our relationship with trees and their continued fight for survival in an ever-harsher ecological environment. Composed by alum Angelique Mouyis and performed live by Rutgers graduate piano student Lamis Shams and Rutgers singers.
Location: Douglass Campus, Marryott Music Building, Schare Recital Hall
3–4 p.m. | Burn Bright, Not Out: From Practice to Purpose in Teaching
This workshop, led by Music Education faculty Lauren Ryals, invites educators to reconnect, reflect, and recharge. Centered on well-being and sustainable career practices, the session blends research-informed insights with practical, classroom-ready strategies for immediate application. Participants will engage in reflection and discussion to build community and explore how social-emotional and trauma-informed pedagogy shape classrooms across arts disciplines and beyond. This workshop emphasizes realistic ways to thrive alongside students while maintaining personal well-being. It concludes by highlighting Rutgers graduate programs and alumni pathways, while encouraging networking to support participants beyond the session as they envision meaningful, sustainable next steps in their careers and communities.
Location: Douglass Campus, Mortensen Hall, Richard Shindell Choral Hall
4:15–5:15 p.m. | Performance by Rock Dance Collective
Rock Dance Collective, a professional dance company based in Warren, NJ, was founded by MGSA dance alums Cleo Mack (artistic director), Kelli McGovern (executive director), and Blair Ritchie (managing director). The company will present an interdisciplinary performance at the intersection of movement, sculpture, and installation.
Location: Douglass Campus, Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater
5:15–6:15 p.m. | BBQ on Bettenbender
Join us for dinner on the plaza!
Location: Douglass Campus, Bettenbender Plaza
6:30–9 p.m. Evening Program
-Fireside Chat with our new dean, Dr. Michael Kim
-Premiere screening of the Fluxus/Rutgers short documentary
-Becoming: The Courage to Create Your Own Path, a solo acoustic keynote concert by award-winning, Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter AJAYE
Location: Douglass Campus, Nicholas Music Center
Tickets
Full-day Programming: $50
Evening Programming Only: $25
MGSA alumni will receive a 50% discount by using code MGSA50 at check-out.
Register by May 29
Parking Registration
Parking is permitted in Lots 79, 79A, and Douglass Deck. Visitors must register vehicles.
Alumni News
FEATURED ALUMNI
Tim DeKay
“Mason Gross “taught me…not to think. Don’t think; do what you feel. Be honest, open, truthful.”
– Tim DeKay, Acting MFA ’90
Mal Malone
“When I enrolled as a classical performance major, I thought that I had to pigeon-hole myself into playing orchestral music in order to be successful, which wasn’t very fulfilling for me. When I started to explore other concentrations such as jazz and composition, I truly started to feel like I was finding myself as a musician.”
– Mal Malone, BM ’24
Kyle Marshall
“The training is strong in a conservatory. You’re getting vigorous, dense, consistent training, which is good because you have to get your body and spirit ready to be out there. All of the companies in New York have at least one Rutgers alumnus. There are Rutgers dancers on TV, working on Broadway, on cruise ships and even Goldman Sachs. That is unique.”
– Kyle Marshall, Dance BFA ’11