The College of New Jersey

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This article is about the current college by that name. For the school known by that name until 1896, see Princeton University.

The College of New Jersey

Image:T11 medium color Logo.Vert.gif
Motto Nothing Short of Excellence
Established 1855
Type Public
Endowment $6.9 million [1]
President R. Barbara Gitenstein, Ph.D
Faculty 331
Undergraduates 5,930
Postgraduates 850
Location Ewing, New Jersey, USA
Campus Suburban, 289 acres (1.2 km²)
Athletics 21 sports teams
Colors TCNJ Blue and TCNJ Gold            
Nickname Lions
Mascot Roscoe
Website www.tcnj.edu

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), is a four-year public institution located in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a northern suburb of Trenton. It is also known by the previous name, Trenton State College. It is ranked as the top public institution of higher learning in New Jersey whose highest degree is a Master's degree, and repeatedly ranks high in national surveys comparing institutions of higher learning [2]. The College of New Jersey has a four credit system in which students take four classes a semester, and maintains a liberal arts curriculum with a combination of core classes and general education.

Contents

[edit] About The College of New Jersey

[edit] Schools

More than fifty liberal arts and professional programs are now offered through The College's seven schools: Art Media & Music, Business, Culture & Society, Education, Engineering, Nursing, and Science.

Green Hall Clock Tower
Green Hall Clock Tower
Green Hall
Green Hall
Roscoe the Lion
Roscoe the Lion
Image:LoserHall.jpg
Loser Hall

[edit] History

The College of New Jersey was established in 1855 by the New Jersey state legislature as the New Jersey State Normal School. Rodman McCamley Price, Governor of New Jersey, promoted the idea of a training institute for New Jersey's teachers and mobilized support among influential state leaders. Thus, the New Jersey State Normal School became the first teacher training institution in New Jersey, and the ninth in the United States.

For the first seventy-three years, the school was located in Trenton on Clinton Avenue. Beginning in 1925, the institution offered its first four-year baccalaureate degrees, and engaged on a transitional program of expansion. In 1928, a suburban tract of 210 acres (0.8 km²) was purchased in Ewing Township, New Jersey and preparations were underway to relocate the College. The first building erected on the new campus was Green Hall.

Programs in graduate study were instituted in 1947, followed by accreditation from various national associations in the 1950s. The enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1966 paved the way for TCNJ to become a comprehensive institution by expanding its degree programs into a variety of fields aside from the education of teachers. By 1972, seventy percent of entering students were selecting non-education majors. At this time, the college was known as Trenton State College.

In 1996, in a move spearheaded by Harold Eickhoff, The College of New Jersey adopted its current name in order to become more academically competitive on a national level. Alumni were unhappy with the change as they were proud being graduates of Trenton State College. [1] Some critics say that the college wanted to disassociate itself with the city of Trenton, which at the time had garnered a reputation for high crime and poverty, even though the city has since undergone a renaissance. This name change raised a heated debate with Princeton University [2] which was known as the College of New Jersey from its founding in 1746 until 1896. Princeton University felt The College of New Jersey was attempting to associate itself with its history and reputation, and the name change would falsely indicate association between the two schools. In response, the administration at Princeton University sought injunctive and legal action to protect its claim on the name, but the action was subsequently dismissed[3].

[edit] Names over the years

  • 1855 — New Jersey State Normal School
  • 1908 — New Jersey State Normal School in Trenton
  • 1929 — New Jersey State Teachers College and State Normal School at Trenton
  • 1937 — New Jersey State Teachers College at Trenton
  • 1958 — Trenton State College
  • 1996 — The College of New Jersey

[edit] Academics

The College of New Jersey offers degrees in over 50 liberal arts and professional programs, leading to one of the following undergraduate (baccalaureate) degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science. It also offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees: Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Science, and Master of Science in Nursing. TCNJ also offers a 7 year combined B.S./M.D. (Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine) program for graduating high school students in conjunction with New Jersey Medical School. This program offers guaranteed admission to NJMS upon completion of three years of undergraduate study at TCNJ and the maintenance of a minimum GPA (currently set at 3.5).

From the 1990's till present, students are required to participate in the TCNJ first year experience, a large component of the liberal arts curriculum at TCNJ.

The College of New Jersey offers programs in the following Majors: Accounting, Art, Art History, Art Teacher Preparation, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Communication Studies, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Criminology & Justice Studies, Digital Art, Early childhood education, Education of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Elementary Education, Engineering Management, English, English Teacher Preparation, Finance, General Business, Graphic Design, History, History Teacher Preparation, Interactive Multimedia, International Business, International Studies, Journalism, Management, Marketing, Mathematics & Statistics, Mechanical Engineering, Music Performance, Music Education, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Sociology and Pre-Social Work, Spanish, Spanish Teaching, Technological Studies, and Women's & Gender Studies.

In 2004 the college was named among the 75 schools that Barron's Educational Series lists in its "Most Competitive" category.[citation needed] It was one of only seven public schools placed in this category.

[edit] Campus Life

[edit] Residence Halls

The Library.
The Library.

First-year students almost exclusively live in the Travers/Wolfe towers, or Cromwell Hall. Second-year students live in New Residence, Allen Hall, Brewster Hall, Ely Hall, Norsworthy Hall, Decker Hall, or Centennial Hall, and upperclassmen typically live in Townhouses or Eickhoff Hall. While first-year students are guaranteed on-campus housing; a lottery system provides housing to juniors and seniors. As a result, the percentage of resident students dwindles from 95% of first-year students to 50% of upperclassmen living on campus. TCNJ has made moves to rectify this, most notably by attempting to build additional on-campus "apartments" across from the main commuter parking lots. Construction on these facilities, however, was halted after significant water damage was reported. As of February of 2007 a protracted legal battle over the faulty apartments is being fought between TCNJ and the contractors responsible for constructing the apartments, and deconstruction of the buildings is underway. As of 2007, the decrepit Centennial Hall still stands and is used for student housing, until a newer dormitory can be built.

[edit] Student Activities

Due to the lack of commercial and retail industry within walking distance of the college, TCNJ has acquired the reputation of a "suitcase school"[citation needed]. Nearby metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia and New York City are an hour or less away by train, and are regular student destinations for weekend entertainment. Nevertheless, while many students continue to return to their hometowns, surveys of the student population indicate that 80% of residential students remain on-campus for at least 3 weekends per month.[citation needed]. TCNJ also has a vibrant student organization community, managed by the Office of Campus Activities. Campus attempts at providing non-alcohol-related social events for students are numerous, though largely under-utilized by the student body. While TCNJ Athletics programs are consistently ranked in the division, event attendance by faculty, staff and students is sparse.[citation needed]

[edit] Athletics

The College of New Jersey is affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and participates in athletics events as a Division III school. It is a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The mascot of the College of New Jersey is Roscoe the Lion. The main athletic facility, Lions Stadium, holds 6,000 spectators and features an AstroTurf playing surfice. The stadium has hosted multiple NCAA Tournaments and championship games, as well as the annual New Jersey Special Olympics and the annual USSBA Central Jersey Regional marching band competition.

The women's lacrosse team has played in the championship game 16 out of 20 possible times, winning 11 (though the 1992 title was later vacated) and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament 21 consecutive times through 2005, highlighted by a 93-1 record from 1991 to 1996. The women's field hockey team has won 9 Division III crowns.

The TCNJ wrestling team host the NCAA Championships regularly and has placed in the top 20 nationally for 30 consecutive years, including 5 National Championships, 5 Runner-up finishes, and numerous finishes in the top 5.

[edit] Greek Life

The Greek community at The College of New Jersey comprises roughly 13% of the student body population. The Greek organizations at TCNJ are governed by the Inter-Greek Council. Its purpose is to unite the members of the Greek community in spirit of mutual interest. It organizes and governs activities, highlights goals and opens lines of communication between the members of the organizations and the rest of the campus community.

The recognized Greek organizations at TCNJ are: Alpha Chi Rho , Alpha Kappa Alpha , Alpha Psi Chi , Chi Upsilon Sigma, Delta Phi Epsilon , Delta Sigma Pi, Delta Zeta , Kappa Alpha Psi, Kappa Delta, Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Lambda Tau Omega, Lambda Theta Alpha, Lambda Theta Phi, Mu Sigma Upsilon, Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Kappa Psi, Phi Kappa Tau, Phi Sigma Sigma, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Gamma Rho, Sigma Pi, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Nu Xi, Theta Phi Alpha, Zeta Phi Beta, Zeta Tau Alpha.

[edit] Trivia

  • When the name-change from Trenton State College to The College of New Jersey took place, workers misspelled the new name on the sign at the rear gate of the college. The new sign read "The College of New Jeresy". This was quickly corrected, but not before a photo of the incorrect sign was published on the cover of the Trentonian (a local daily newspaper). [4]

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable Faculty

[edit] References

  1. ^ Trenton State Gets a New Name and a Battle
  2. ^ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E6DF1339F93AA15755C0A960958260 Princeton Fights a Switch]

[edit] External links



New Jersey Athletic Conference
Buffalo State† • Kean • Montclair State • New Jersey • New Jersey City‡ • Ramapo‡ • Richard Stockton‡ • Rowan • Rutgers-Camden‡ • Rutgers-Newark‡ • SUNY Cortland† • Western Connecticut State† • William Paterson
† football-only member  ‡ non-football member


New Jersey state colleges and universities
The College of New Jersey • Kean University • Montclair State University • New Jersey City University • New Jersey Institute of Technology • Ramapo College • Richard Stockton College of New Jersey • Rowan University • Rutgers (New Brunswick-Piscataway, Newark, Camden) • Thomas Edison State College • University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey • William Paterson University
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