The home of Rutgers football has been renamed SHI Stadium, part of a new multi-year partnership between the university and SHI International Corp.
Rutgers will host its first sporting event at the newly minted SHI Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, when the Scarlet Knights celebrate its history as the Birthplace of College Football and the sport’s 150th anniversary.
“This partnership formalizes the strong bond that has existed between Rutgers and SHI for almost 30 years,” said Thai Lee, President and CEO of SHI International. “Nearly 350 Rutgers alumni currently work at SHI, and more of our employees earned their degree at Rutgers than any other single college or university. With deep roots in New Jersey and influence felt around the globe, both SHI and Rutgers share a history, culture, and commitment to excellence that will make this partnership especially rewarding.”
“As the State University of New Jersey, we are thrilled to partner with SHI,” said Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs. “Headquartered right here in Somerset, SHI proudly embraces its strong Rutgers ties. As we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of college football here at the Birthplace, we are delighted to partner with a company that shares in our Relentless Pursuit of Excellence. This partnership will positively impact athletics, the university and the New Jersey community.”
As part of the agreement, SHI (pronounced using the initials S H I) will enjoy significant brand exposure through signage in and around the stadium, including exterior stadium signage, scoreboard signage, campus directional signage and logo placement on the field. Additionally, SHI will receive promotion through a variety of print, digital, radio and television assets.
Rutgers, which played the first college football game in New Brunswick in 1869, began playing in Piscataway at the “Old” Rutgers Stadium in 1938. Rutgers Stadium was then built on the site of the “Old” Rutgers Stadium as a 41,500-seat venue in 1994. The stadium was again expanded in 2009 to its current seating capacity of 52,454.
SHI International Corp., a Somerset-based company, is a global provider of technology solutions and products with over 20,000 customers in the United States. Founded in 1989, SHI is the largest minority and woman-owned business enterprise in the country. From software and hardware procurement to deployment planning, configuration, data center optimization, IT asset management and cloud computing, SHI offers custom IT solutions for every aspect of the business environment.
Image courtesy Rutgers athletics.