C. Maxene Vaughters-Summey has been associated with the Rutgers community since 1966 and has been a powerful voice for African-Americans ever since. The Class of 1970 alumni left an indelible mark during her time as a student and continued that impact for over 30 years as director of the Douglass Educational Opportunity Fund (now the School of Arts and Sciences Educational Opportunity Fund).
During her time as a Rutgers student Summey helped usher in Douglass College’s first African-American assistant dean, black-oriented student programming and classes in black history, and establishing an African-American Studies cultural house. She helped found the Douglass Black Student Committee (DBSC) which advocated black students’ concerns and pressed the university address racial issues of the day. As DBSC’s second president, Summey worked with dean Marjorie Foster to establish six committees, all with black student representation, to respond to demands with regard to admissions, scholarships, counseling, personnel, curriculum and programming. The committees set admission goals to increase the black student population at Rutgers, sending representatives into New Jersey’s high schools to recruit. The committee also lobbied successfully for the establishment of an Africana House and an Africana (Black) Studies Department at Douglass.
Summey has continued to advocate for underserved populations for more than 40 years. She serves as special assistant for grants and special project development at the Rutgers-Newark Office of University-Community Partnerships. She helps plan outreach initiatives linking the campus to its host city.