Coordinates: 39°42′39.30″N 75°07′06.38″W / 39.710917°N 75.1184389°W / 39.710917; -75.1184389

Rowan University
Motto	Eruditio spes mundi
Motto in English	Education, hope of the world
Established	1923
Type	Public
Endowment	$160 million [1]
President	Donald J. Farish
Provost	Ali A. Houshmand
Faculty	441 [2]
Staff	871 [2]
Undergraduates	9,037[2]
Postgraduates	1,234[2]
Location	Glassboro, NJ, USA
Campus	Suburban, about 200 acres (0.81 km2)
Former names	Glassboro Normal School (1923-37) New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro (1937-58) Glassboro State College (1958-92) Rowan College of New Jersey (1992-97)[3]
Newspaper	The Whit
Colors	Rowan Brown[4]      Rowan Gold[4]
Nickname	RU, G'boro
Mascot	Prof (Owl), "Whoo RU" [5]
Athletics	18 NCAA Division III sports teams[2] 34 intramural sports[2]
Website	www.rowan.edu

Rowan University is a public university located in Glassboro, New Jersey 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.^[3] 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, and by the 1990s, engineering.

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.^[6] It became Rowan University on March 21, 1997, when it won approval for university status from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.^[7]

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Hollybush Summit 1.2 After the Summit 1.3 University status 1.3.1 West Campus 1.3.2 South Jersey Technology Park 1.4 Recent events 1.4.1 Cooper Medical School 2 Academics 2.1 Enrollment 3 Athletics 4 Student life 4.1 Media 4.2 Housing 4.2.1 Halls 4.2.2 Apartments 4.2.3 Future housing 4.3 University student organizations 5 Hollybush Mansion 6 Notable alumni 7 References 8 External links

[edit] 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 school 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 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.

[edit] The Hollybush Summit

The Cold War Glassboro Summit Conference between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Aleksei 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^[8] and despite the lack of preparation converted his on-campus home into a secure location for the leaders of the world's superpowers.

[edit] After the Summit

The campus was relatively quiet during the following decade, despite opening the 1970-71 academic year with Black Sabbath's first American concert on October 30, 1970.^[9] Peaceful student protests occurred during the Vietnam war as they did at other campuses, but never required the college to close the campus.^[10]

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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[13]

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.

[edit] 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 Rowan 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 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.^[14]

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.

In January, 1998 Lynn Darren was found dead in her off-campus apartment in what was investigated as a homicide. Ms. Darren's body was found at the Park Crest Village, an apartment complex two miles west of the campus, after the police were contacted by her mother, who was concerned because she had not been able to reach her.^[15]

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.^[16] 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.^[17]

[edit] West Campus

On March 20, 2006, President Farish announced a joint venture between the university and Major League Soccer 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.^[18]

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.^[19]

[edit] 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^[20]. 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.^[21] 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.^[22] The second floor will be occupied by the Educational Information and Resource Center, which formerly owned a building on Delsea Drive in Washington Township.^[23]

The Tech Park's first incubated business, SocialReach, has successfully graduated into their own offices in Philadelphia.^[24]

The second planned building will be approximately 66,000 gross square feet divided between research and technology labs and offices.^[19]

[edit] Recent events

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.^[25] Farrell was leaving a local convenience store with a group of friends when he was approached by three individuals. After asking Farrell where there was a party, the assailants then began punching and kicking him, knocking him down. They took his wallet, got into their car and drove away. University and local police arrived on-scene in less than 90 seconds^[26] and Farrell was rushed to Cooper University Hospital. En route, EMTs revived Farrell multiple times but he died in the hospital the next morning. Autopsy reports show that he died of blunt force trauma to the right side of his neck.^[27] A reward of $100,000 has been offered for information leading to the capture, arrest and conviction of the assailants.^[28]

[edit] Cooper Medical School

It was announced on June 26, 2009 that Rowan would be partnering with Cooper University Hospital 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 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 the current two-year UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School facility in place. Opening in 2012, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University will be the only medical school in the state not affiliated with UMDNJ.^[29]

[edit] 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 Report 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."

[edit] Enrollment

Enrollment at Rowan from the fall semester of 2008 shows 9,037 undergraduates, 1,234 graduate students, 59 doctoral students and 89 post-baccelaurate certification candidates. Undergraduates entering the University in 2008 had a mean SAT I range between 1090 and 1260 (math/critical reading only), and average GPA of 3.6, and were ranked in the top 25% of their high school classes.^[30]

For the class of 2012, 31% of applicants were accepted.^[31]

[edit] Athletics

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.

[edit] Student life

[edit] Media

There are three main publications on Rowan's campus, The Whit, Venue, and Avant. The Whit is in the classic newspaper format and gets published weekly except during exams.^[32] 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 puts out four issues a year in full color and is run completely by students.^[33] 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 publications, Rowan also has an award winning^[34] student-run radio station, Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM, which found its beginnings in 1977 on a $6,000 budget.^[35] Rowan also has its own closed-circuit television channel, RTN, which got its start in 1992.^[36]

[edit] Housing

Rowan provides housing for 2,950 students in 12 buildings scattered around campus. Students have a choice between halls, apartments, or townhouses. After their first year students are not guaranteed housing.^[37]

According to the Rowan University Master Plan released in December 2007 there are plans to expand on the current housing situation. Firstly removing Mansion Park Apartments and replacing it with upperclassman townhouses. Next building a new hall on the opposite side of Linden Hall and also building new residence halls around Bunce circle replacing Bole Hall and Bole Annex. There will be buildings added to Edgewood Park Apartments and Triad Apartments to fill them out more. It is outlined that any necessary additional housing after this will be provided by a new private development on Rowan Boulevard.^[38]

[edit] Halls

• Chestnut Hall - A freshman hall which houses up to 390 students on three floors. The rooms are arranged in suites that all share a bathroom and lounge.
• Mimosa Hall - At full capacity 340 freshmen living on four floors with an adjoined 24/7 computer lab. The suites are made up of two to three rooms that share a common bathroom.
• Evergreen Hall - Houses 240 freshmen, in two wings with three floors each, in suites that are joined by a bathroom.
• Magnolia Hall - On three floors, 210 freshmen live here arranged in suites sharing a common room and bathroom.
• Willow Hall - A freshman dorm housing up to 210 students on three floors.
• Mullica Hall - 135 students on three floors where two rooms share a bathroom.
• Oak & Laurel Hall - Each housing up to 65 students on three floors. The suites could share one or two bathrooms.^[39]

[edit] Apartments

• Edgewood Park Apartments - Four buildings, each with three floors and 24 apartments per house 480 students.
• Mansion Park Apartments - Seven buildings housing 260 students in total.
• Townhouse Complex - The townhouses have 113 units can accommodate 464 students in single occupancy rooms. There is a three story parking garage to accommodate its residents.
• Triad Apartments - In three wings with three floors each, Triad's 100 apartments hold 378 students.^[40]
• Rowan Boulevard Apartments - This complex will be 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 currently house 568 students; the remainder will be housed in the final building, slated for completion by Fall 2010.^[19]

[edit] 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.^[19]

[edit] University student organizations

12% of men and 7% of women belong to a fraternity or sorority at Rowan University. There are over 75 University sanctioned student clubs and organizations on campus, underneath the Student Government Association.

National Fraternities: Alpha Chi Rho (NIC) Alpha Phi Alpha (NIC, NPHC) Alpha Phi Omega (Service - Co-ed) Delta Chi (NIC) Iota Phi Theta (NIC, NPHC) Kappa Alpha Psi (NIC, NPHC) Lambda Theta Phi (NIC, NALFO) Omega Psi Phi (NPHC) Phi Beta Sigma (NPHC) Phi Kappa Psi (NIC) Sigma Pi (NIC) Tau Kappa Epsilon (NIC)

National Sororities: Alpha Epsilon Phi (NPC) Alpha Kappa Alpha (NPHC) Alpha Sigma Alpha (NPC) Chi Upsilon Sigma (NALFO) Delta Phi Epsilon (NPC) Delta Sigma Theta (NPHC) Lambda Theta Alpha (NALFO) Mu Sigma Upsilon (NMGC) Sigma Sigma Sigma (NPC) Theta Phi Alpha (NPC) Zeta Phi Beta (NPHC)

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^[41].

[edit] 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.

[edit] Notable alumni

• Jessica Boyington, Miss New Jersey USA 2006
• Kyle Cassidy, photojournalist
• Betty Castor, Florida politician and former president of the University of South Florida
• Joseph Checkler, journalist for Dow Jones and publisher of the popular baseball blog Liners, Sliders and Scoops
• Jack Collins, college basketball coach and Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
• Julie Ann Dawson, horror fiction writer and small press publisher
• Stink Fisher, football player and actor in movies such as Invincible and The Longest Yard
• Jamie Ginn, Miss Delaware 2006
• Robert Hegyes, actor and former co-star of Welcome Back, Kotter known for his role as Juan Epstein. Robert was a professor at his alma mater in the early-to-mid 1990s.
• Allen Helbig, artist, animator, photographer, body painter, and web designer
• Michael Iaconelli, Professional bass fisherman.
• Fred H. Madden (born 1954), New Jersey State Senator and former superintendent of the New Jersey State Police
• Marilyn Marshall, R&B, Jazz, Recording Artist
• Soraida Martinez, Painter, Creator of Verdadism art
• Mary Previte (born 1932), author of Hungry Ghosts, served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 6th legislative district from 1998 to 2006.
• Patti Smith, American musician, singer, and poet, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame^[42]
• Steve Dobel, B.A. President of phone company MCI/Worldcom 1992-2000
• James L. Usry (M.A., 1971), first African American Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Site
• Keith and Shirley Campbell Library
• Rowan University Foundation
• Rowan University Clubs
• The Whit
• The Student University Programmers
• Cinema Workshop
• Rowan Television Network

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