Fairleigh Dickinson University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Fairleigh Dickinson University |
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| Motto | Fortiter et Suaviter |
| Tagline | The Leader in Global Education |
| Established | 1942 |
| Type | Private |
| President | Dr. J. Michael Adams |
| Location | Madison/Florham Park & Teaneck/Hackensack, New Jersey, USA |
| Website | www.fdu.edu |
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a U.S. private university founded in 1942. It is the largest private university in New Jersey. While primarily based on two separate New Jersey campuses, Fairleigh Dickinson owns and operates two international campuses and has numerous partnerships with leading colleges and universities around the world. These partnerships, its NGO status with the United Nations and its Global Virtual Faculty Program form the basis for Fairleigh Dickinson's focus on global education.
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[edit] Description
The institution has two main campuses: the College at Florham in Madison and Florham Park which is centered on the former estate of Florence Vanderbilt and Hamilton Twombly, and the Metropolitan Campus located close to New York City and spanning the Hackensack River in Teaneck and Hackensack. It also owns an international campus in Wroxton, England called the Wroxton College in Wroxton Abbey, which it acquired from Trinity College, Oxford University. Fairleigh Dickinson was the first American university to own a campus in England.[1] In 2007, The university began offering degree programs at a site in Vancouver, British Columbia.
While both New Jersey campuses have a variety of courses and programs, the College at Florham emphasizes traditional liberal arts offerings, while the Metropolitan Campus is gradually placing more and more emphasis on professionally oriented study. Fairleigh Dickinson is home to the QUEST program, where students can study any major and combine their bachelor's degree with a masters in education. The University has had long-standing connections with the United Nations; as a result, qualified students have opportunities for internships with the UN and its associated agencies.[2]
Fairleigh Dickinson consists of 4 academic colleges: Becton College of Arts and Sciences (based at the College at Florham), University College of Arts, Sciences and Professional Studies (based on the Metropolitan Campus), Silberman College of Business and Petrocelli College of Continuing Studies. The latter two colleges provide academic offerings at both New Jersey Campuses. Silberman College's Entrepreneurial studies program ranks in the top 7 in the nation.
In intercollegiate athletics, the Metropolitan Campus competes in NCAA Division I, while the College at Florham competes in Division III, making it one of only a few schools in the United States to field both Division I and Division III teams. The teams at the Metropolitan Campus are known as the Knights, while the Madison teams are known as the Devils.
In total, there are about 8,000 undergraduate (2,600-College at Florham, 5,400-Metropolitan Campus) and 3,500 graduate (1,000-College at Florham, 2,500-Metropolitan Campus) students of which many are international students from over 80 countries[3]; the majority of international students attend the Metropolitan Campus.
[edit] History
Fairleigh Dickinson University was founded by Dr. Peter Sammartino and his wife, Sylvia, in 1942 in Rutherford, New Jersey as a two-year college. It was named for its benefactor, Colonel Fairleigh S. Dickinson, Sr. (1858–1942), a co-founder of Becton Dickinson. By 1948, Fairleigh Dickinson College expanded its curriculum to offer a four-year program. In that same year, the school received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1956, the same year the University acquired the former Vanderbilt estate in Madison, the institution was recognized as Fairleigh Dickinson University by the New Jersey State Board of Education.
In addition to the present campuses, Fairleigh Dickinson University operated campuses in Rutherford (where the University was founded) and in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The Rutherford Campus was sold to Felician College and operations merged with the Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck in 1993. The St. Croix Marine Biology Lab was damaged beyond repair during Hurricane Hugo and was closed shortly afterwards.
[edit] 2007 norovirus outbreak
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This section documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. |
In early March 2007, an outbreak of a highly contagious norovirus (stomach flu) sickened at least 328 students and staff, with some being re-infected for a second time.[4] The university has responded by disinfecting cafeterias and bathrooms three times daily since the outbreak began. In addition, students were advised to leave campus early for spring break. University officials said that they hope the virus would be eradicated by the time students return from break.[5] Additionally, the school has banned outside visitors from campus until March 25 in order to quarantine the virus, although there are no plans to cancel classes.[6]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Mensun Bound, marine archaeologist
- Richard Codey, Former Governor and Current State Senate President of New Jersey
- Seth Greenberg, Virginia Tech Hokies head basketball coach
- Peggy Noonan, Columnist, author and former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan
- Gregory Olsen, American entrepreneur and astronaut
- John Spencer, late actor known for his role on The West Wing (did not graduate)
- Dennis F. Strigl, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless
- Ben Weinman, Guitarist for The Dillinger Escape Plan
- Bill Willoughby , Retired NBA Professional.
- Carol B. Tomé, CFO and Co-Founder of Home Depot
[edit] Notes
- ^ History. Fairleigh Dickinson University. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
- ^ United Nations Pathways. Fairleigh Dickinson Univeristy. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
- ^ International Students. Fairleigh Dickinson University. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
- ^ FDU-Florham Campus students go a second round with norovirus, News 12 New Jersey, Mar. 9, 2007
- ^ FDU: Total norovirus cases climb to 267, Morris County Daily Record, Mar. 8, 2007
- ^ FDU bans visitors to stop spread of virus, News 12 New Jersey, Mar. 16, 2007
[edit] External links
| Northeast Conference |
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| Central Connecticut • Fairleigh Dickinson • LIU–Brooklyn • Monmouth • Mount St. Mary's • Quinnipiac • Robert Morris • Sacred Heart • St. Francis(NY) • St. Francis(PA) • Wagner |
| National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association |
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| Army • City • Cornell • Drew • Fairleigh Dickinson • Florida • Haverford • Hunter CUNY • Johns Hopkins • Marist • Maryland College Park • New Jersey Institute of Technology • Queens CUNY • Smith • Stevens Institute of Technology • Temple • Tufts • Virginia • Virginia Tech • Yeshiva |
| Member Schools of the Middle Atlantic Corporation |
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Albright College • Elizabethtown College • Juniata College • Lebanon Valley College • Messiah College • Moravian College • Susquehanna University • Widener University |
Categories: Current events | Northeast Conference | National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association | Middle Atlantic Corporation | Educational institutions established in 1942 | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools | Sea-grant universities and colleges | Universities and colleges in New Jersey
