Montclair State University


Montclair State University is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey. It is the second largest university in New Jersey. As of October 2018, there were 21,115 total enrolled students: 16,988 undergraduate students and 4,127 graduate students. The campus covers approximately. The university offers more than 300 majors, minors, and concentrations.

History

Plans for the State Normal school were initiated in 1903, and required a year for the State of New Jersey to grant permission to build the school. It was then established as New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair, a normal school, in 1908 approximately 5 years after the initial planning of the school. At the time, Governor John Franklin Fort attended the dedication of the school in 1908, and the school was to have its first principal Charles Sumner Chapin that same year. The first building constructed was College Hall, and it still stands today. At the time, the campus was around, had 8 faculty members and 187 students. The first graduating class, which numbered at 45 students, contained William O. Trapp, who would then go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1929. The first dormitory was then built five years later, in 1915, and is known as Russ Hall.
In 1924, Dr. Harry Sprague was the first president of Montclair, and shortly afterwards the school began being more inclusive of extracurricular activities such as athletics. In 1927, however, after studies had emerged concerning the number of high school teachers in the state of New Jersey, the institution became Montclair State Teachers College and developed a four-year program in pedagogy, becoming the first US institute to do so. In 1937 it became the first teachers college accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
In 1943, during World War II, several students, with permission from the president, Harry Sprague, joined the US Navy as volunteers to train for the war. It was also a time when students and faculty sold war bonds to support US American troops.
In 1958 the school merged with the Panzer College of Physical Education and Hygiene to become Montclair State College. The school became a comprehensive multi-purpose institution in 1966. The Board of Higher Education designated the school a teaching university on April 27, 1994, and in the same year the school became Montclair State University. It has offered Master of Arts programs since 1932, Master of Business Administration since 1981, Master of Education since 1985, Master of Science since 1992, Master of Fine Arts since 1998, Doctor of Education since 1999, and Doctor of Environmental Management in 2003. PhD degrees were added in Teacher Education and Teacher Development in 2008, Counselor Education, Family Studies, Mathematics Education, and most recently, Communications Sciences and Disorders. In 2018, Montclair State University graduated more than 30 doctoral students.
In 2004, NJ Transit opened the Montclair State University station, which links the university to New York City. The building of the MSU Station cost $26 million to complete, including a 1,500-space parking deck. In 2015, the university established the School of Communication and Media and added two new buildings to its campus; the Feliciano School of Business and the Center for Environmental and Life Sciences. Partridge Hall was fully renovated and in 2016, became the new School of Nursing, which welcomed its inaugural class of students that fall. The new state-of-the-art home for the School of Communication and Media opened in fall 2017, followed in 2018 by the opening of the Center for Computing and Information Science in the former Mallory Hall, which underwent a complete renovation and expansion. In 2016, the university's classification was changed from a Masters to a Doctoral Research University, and in 2019, was changed to R2: Doctoral University - High Research Activity.

Presidents

Colleges and Schools

Montclair State University comprises five colleges and six schools, each led by a Dean or Director. The colleges and schools organize and conduct academic programs within their units, and work cooperatively to offer interdisciplinary programs.

College of the Arts

John J. Cali School of Music

The John J. Cali School of Music is part of the College of the Arts. The Cali School of Music provides a wide range of study and performance opportunities for its undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professional certification programs in Music Education and Music Therapy, and the Artist's Diploma and Performer's Certificate degrees in classical and jazz performance. In addition, the noted string quartet, the Shanghai Quartet, has been in residence at MSU since 2002.

School of Communication and Media

Included in the College of the Arts is the School of Communication and Media.
The school opened a well-equipped, modern facility in fall 2017. It features a 187-seat Sony Digital Cinema Presentation Hall, four broadcast-ready HD + 4K studio and control rooms, motion picture stage for digital filmmaking, and an Audio Production Center featuring a Foley stage, a performance stage and audio sound labs.

College of Education and Human Services

The College of Education and Human Services houses the Center of Pedagogy, with oversees the Teacher Education program. Majors across the university earning teacher credentials are administered jointly by the Center of Pedagogy and the department that houses the student's major.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State offers 20 undergraduate majors and more than 40 minors. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is the largest college by enrollment within Montclair State.
Montclair State supports and encourages interdisciplinary programs. In 2019, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Science and Mathematics have teamed up to offer the ONLY Master of Science in Computational Linguistics program in New Jersey https://www.montclair.edu/graduate/programs-of-study/computational-linguistics-ms/.

College of Science and Mathematics

The College of Science and Mathematics offers a wide variety of programs in the natural, physical, and computational sciences. Located in Richardson Hall are the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Student Success Center and Career Services. Science Hall houses the Department of Biology. The Department of Computer Science is housed in the Center for Computing and Information Science, and recently added programs in Cybersecurity and Data Science. Schmitt Hall houses the Department of Applied Math and Statistics and the Redhawk Math Learning Center.
The Center for Environmental and Life Sciences houses the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, which also includes Sustainability Science and Geographic and Urban Studies, the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies, New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology, Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center, Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Lab, Sokol Institute for Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences, and the interdisciplinary PhD Program in Environmental Science and Management.

New Jersey School of Conservation

The New Jersey School of Conservation is located in Stokes State Forest. The School was an environmental education site managed by the University between 1981-2020. NJSOC closed in June 2020.

Feliciano School of Business

The Feliciano School of Business offers undergraduate as well as MBA programs. Students may opt to choose the Bachelor of Arts approach or the Bachelor of Science. The school offers a BA degree program culminating in a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. In 2016, the MBA program became available in a fully online format. The School of Business also offers post-MBA certificate programs. In 2015 a brand new building for the Feliciano School of Business opened, dedicated to Mimi and Edwin Feliciano.

School of Nursing

In 2016, Montclair State University launched a School of Nursing. It offers RN-to-BSN and four-year BSN programs. The school is housed in a state-of-the-art facility that includes mediated classrooms, computer study areas, a nursing skills laboratory, anatomy laboratory, and high-fidelity and home care simulation rooms.

The Graduate School

Montclair State began offering master's degree programs in 1932, beginning with the Master of Fine Arts degree; the university began to grant doctoral degrees in 1998, after receiving state approval to establish a Doctor of Education degree in pedagogy. In the fall of 2019, the university had about 300 doctoral students in eight programs.

University College

University College is an academic home for students to pursue interests that will lead them to their eventual academic concentration. University College admits about one-third of incoming freshman, as well as approximately 1,400 returning and transfer students who have yet to declare a major. Once University College students have been admitted to their chosen majors, they will transition onto the college or school of that academic program.

Athletics

Montclair State University's athletic teams have played under many names in the school's history. From the late 1920s to '30s, the school played as the "Big Red" and featured a large scarlet "M" on its uniforms. Next, Montclair State Teacher's College competed as the Indians, using a logo with a Native American chief's profile with the initials "MSTC" emblazoned on the caricature's headdress. The initials were changed to "MSC" when the school became Montclair State College in 1958. In response to the growing concerns voiced by Native Americans, the school changed its nickname to the Red Hawks, named after the Red-tailed Hawks that are indigenous to the area.

Division III sports

Montclair State University athletics are in the NCAA Division III in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The university currently offers the following sports:
;Fall Sports
;Winter Sports
;Spring Sports
The original Montclair State University campus consisted of College Hall, Russ Hall, Chapin Hall and Morehead Hall, all built between 1908 and 1928. Housing for students returning from World War II was added near the end of the war. Between 1950 and 1980, Montclair State gradually acquired land from a former traprock quarry and expanded its facilities with an additional 23 buildings. Montclair State University began its next phase of growth in the late 1990s to accommodate New Jersey's growing student population. Dickson Hall was dedicated in 1995. The building is named for David W.D. Dickson, the first African American president of Montclair State University. The Floyd Hall Arena, an ice skating rink, was built in 1998. Science Hall, the home of the Department of Biology, opened in 1999. The Red Hawk Diner was built in 2001, making it the first diner on a university campus in the United States.

Other additions (2002–2011)

MSU's most recent master plan contained $650 million in capital construction and improvements. The major projects under this new program were:
Increased enrollment along with new construction and limited expansion options have caused a parking crunch at Montclair State University. The school has responded to the parking demands by constructing three garages: The Red Hawk Deck, the NJ Transit Deck, and CarParc Diem.

Residence halls

The current residence hall facilities at Montclair State University are:

The Heights

The newest residential complex on campus, the Heights consists of two H-shaped buildings named John Victor Machuga Heights and Anthony M. Dinallo Heights, which house about 2,000 students combined. The Heights opened in August 2011 near the Student Recreation Center and greatly expanded the campus' residential capacity. Dinallo Heights consists of Basilone, Whitman, Einstein, and Parker Halls; while Machuga Heights consists of Mills, Gordon, Gibson and Barton Halls. Both Heights complexes have suite-style rooms with two residents sharing a bathroom in a suite with one large bedroom or two smaller single bedrooms. The buildings also have large lounge areas to be shared with the four Halls within them. Machuga Heights also contains a large dining hall called Sam's Place.

Blanton Hall

This five-story coed complex houses 640 residents in double and triple rooms connected by a bathroom. Between four and five residents share each "suite" bathroom. Blanton Hall also contains a central food court containing a Chili's, Dunkin' Donuts, Jersey Mike's Subs, and a convenience store.

Bohn Hall

The tallest building at MSU, Bohn Hall opened in 1972 and houses approximately 700 co-ed first year residents in double, triple, and quadruple rooms. Floors are divided into one, two, or three wings with each wing having its own community bathroom facility. Bohn Hall also contains classrooms, offices, and student/academic support resources including a Mediation Resource Center, Academic Resource Center, and a Center for Writing Excellence.

Hawk Crossings

These co-ed garden apartment units house 350 upperclassmen. The apartments are broken up into three buildings, called Accipiter, Falco, and Buteo. Each apartment has two bedrooms, houses four residents, and has a kitchen and bathroom. Previously known as Clove Road Apartments, this complex was renamed Hawk Crossings in Fall 2010.

Freeman Hall

Housing approximately 235 co-ed residents, Grace M. Freeman Hall opened in 1963 and is home to mainly students of music or athletic training. Residents live in a "suite" style double or triple rooms, in which two rooms share a bathroom. The building also contains a dining hall for students, Balance Kitchen at Freeman Hall.

Russ Hall

Edward Russ Hall is a coed upperclassmen community and houses the international community, housing 91 residents in a "suite" style community. Russ Hall, the second building to open on campus in 1915, was converted from an administrative building into a residential facility in the late 1990s.

The Village at Little Falls

The Village at Little Falls consists of four separate residential apartment buildings: William Carlos Williams Hall, Count Basie Hall, Millicent Fenwick Hall, and Alice Paul Hall. The complex also contains a fifth building, the Abbott & Costello Center which contains complex offices and a police sub-station. The four buildings house a total of 848 students. Each apartment consists of a kitchen, living room, dining area, two full bathrooms, and either two double bedrooms, two single and one double bedroom, or four single bedrooms. The complex also has basketball courts and an outdoor pool open seasonally. The Village houses junior, senior, and graduate students. Basie Hall and Paul Hall were renovated in the Summer of 2017 to replace flooring and furniture.

Sinatra Hall

Francis A. Sinatra Hall is a 6-floor suite-style residence hall located on Clove Rd between Hawk Crossings Apartments and The Village at Little Falls. It opened in the Fall of 2010. The hall is set up suite style with a single, a double, and a triple all sharing a bathroom, powder room, and a common area.

Stone Hall

Stone Hall was originally built in 1955 as a residence hall, but was eventually converted into an office building. For the Fall 2016 semester, the building received a total renovation and was repurposed to its original use as a residence facility. The renovated Stone Hall houses approximately 150 first year students in double rooms with community bathroom facilities.

Notable alumni

Science and Technology