Dr. Benjamin Dworkin serves as the founding Director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship (RIPPAC) at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.  He began at this position in January 2018.  With a focus on informing, engaging, and training Rowan students, faculty and the public, Dworkin is responsible for positioning the Institute at the nexus of applied politics and the issues of the day, further building on Rowan’s reputation at a leading research institution of higher education in New Jersey.  Under Dworkin’s leadership, the Institute offers programs and guest speakers focusing on both the practice of politics and citizen participation; supports students through academic and career development, internship placement and scholarships; and connects faculty and students from across the University with public entities to facilitate public policy research.  Additionally, Dworkin teaches courses in the Rowan University Department of Political Science.  As one of New Jersey’s most astute and widely quoted political analysts, he serves as a non-partisan commentator on political developments for media in New Jersey and nationally.  Every year since 2020, Dr. Dworkin has been named one of the most influential people in higher education in New Jersey.  Previously, he was named one of the 100 most powerful unelected people in New Jersey politics (2016).  Prior to launching the Institute at Rowan, Dr. Dworkin spent 10 years as Director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.  Dr. Dworkin earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science at Rutgers University.  His undergraduate degree is from Princeton University.