Rowan University
Encyclopedia
Rowan University is a public university
in Glassboro, New Jersey
, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey
. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town. The school became New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro in the 1930s, and later became Glassboro State College in 1958, gaining a national reputation in the fields of reading and special education
. Starting in the 1970s, it grew into a multi-purpose institution, adding programs in business, communications, engineering and became the first public university in New Jersey with a medical school in 2011.
It was renamed Rowan College of New Jersey in 1992, after Henry Rowan
and his wife Betty gave $100 million to the school, at the time the largest gift to a public college. It became Rowan University on March 21, 1997, when it won approval for university status from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.
in the southern part of the state to counter the trend. Among the candidate towns, Glassboro became the location due in no small part to its easy access to passenger rail as well as its offer to donate 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of land to the state for the purpose of building the Normal school. The 1917 purchase price of the land was raised by the residents of the town ($7,000 at the time, over $116,000 in 2009 dollars) and used to purchase a tract that belonged to the Whitney family, who owned the local glassworks
during the 19th century.
In 1923 the Glassboro Normal School opened, with a class of 236 female students arriving at the train station in front of Bunce Hall. With the evolution of teacher training the school became a four-year program in 1934; in 1937 the school was renamed The New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro and became co-educational shortly thereafter.
The college was one of the first in the country to begin programs for teachers for reading disabilities and physical therapy
in 1935 and 1944, respectively. Glassboro State began to develop a reputation as a leader in special education
and after several years and the return of soldiers from World War II the college was able to expand its enrollment from a wartime low of 170 in 1943 to an expansion of several additional campus buildings and academic programs over the next 15 years and became Glassboro State College in 1958.
The Cold War
Glassboro Summit Conference
between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet
Premier Alexei Kosygin took place from June 23–25, 1967, in Hollybush Mansion at Glassboro State College. The college was chosen because of its location equidistant between New York City, where Kosygin was making a speech at the U.N., and Washington, D.C.
Then-college president Dr. Thomas E. Robinson was given just 16 hours' notice of the decision and despite the lack of preparation converted his on-campus home into a secure location for the leaders of the world's superpowers.
's first US concert on October 30, 1970. Peaceful student protests occurred during the Vietnam war
as they did at other campuses, but never required the college to close the campus.
While not occurring on University grounds, a significant event occurred in 1986 at Glassboro High School, which is just on the outskirts of the campus. Ronald Reagan
spoke at the Glassboro High School graduation. This was the first time in American history that a sitting President spoke at a high school graduation ceremony. In the speech, Reagan reflected on the Glassboro Summit Conference and offered an optimistic analysis of the future of the Cold War
. The event brought a high level of media attention.
Riots took place during Spring Weekend 1986, primarily off campus (though dominated by students) around the Beau Rivage townhomes and the Crossings apartment complex. As a result, Glassboro State College was ranked as the #28 Party School
in the nation in the January 1987 issue of Playboy
magazine. Coincidentally, in the Greek section of that same issue of Playboy, the Epsilon Eta chapter of Zeta Beta Tau
was also named one of the Animal House Contenders.
Though the alcohol-fueled Spring Weekend was cancelled by then-President Herman James (a non-alcoholic version continued for several years), Glassboro State College remained known for its hard partying culture. However in 1988, there began one of the biggest crackdowns in school history. As result of the drinking death of freshman James Callahan at Rutgers University
in New Brunswick, Herman James decided to make GSC an example for the rest of the State colleges and universities to follow. He invited the NJ Alcoholic Beverage Control commission (ABC) to the school and began shutting down off-campus parties, and placing undercover agents in the local liquor establishments. This prompted Morton Downey, Jr.
, who was based in Secaucus, New Jersey
, and very popular at the time, to do an untelevised show focusing on the drinking age and the classic argument that an eighteen year old can go off to war and die for their country, but they cannot legally buy and consume a beer. Needless to say, he sided with the student opinion on this issue. The following year, the ABC did not return, and the partying atmosphere that Glassboro State College was known for, returned in earnest and continued into the 1990s and early 2000s.
and his wife donated $100 million dollars to the college, which later changed its name to Rowan College of New Jersey in his honor. The gift allowed the college to open a College of Engineering and expand its course and curriculum offerings to the point that it became a full-fledged university, achieving the status in 1997.
On August 12, 1996 22-year old Cindy Nannay was fatally shot outside Bozorth Hall by her estranged boyfriend, who then killed himself. Nannay was so afraid of Scott Lonabaugh, 27, that when he arrived on the campus to see her, she asked friends to accompany her to the parking lot, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's office said. As her friends looked on, Mr. Lonabaugh shot Ms. Nannay twice with a shotgun and then shot himself in the head, prosecutors said. Both died at the scene.
Following Dr. James' resignation as president in 1998, Dr. Donald Farish was chosen to succeed him and began further expansion on the Glassboro campus, opening a new state of the art science building in 2003 and a building to house the College of Education in 2005. In addition, acquisitions during the beginning of Farish's tenure as president led to the development of a tract of land bordering US Route 322 and State Route 55 as the West Campus.
The Presidency of Donald J. Farish
was noted for a continued crackdown on the university's partying culture which declined alongside a rise in SAT
scores and class rank among the incoming freshman classes. The crackdown on the partying culture began in earnest in 2002 with the official banning of kegs
for use by Greek letter organizations. In 2006, two Rowan University students were found guilty for serving alcohol to minors that resulted in the death of a 16-year old male at an off campus party, with Rowan promising to follow up with its own penalties.
to construct a new athletic complex based around a 20,000 seat soccer-specific stadium
on property owned by the campus at the intersection of U.S. Route 322
and Route 55. The stadium itself was planned to be complete for the start of the 2009 MLS season. 2006 budget problems in New Jersey resulted in cutbacks, including funding for infrastructure upgrades required to handle increased traffic that would have come with an MLS team. The plan fell through and the stadium project was relocated to nearby Chester, Pennsylvania.
The northern portion of the West Campus expansion currently contains the South Jersey Technology Park as well as room for future expansion; the southern portion of the West Campus expansion will accommodate both academic and athletic facilities. Transportation between the two campuses will be provided with both shuttle service and improved bike paths, as well as improvements to Route 322 itself.
The first building, the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center, has been leased completely out and the revenue will help build a second building. The first floor will be controlled by Rowan and will pay a lease to the Tech Park Corporation and is divided up among the Rohrer College of Business and separate lab space for the College of Engineering. The second floor will be occupied by the Educational Information and Resource Center, which formerly owned a building on Delsea Drive in Washington Township.
The Tech Park's first incubated business, SocialReach, has successfully graduated into their own offices in Philadelphia.
The second planned building will be approximately 66,000 gross square feet divided between research and technology labs and offices.
On October 27, 2007 (during Homecoming festivities) 19-year old sophomore Donald Farrell was robbed and beaten to death by unknown assailants while walking behind the Triad dormitory. A reward of $100,000 has been offered for information leading to the capture, arrest and conviction of the assailants.
In an effort to find Farrell's assailants, television stations in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City aired reports on the murder, and America's Most Wanted
twice featured segments on the incident.
Following Farrell's murder a new campus security initiative was undertaken, starting with a 14-point plan proposed by President Farish. The plan included hiring additional security staff, adding more fully trained police officers, an expansion of the Safe Walk and Ride program, improving lighting in and around campus, installation of CCTV cameras, and changing security and police coverage from an 8-hour to a 12-hour shift.
to create a new four-year medical school to reside on Broadway in Camden
. Rowan was chosen by governor Jon Corzine
to house the new medical school primarily because University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
(UMDNJ) was not in a financial position to fund creation of the school, for which Rowan will issue $100 million in bonds.
The new school would require no new funding as $28 million would be diverted from UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
, which will no longer be associated with Cooper University Hospital after the opening of Cooper Medical School. Opening in 2012 with an entering class of 50, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University will be the only medical school in the state not affiliated with UMDNJ, and the first new medical school in New Jersey in at least 30 years.
The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University was granted preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education on June 10th, 2011. The first class of students will now be recruited for the charter class beginning in the Fall semester of 2012.
in the "Top Tier" of northern regional universities. Kiplinger's named Rowan one of the "100 Best Buys in Public Colleges and Universities" and the Princeton Review included Rowan in "The Best Northeastern Colleges."
For the class of 2013, 57% of applicants were accepted.
A member of the NCAA
in Division III, the sports teams at Rowan University have been moderately successful on a national level. The Profs football
team is regularly a contender for the national title, having gone to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl
five times (1999, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1993) and the national semifinals in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005. The women's field hockey
team won the national championship in 2002 and had a perfect season of 21 wins and no losses. The men's basketball team has made the Division III National Championship Tournament 12 times, winning the national title in 1996. The men's soccer team has made the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament 24 times, resulting in seven trips to the national semifinals. Rowan men's soccer has won national titles in both 1981 and 1990, finished second in 1979 and 2000, and third in 1980, 1985 and 1998. Rowan hosted the Division III National Championship Tournament Final Four for men's soccer in 2000 and Women's Lacrosse
in 2002. The baseball team has won the Division III National Championship in 1978 and 1979 while making appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series in 2004 and 2005. The Profs compete in the New Jersey Athletic Conference
.
In addition to print publications, Rowan also has an award-winning radio station, Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM
, which began in 1964 on a $6,000 budget. Additionally, the Rowan Television Network (RTN) is a student-run closed circuit television station that provides 24-hour content to the students of Rowan University. RTN currently consists of 11 student-produced television shows, various sports related programming, and coverage of topical events occurring on campus.
Rowan provides housing for 2,950 students in 12 housing complexes scattered around campus. Students have a choice between halls, apartments, or townhouses. After their first year students are not guaranteed housing.
There are plans to expand the current housing facilities. Plans include removing Mansion Park Apartments and replacing it with an 800-bed freshman housing complex with its own dining facilities. Also proposed are a new building opposite Linden Hall, conversion of Linden to residential use (or demolition and rebuilding) and adding new residence halls around the Bunce circle. Bunce construction would only begin after a new administration building is completed to replace Bole Hall and Bole Annex. There will be infill buildings added to Edgewood Park Apartments and Triad Apartments. It has also been outlined that any additional housing after these infill projects will be provided by new development on Rowan Boulevard.
These buildings, located on the northeastern corner of the campus, feature shared "suite" type living arrangements sharing a common lounge and bathroom. Each building contains three floors and are considered freshmen-only. Chestnut Hall houses 390 students, while Magnolia Hall and Willow Hall house 210 students each.
Mimosa Hall is a four-story building with an adjoining 24/7 computer lab located between the North Halls and the Student Center. It houses 340 freshmen in suites made up of two to three rooms that share a common bathroom.
Evergreen Hall and Mullica Hall are adjacent to each other and house 240 students and 135 students respectively. Both buildings are 3 stories tall and use suites containing two rooms joined by a bathroom. Oak & Laurel Hall each house up to 65 students on three floors. They were the first residence halls on campus, and were used for classrooms for some time until they were renovated in 1999 and returned to living spaces. The suites share one or two bathrooms depending on configuration.
Triad Apartments was acquired by the University in 1966 and contains three wings of three floors each. The building's first floor was used as classroom space and the Office of Public Safety until a renovation in the early 2000s converted it into student housing with central air conditioning. It holds 378 students.
The Townhouse Complex was built in 2005 and has 113 living units that accommodate 464 students in single occupancy rooms. There is a three story parking garage to accommodate its residents.
Rowan Boulevard Apartments opened in September 2009 and is made up of four buildings housing 884 students located along the south side of Route 322 and Main Street. The apartments have both single-bedroom and four-bedroom/two bathroom configurations. Three buildings housing 568 students were completed for the 2009-2010 school year and the final building was completed the following year.
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There are more than 150 clubs and organizations at Rowan University; along with more than 20 Greek organizations on campus.
There are a myriad of other Chartered Clubs, all of which report to the Student Government Association including national award-winning programs such as the local PRSSA
, the Rowan Democratic Club, and The Student University Programmers (SUP). Cinema Workshop, the University's student film club, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007.
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
in Glassboro, New Jersey
Glassboro, New Jersey
Glassboro is a borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 19,068....
, USA with a satellite campus in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. The school was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a twenty-five acre tract of land donated by the town. The school became New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro in the 1930s, and later became Glassboro State College in 1958, gaining a national reputation in the fields of reading and special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
. Starting in the 1970s, it grew into a multi-purpose institution, adding programs in business, communications, engineering and became the first public university in New Jersey with a medical school in 2011.
It was renamed Rowan College of New Jersey in 1992, after Henry Rowan
Henry Rowan
Henry Rowan is an American philanthropist and engineer. Rowan University is named after him.He was born to Dr. Henry M. Rowan Sr. and Margaret Frances Boyd Rowan in 1923...
and his wife Betty gave $100 million to the school, at the time the largest gift to a public college. It became Rowan University on March 21, 1997, when it won approval for university status from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.
History
In the early part of the 20th century, there was a shortage of properly trained teachers in the state of New Jersey. It was decided to build a two-year Normal schoolNormal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
in the southern part of the state to counter the trend. Among the candidate towns, Glassboro became the location due in no small part to its easy access to passenger rail as well as its offer to donate 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of land to the state for the purpose of building the Normal school. The 1917 purchase price of the land was raised by the residents of the town ($7,000 at the time, over $116,000 in 2009 dollars) and used to purchase a tract that belonged to the Whitney family, who owned the local glassworks
Glassworks
Glassworks is a chamber music work of six movements by Philip Glass. It is regarded as being a characteristically Glass-like work. Following his larger-scale concert and stage works, Glassworks was Philip Glass's successful attempt to create a more pop-oriented "Walkman-suitable" work, with...
during the 19th century.
In 1923 the Glassboro Normal School opened, with a class of 236 female students arriving at the train station in front of Bunce Hall. With the evolution of teacher training the school became a four-year program in 1934; in 1937 the school was renamed The New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro and became co-educational shortly thereafter.
The college was one of the first in the country to begin programs for teachers for reading disabilities and physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
in 1935 and 1944, respectively. Glassboro State began to develop a reputation as a leader in special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
and after several years and the return of soldiers from World War II the college was able to expand its enrollment from a wartime low of 170 in 1943 to an expansion of several additional campus buildings and academic programs over the next 15 years and became Glassboro State College in 1958.
Hollybush Summit
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
Glassboro Summit Conference
Glassboro Summit Conference
The Glassboro Summit Conference, usually just called the Glassboro Summit, was the 23–25 June 1967 meeting of the heads of government of the United States and the Soviet Union—President Lyndon B. Johnson and Premier Alexei Kosygin, respectively—for the purpose of discussing Soviet–US relations...
between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Premier Alexei Kosygin took place from June 23–25, 1967, in Hollybush Mansion at Glassboro State College. The college was chosen because of its location equidistant between New York City, where Kosygin was making a speech at the U.N., and Washington, D.C.
Then-college president Dr. Thomas E. Robinson was given just 16 hours' notice of the decision and despite the lack of preparation converted his on-campus home into a secure location for the leaders of the world's superpowers.
After the Summit
The campus was relatively quiet during the following decade, despite opening the 1970-71 academic year with Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's first US concert on October 30, 1970. Peaceful student protests occurred during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as they did at other campuses, but never required the college to close the campus.
While not occurring on University grounds, a significant event occurred in 1986 at Glassboro High School, which is just on the outskirts of the campus. Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
spoke at the Glassboro High School graduation. This was the first time in American history that a sitting President spoke at a high school graduation ceremony. In the speech, Reagan reflected on the Glassboro Summit Conference and offered an optimistic analysis of the future of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. The event brought a high level of media attention.
Riots took place during Spring Weekend 1986, primarily off campus (though dominated by students) around the Beau Rivage townhomes and the Crossings apartment complex. As a result, Glassboro State College was ranked as the #28 Party School
Party school
A party school is a college or university that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness. The best-known list of alleged party schools is published annually by The Princeton Review. The magazine Playboy also releases a list of party schools on an...
in the nation in the January 1987 issue of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine. Coincidentally, in the Greek section of that same issue of Playboy, the Epsilon Eta chapter of Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Beta Tau
Zeta Beta Tau was founded in 1898 as the nation's first Jewish fraternity, although it is no longer sectarian. Today the merged Zeta Beta Tau Brotherhood is one of the largest, numbering over 140,000 initiated Brothers, and over 90 chapter locations.-Founding:The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was...
was also named one of the Animal House Contenders.
Though the alcohol-fueled Spring Weekend was cancelled by then-President Herman James (a non-alcoholic version continued for several years), Glassboro State College remained known for its hard partying culture. However in 1988, there began one of the biggest crackdowns in school history. As result of the drinking death of freshman James Callahan at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in New Brunswick, Herman James decided to make GSC an example for the rest of the State colleges and universities to follow. He invited the NJ Alcoholic Beverage Control commission (ABC) to the school and began shutting down off-campus parties, and placing undercover agents in the local liquor establishments. This prompted Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr.
Morton Downey, Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and later a television talk show host of the 1980s who pioneered the "trash TV" format on his program The Morton Downey Jr. Show....
, who was based in Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
, and very popular at the time, to do an untelevised show focusing on the drinking age and the classic argument that an eighteen year old can go off to war and die for their country, but they cannot legally buy and consume a beer. Needless to say, he sided with the student opinion on this issue. The following year, the ABC did not return, and the partying atmosphere that Glassboro State College was known for, returned in earnest and continued into the 1990s and early 2000s.
University status
In 1992, president Dr. Herman James oversaw the development of Glassboro State College into what would eventually become Rowan University. This transformation came about because of what was then the largest single gift to a public college or university in history. Industrialist Henry RowanHenry Rowan
Henry Rowan is an American philanthropist and engineer. Rowan University is named after him.He was born to Dr. Henry M. Rowan Sr. and Margaret Frances Boyd Rowan in 1923...
and his wife donated $100 million dollars to the college, which later changed its name to Rowan College of New Jersey in his honor. The gift allowed the college to open a College of Engineering and expand its course and curriculum offerings to the point that it became a full-fledged university, achieving the status in 1997.
On August 12, 1996 22-year old Cindy Nannay was fatally shot outside Bozorth Hall by her estranged boyfriend, who then killed himself. Nannay was so afraid of Scott Lonabaugh, 27, that when he arrived on the campus to see her, she asked friends to accompany her to the parking lot, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's office said. As her friends looked on, Mr. Lonabaugh shot Ms. Nannay twice with a shotgun and then shot himself in the head, prosecutors said. Both died at the scene.
Following Dr. James' resignation as president in 1998, Dr. Donald Farish was chosen to succeed him and began further expansion on the Glassboro campus, opening a new state of the art science building in 2003 and a building to house the College of Education in 2005. In addition, acquisitions during the beginning of Farish's tenure as president led to the development of a tract of land bordering US Route 322 and State Route 55 as the West Campus.
The Presidency of Donald J. Farish
Donald J. Farish
Donald J. Farish , is a biologist and President of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. He was President of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey from 1998 to 2011.-Education:...
was noted for a continued crackdown on the university's partying culture which declined alongside a rise in SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
scores and class rank among the incoming freshman classes. The crackdown on the partying culture began in earnest in 2002 with the official banning of kegs
KEGS
KEGS may refer to:* King Edward's School, or King Edward's Grammar School** King Edward VI Aston, also known as KEGS Aston** King Edward VI Camp Hill, also known as KEGS Camp Hill** King Edward VI Grammar School , also known as KEGS Chelmsford...
for use by Greek letter organizations. In 2006, two Rowan University students were found guilty for serving alcohol to minors that resulted in the death of a 16-year old male at an off campus party, with Rowan promising to follow up with its own penalties.
West Campus
On March 20, 2006, President Farish announced a joint venture between the university and Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
to construct a new athletic complex based around a 20,000 seat soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...
on property owned by the campus at the intersection of U.S. Route 322
U.S. Route 322 in New Jersey
U.S. Route 322 is a U.S. highway running from Cleveland, Ohio east to Atlantic City, New Jersey. The easternmost segment of the route in New Jersey runs from the Commodore Barry Bridge over the Delaware River in Logan Township, Glocuester County, where it continues into Chester, Pennsylvania,...
and Route 55. The stadium itself was planned to be complete for the start of the 2009 MLS season. 2006 budget problems in New Jersey resulted in cutbacks, including funding for infrastructure upgrades required to handle increased traffic that would have come with an MLS team. The plan fell through and the stadium project was relocated to nearby Chester, Pennsylvania.
The northern portion of the West Campus expansion currently contains the South Jersey Technology Park as well as room for future expansion; the southern portion of the West Campus expansion will accommodate both academic and athletic facilities. Transportation between the two campuses will be provided with both shuttle service and improved bike paths, as well as improvements to Route 322 itself.
South Jersey Technology Park
Rowan University broke ground for the South Jersey Technology Park (SJTP) on April 10, 2006. The New Jersey Development Authority (NJEDA) gave Rowan University $5.8 million along with $1.5 million from the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, $1 million from Samuel H. Jones, and $1 million from Rowan itself. SJTP is planned to be a 188 acre (0.76 km2) site which will serve as an establishment for science and technology companies as well as academics. It is planned to have 25 buildings to provide competitively price, Class "A" facilities for budding entrepreneurs, start-up and established companies. SJTP was incorporated as a non-profit corporation with its own board of directors.The first building, the Samuel H. Jones Innovation Center, has been leased completely out and the revenue will help build a second building. The first floor will be controlled by Rowan and will pay a lease to the Tech Park Corporation and is divided up among the Rohrer College of Business and separate lab space for the College of Engineering. The second floor will be occupied by the Educational Information and Resource Center, which formerly owned a building on Delsea Drive in Washington Township.
The Tech Park's first incubated business, SocialReach, has successfully graduated into their own offices in Philadelphia.
The second planned building will be approximately 66,000 gross square feet divided between research and technology labs and offices.
On October 27, 2007 (during Homecoming festivities) 19-year old sophomore Donald Farrell was robbed and beaten to death by unknown assailants while walking behind the Triad dormitory. A reward of $100,000 has been offered for information leading to the capture, arrest and conviction of the assailants.
In an effort to find Farrell's assailants, television stations in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City aired reports on the murder, and America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
twice featured segments on the incident.
Following Farrell's murder a new campus security initiative was undertaken, starting with a 14-point plan proposed by President Farish. The plan included hiring additional security staff, adding more fully trained police officers, an expansion of the Safe Walk and Ride program, improving lighting in and around campus, installation of CCTV cameras, and changing security and police coverage from an 8-hour to a 12-hour shift.
Cooper Medical School
It was announced on June 26, 2009 that Rowan would be partnering with Cooper University HospitalCooper University Hospital
Cooper University Hospital is a provider of health services, medical education, and clinical research in southern New Jersey and the Delaware Valley, in the United States...
to create a new four-year medical school to reside on Broadway in Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. Rowan was chosen by governor Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
to house the new medical school primarily because University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is the state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It has eight distinct academic units...
(UMDNJ) was not in a financial position to fund creation of the school, for which Rowan will issue $100 million in bonds.
The new school would require no new funding as $28 million would be diverted from UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is a public medical school located in Piscataway and New Brunswick, New Jersey, and one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey . In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal...
, which will no longer be associated with Cooper University Hospital after the opening of Cooper Medical School. Opening in 2012 with an entering class of 50, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University will be the only medical school in the state not affiliated with UMDNJ, and the first new medical school in New Jersey in at least 30 years.
The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University was granted preliminary accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education on June 10th, 2011. The first class of students will now be recruited for the charter class beginning in the Fall semester of 2012.
Academics
The University is divided into a Graduate School and seven academic colleges: Business, Communication, Education, Engineering, Fine & Performing Arts, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Professional & Continuing Education. A moderately-priced, high-quality institution, Rowan is ranked by U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
in the "Top Tier" of northern regional universities. Kiplinger's named Rowan one of the "100 Best Buys in Public Colleges and Universities" and the Princeton Review included Rowan in "The Best Northeastern Colleges."
Enrollment
Enrollment at Rowan from the fall semester of 2009 shows 9,965 undergraduates and 1,341 graduate students. Undergraduates entering the University in 2010 had an average SAT I score of 1,173 (math/critical reading only), and average GPA of 3.6, and an average rank in the 80th percentile.For the class of 2013, 57% of applicants were accepted.
Athletics
Rowan University has 16 sports teams (7 men's and 9 women's). The football, field hockey, women's lacrosse, and track & field teams play at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium at John Page Field, the basketball, volleyball, and swimming & diving teams play in Esbjornson Gymnasium (attached to the REC Center), and all other teams play on their own fields around campus. Rowan's teams are styled as the Profs (short for Professors, a nod to the school's history as a teaching college), and the current mascot is named "Whoo RU." Rowan also has club teams for ice hockey, men's rugby, ultimate frisbee, men's lacrosse, roller hockey, tennis, men's volleyball, dance, and wrestling.A member of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
in Division III, the sports teams at Rowan University have been moderately successful on a national level. The Profs football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team is regularly a contender for the national title, having gone to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl
NCAA Division III national football championship
The NCAA Division III National Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed in the NCAA's former "College Division"....
five times (1999, 1998, 1996, 1995, 1993) and the national semifinals in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005. The women's field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team won the national championship in 2002 and had a perfect season of 21 wins and no losses. The men's basketball team has made the Division III National Championship Tournament 12 times, winning the national title in 1996. The men's soccer team has made the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament 24 times, resulting in seven trips to the national semifinals. Rowan men's soccer has won national titles in both 1981 and 1990, finished second in 1979 and 2000, and third in 1980, 1985 and 1998. Rowan hosted the Division III National Championship Tournament Final Four for men's soccer in 2000 and Women's Lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
in 2002. The baseball team has won the Division III National Championship in 1978 and 1979 while making appearances in the NCAA Division III World Series in 2004 and 2005. The Profs compete in the New Jersey Athletic Conference
New Jersey Athletic Conference
The New Jersey Athletic Conference , formerly the New Jersey State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Full members are located in New Jersey, track-only and football-only members are located in Connecticut and New York.-Member...
.
Media
There are three main publications on Rowan's campus, The Whit, Venue, and Avant. The Whit is in the classic newspaper format and is published weekly except during exams. Venue is a more "alternative" publication that is uncensored and focuses on campus opinions and humor. Initially formed in 1968, Venue was a very political publication that only later changed its format. Venue prints out four issues a year in full color and is run completely by students. Avant is a student-led literary magazine that compiles students' poems, short stories, photos, and artwork. Avant publishes fall and spring issues each year.In addition to print publications, Rowan also has an award-winning radio station, Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM
WGLS-FM
WGLS-FM, known as Rowan Radio, is a college radio station licensed to Rowan University that broadcasts on 89.7MHz. The studios are located in the College of Communication on the campus of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey...
, which began in 1964 on a $6,000 budget. Additionally, the Rowan Television Network (RTN) is a student-run closed circuit television station that provides 24-hour content to the students of Rowan University. RTN currently consists of 11 student-produced television shows, various sports related programming, and coverage of topical events occurring on campus.
Housing
There are plans to expand the current housing facilities. Plans include removing Mansion Park Apartments and replacing it with an 800-bed freshman housing complex with its own dining facilities. Also proposed are a new building opposite Linden Hall, conversion of Linden to residential use (or demolition and rebuilding) and adding new residence halls around the Bunce circle. Bunce construction would only begin after a new administration building is completed to replace Bole Hall and Bole Annex. There will be infill buildings added to Edgewood Park Apartments and Triad Apartments. It has also been outlined that any additional housing after these infill projects will be provided by new development on Rowan Boulevard.
North halls
These buildings, located on the northeastern corner of the campus, feature shared "suite" type living arrangements sharing a common lounge and bathroom. Each building contains three floors and are considered freshmen-only. Chestnut Hall houses 390 students, while Magnolia Hall and Willow Hall house 210 students each.
Mimosa Hall is a four-story building with an adjoining 24/7 computer lab located between the North Halls and the Student Center. It houses 340 freshmen in suites made up of two to three rooms that share a common bathroom.
South halls
Evergreen Hall and Mullica Hall are adjacent to each other and house 240 students and 135 students respectively. Both buildings are 3 stories tall and use suites containing two rooms joined by a bathroom. Oak & Laurel Hall each house up to 65 students on three floors. They were the first residence halls on campus, and were used for classrooms for some time until they were renovated in 1999 and returned to living spaces. The suites share one or two bathrooms depending on configuration.
Apartments
Edgewood Park Apartments is a complex of four identical buildings, each with three floors and 24 quad-occupancy apartments, housing 480 students. Mansion Park Apartments were acquired by the University in 1958 from the town and consisted of seven buildings with several different apartment layouts; it housed 260 students in total and has since been demolishedTriad Apartments was acquired by the University in 1966 and contains three wings of three floors each. The building's first floor was used as classroom space and the Office of Public Safety until a renovation in the early 2000s converted it into student housing with central air conditioning. It holds 378 students.
The Townhouse Complex was built in 2005 and has 113 living units that accommodate 464 students in single occupancy rooms. There is a three story parking garage to accommodate its residents.
Rowan Boulevard Apartments opened in September 2009 and is made up of four buildings housing 884 students located along the south side of Route 322 and Main Street. The apartments have both single-bedroom and four-bedroom/two bathroom configurations. Three buildings housing 568 students were completed for the 2009-2010 school year and the final building was completed the following year.
Future housing
Downtown Freshman Housing - Two buildings planned to accommodate over 800 students, faculty-in-residence apartments and a full-service dining hall are planned for the current site of Mansion Park Apartments along the northern side of the Route 322 and Main Street intersection.University student organizations
Fraternities:
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There are a myriad of other Chartered Clubs, all of which report to the Student Government Association including national award-winning programs such as the local PRSSA
Public Relations Student Society of America
The Public Relations Student Society of America , based in New York City, is a pre-professional public relations organization. Founded in 1967 after Professor Walter Seifer of Ohio State University suggested that its parent Society, the Public Relations Society of America , expand and establish the...
, the Rowan Democratic Club, and The Student University Programmers (SUP). Cinema Workshop, the University's student film club, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007.
Hollybush Mansion
Hollybush was originally the home of the Whitney family, and it was the first of its kind in South Jersey. It set a certain precedent with its Italianate architectural style, and its interior decorations attest to this precedent. Two of these significantly unique features of the house are the trompe de l'oeil ceilings in the parlor as well as the Summit Room, and the stained glass archway above the front door. The stone that was used in construction of Hollybush was New Jersey Ironstone, a sedimentary type stone that is found in the low hills and ridges of South Jersey.Notable alumni
- Jessica BoyingtonJessica BoyingtonJessica Boyington is a beauty queen from Sicklerville, New Jersey who competed in the Miss USA pageant.In 2003, Boyington graduated from Paul VI High School. She then pursued a degree in Communications focusing on Radio/TV/Film from Rowan University. She also attended Camden County College and...
, Miss New Jersey USAMiss New Jersey USAThe Miss New Jersey USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss USA pageant.New Jersey has had only moderate success at Miss USA, and has never produced a winner. New Jersey's best streak was from 1989 to 1991 when they had two 2nd...
2006 - Kyle CassidyKyle CassidyKyle Cassidy, born in Woodbury, New Jersey, is an American photographer and videographer who lives in West Philadelphia. He holds a BA in English from Rowan University, and also holds an MCSE. His latest book is "Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes"...
, best-selling author and photographer - Betty CastorBetty CastorBetty Castor , neeElizabeth Bowe, is an American educator and former politician and elected officeholder. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and the Florida Education Commissioner, and she later served as the President of the University of South Florida, and President of the National Board...
, Florida politician and former president of the University of South FloridaUniversity of South FloridaThe University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... - Jack Collins, college basketball coach and Speaker of the New Jersey General AssemblyNew Jersey General AssemblyThe New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
- Julie Ann DawsonJulie Ann DawsonJulie Ann Dawson , is an American horror fiction writer, RPG designer, and publisher.-Early life:Dawson was born in Millville, New Jersey. While attending high school, she was inspired by Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot to become a writer. She also worked for her high school newspaper...
, horror fiction writer and small press publisher - Scott DePace (B.A., Communications, 1991) TV director, The Howard Stern Show
- Steve DildarianSteve DildarianSteve Dildarian an American former advertising copywriter who is the creator, writer, producer, and voice of Tim in the HBO animated television series, The Life & Times of Tim....
, creator of HBO animated series The Life & Times of TimThe Life & Times of TimThe Life & Times of Tim is an HBO comedy animated television series, which premiered on September 28, 2008. The series was created by Steve Dildarian, and is about a hapless man in his mid 20s named Tim who lives in New York City with his girlfriend Amy... - Ric EdelmanRic EdelmanRic Edelman is the chairman and CEO of Edelman Financial Services, LLC., the author of several personal finance books and the host of a syndicated weekly personal finance talk radio show called The Ric Edelman Show...
(1980), nationally known financial planner and radio host - Stink FisherStink FisherStink Fisher is an American actor and restaurant owner who lives in Collingswood, New Jersey.Born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Fisher owns The Pop Shop, a 1950s-themed restaurant. He has been in movies such as Invincible, The Longest Yard, and most recently appeared as Ruth's father in The Lovely...
, football player and actor in movies such as InvincibleInvincible (2006 film)Invincible is a 2006 family film directed by Ericson Core set in 1976. It is based on the true story of Vince Papale, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976–78. Mark Wahlberg portrays Papale and Greg Kinnear plays Papale's coach, Dick Vermeil...
and The Longest YardThe Longest Yard (2005 film)The Longest Yard is a 2005 American sports comedy film remake of the 1974 film of the same name. Adam Sandler plays the protagonist, Paul Crewe, a disgraced former professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, who is coerced to form a team from the prison inmates to play... - Jamie GinnJamie GinnJamie Ginn was Miss Delaware 2006 and competed in the Miss America 2007 competition which was won by Lauren Nelson of Oklahoma.Ginn, originally of Ocean City, New Jersey had competed previously in the Miss New Jersey competition and placed as First Runner-Up...
, Miss DelawareMiss DelawareThe Miss Delaware competition is the pageant that selects the representative of Delaware in the Miss America pageant. The event takes place annually in the month of June and is currently held in the state capital of Dover, Delaware at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino...
2006 - Robert HegyesRobert HegyesRobert Hegyes is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Epstein in the 1970s television series Welcome Back, Kotter.-Early life:...
, actor and former co-star of Welcome Back, KotterWelcome Back, KotterWelcome Back, Kotter was an American television sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan and featuring a young John Travolta.It originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.-Premise:...
known for his role as Juan Epstein. Robert was a professor at his alma mater in the early-to-mid 1990s. - Allen HelbigAllen HelbigAllen Helbig is a contemporary American artist, graphic designer, illustrator, animator, photographer, body painter, and web designer...
, artist, animator, photographer, body painter, and web designer - Michael IaconelliMichael IaconelliMichael Iaconelli is a professional bass fisherman from Runnemede, New Jersey United States. He has 3 children, Drew, Riley and Vegas. Iaconelli is best known for his trademark scream when he lands a big fish.-Early career:...
, professional bass fisherman - Fred H. MaddenFred H. MaddenFred H. Madden, Jr. is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 2004, where he represents the 4th Legislative District....
(born 1954), New Jersey State Senator and former superintendent of the New Jersey State PoliceNew Jersey State PoliceThe New Jersey State Police is the state police force for the state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with state wide jurisdiction when requested by the Governor, designated by Troop Sectors.-History:... - Marilyn Marshall, R&B, jazz, recording artist
- Soraida MartinezSoraida MartinezSoraida Martinez is a contemporary abstract expressionist artist who creates hard-edge paintings. She was born in Harlem, New York City, USA on July 30, 1956....
, painter, creator of Verdadism art - Mary PreviteMary PreviteMary Evelyn Previte is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where she represented the 6th legislative district from 1998 to 2006.-Life and career:...
(born 1932), author of Hungry Ghosts, served in the New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
General AssemblyNew Jersey General AssemblyThe New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
representing the 6th legislative district from 1998 to 2006. - Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
, American musician, singer, and poet, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Shaun TShaun T (fitness trainer)Shaun T. is an American fitness trainer and choreographer best known for his Insanity and Hip-Hop Abs home fitness programs for adults and children. Shaun is tall and weighs .-Early life and career:...
, American fitness trainer and choreographer, host of Hip Hop Abs - James L. UsryJames L. UsryJames Leroy Usry was the first African American Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey.-Biography:...
(M.A., 1971), first African American Mayor of Atlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...