Summary
Montclair State University is a public research university located in the Upper Montclair section of Montclair, the Great Notch area of Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. As of October 2011, there were 18,498 total enrolled students: 14,590 undergraduate students and 3,908 graduate students.[2] Montclair State University is New Jersey's second largest school,[2] with Rutgers University being the first.[2] It is also the state's fastest growing school and currently sizes at 500 acres (2.0 km2), inclusive of the New Jersey School of Conservation, which attracts students statewide.[3] More than 250 majors, minors and concentrations are offered.[4]
MSU offers a PhD in Environmental Management, one of the very few universities in the United States to offer a doctoral degree in that area. It also offers students the opportunity to pursue a PhD in biomedicine with its joint degree program with UMDNJ.[5] The university also offers articulation agreements with UMDNJ's Medical,[6] Dental[6] and Physical Therapy[6] programs.[6] The school also offers such articulation agreements with Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, combining a Bachelors degree from Montclair with a Pharmacy Degree from the school.[6]
The university is a member of prominent professional organizations,[7] including the American Association of State Colleges and Universities,[7] American Council on Education,[7] Association of American Colleges and Universities[7] and the Council of Graduate Schools.[7] It is also the only university in the United States to offer a doctorate program in pedagogy.[8]
In 2004, New Jersey Transit opened the Montclair State University Station,[9] which links the university to New York City.[9] The building of the MSU Station cost $26 million dollars[9] to complete, including a 1,500-space parking deck.[9]
History
Plans for the building of what was to be a State Normal school was initiated in, 1903[10] and it took a year for permission to be granted for the approval of the state for building the school.[10] It was then established as New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair, a normal school, in 1908[11] approximately 5 years after the initial planning of the school.[10] At the time, Governor John Franklin Fort attended the dedication of the school in 1908,[10] and the school was to have its first principal Charles Sumner Chapin that same year.[12] The first building constructed was College Hall, and it still stands today.[10] At the time however, the school only offered two year programs which were meant to train and develop school teachers.[10] At the time, the campus was around 25 acres (100,000 m2), had 8 faculty members and 187 students.[10] The first graduating class, which numbered at 45 students,[10] contained William O. Trapp, who would then go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1929.[13] The first dormitories were then built five years later, in 1915, and is known as Russ Hall.[13]
In 1924, Dr. Harry Sprague was to become the first president of Montclair,[13] and shortly afterwards the school began being more inclusive of extracurricular activities such as sports, which are still an important sect in the culture of the school.[13] In 1927 however, after studies had emerged concerning the number of high school teachers in the state of New Jersey (only 10% of all high school teachers received their degrees from New Jersey),[13] the institution became Montclair State Teachers College and developed a four-year (Bachelors of Arts) program in pedagogy, becoming the first US institute to do so.[13] 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, under permission from the president, Harry Sprague, had joined the US Navy as volunteers, to train for the war.[14] It was also a time when students and faculty would sell war bonds to support US American troops.[14]
Then in 1958, the school fused itself with the Panzer College of Physical Education and Hygiene to become Montclair State College.[14] The school became a comprehensive multi-purpose institution in 1966.[11] 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.[11] 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, Doctor of Environmental Management since 2003 and Doctor of Science since 2005.
Admissions
Typically, the university has a selectivity ratio of around 50% for freshmen, although it is more selective when dealing with transfer applicants.
Freshman Admission Standards Montclair State University considers a number of factors during the admission process. These factors include the rigor of high school curriculum, the overall grade point average (GPA), standardized test scores, and additional factors that contribute to successful degree attainment. These standards are subject to change depending on the demand for programs and the number of students that can be accommodated.
In preparation for the academic rigor of Montclair State University, the prospective student should have followed a challenging high school curriculum. A freshman applicant is required to have completed the following high school courses with satisfactory grades:
The University reviews each application individually; however, when considering an applicant for Freshman Admission, certain minimum standards are followed. Strong candidates for admission generally meet the following criteria:
Rankings
Montclair State University is a selective institution, with a mission of keeping New Jersey's most exceptional students in-state for higher education. The University is consistently recognized as one of the best public institutions in the United States, and is ranked as the top public institution of higher learning in New Jersey. According to Forbes Magazine 's annual list of "Americas Best Colleges", Montclair State is ranked as the number one public institution in the state of New Jersey and third overall. In addition, the university was also added as a "Best Buy" university compiled by CCAP and Forbes.[15] Additionally, U.S. News & World Report ranks Montclair State University's graduate programs in secondary teacher education and elementary teacher education in the top 20 in the nation while the School of Business consistently earns its placement on the Princeton Review’s annual list of “Best Business Schools”.
Colleges and Schools
Montclair State University contains six colleges and/or schools, each with its own Dean. For the most part these schools organize and conduct academic programs individually (i.e. Bachelor's Degree Programs, Master's Degree Programs, Certificate Programs, etc.), but occasionally work cooperatively to offer interdisciplinary programs. For example, a student may pursue a degree in Psychology with Teacher Certification in Social Studies - a program that is offered jointly by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Psychology) and the College of Education and Human Services (Teacher Certification).[16]
The College of Education and Human Services also houses the Teacher Education program. Majors in other colleges with a teacher certification component are administered jointly by the Teacher Education program and the college or school responsible for the major's subject matter.[16] Within the majors the school supplies, students gain an understanding of not only the subject they strive to teach, but also the understanding of the classroom. In order to receive a degree, students must take many psychology related courses.
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State offers all liberal arts degrees. Most of the majors deal with the social sciences. Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology give students backgrounds in human adaptations to society, while Communication Sciences and Disorders, Linguistics, and Spanish/Italian give an understanding of speech related problems and languages. Other majors students could pursue include Classic and General Humanities, English, History, Justice Studies, Philosophy and Religion, and Political Science.
The College of Science and Mathematics has a wide variety of programs to choose from. Located at Richardson Hall is the Mathematics Department, the Computer Science Department, and the Chemistry Department. The Science Building, which is right next door to Richardson Hall, houses the Biology Department. Degrees are available in fields like Applied Mathematics, Information Technology, Molecular Biology, and Aquatic and Coastal Sciences. Located at Mallory Hall is the Earth and Environmental Studies Department. Degrees such as Geography, Urban Studies, Geoscience, and Environmental Studies are offered, in addition to certificate programs in Geographic Information Science and Environmental Forensics. It is also the administrative home of the interdisciplinary PhD program in Environmental Management.
The John J. Cali School of Music, part of the College of the Arts. The Cali School of Music provides a wide range of study and performance opportunities to approximately 325 undergraduate and 60 graduate students. These include undergraduate and graduate concentrations and minors, 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.[17] The school also houses the unique instruments of the late American composer and instrument builder Harry Partch.[18] In addition, the noted string quartet, the Shanghai Quartet, has been in residence at MSU since 2002.[19] Majors within the department range widely. Music and Art are the most popular majors within the department and are broken down into concentrations. Broadcast journalism and Television production are popular too and Montclair has one of the best schools in the nation for pursuing these. The Department of Theatre and Dance offers degrees in acting, dance and technical theatre.
The School of Business has several majors available for pursuing. It offers both undergraduate as well as MBA programs. One could either choose the Bachelor or Arts approach or the Bachelor of Science one. The Bachelor of Arts degree will supply degrees in Economics and Business Economics. The Bachelor of Science degree will give degrees in Marketing, Retail Merchandising & Management, Lesiure Industries & Tourism, Accounting, Finance, International Business, Management, Real Estate and some other concentrations. The MBA program is recently redesigned and offers concentrations in Accounting, Marketing, Finance, International Business, and Management. The building that houses the Business Department, Partridge Hall, is set to be replaced by a new building within the next few years. The School of Business also offers post-MBA certificate programs. The International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, published by Emerald, is edited by Dr. Avinandan Mukherjee and academically housed in the Marketing Department.
Montclair State University’s new School of Communication and Media became a reality on July 1, 2012, after years of research and development by current faculty and staff. The school unites the former departments of Communication Studies, Broadcasting, and Film making to create a program of studies that better prepares its graduates for careers in communication and media. Focused coursework, hands-on internships, and mentoring by a top-tier faculty are designed to equip students with the skills to make them more appealing to organizations and industries. In August 2012, Merrill Brown became the school’s first director. The School of Communication and Media Arts’ mission is to be an active thought leader in its field by focusing on contemporary aspects in media, training students to be future leaders in the industry, and to be a model for other schools. [20]
All of the six schools at Montclair offer Masters and/or Doctorate degrees in various fields. A good portion of the graduate degrees are within education. Some include Early Childhood Education, Educational Psychology, Teaching (Elementary, Middle, and High School), and Counseling. There are also four doctorate degrees within the teaching field, and those are in Audiology, Counselor Education, Mathematics Education, and Teacher Education and Development.
Within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, there are some graduate programs on could pursue. A few include English, History, and Spanish and Italian. However a lot of the Bachelor degree programs within the department lead to Master degree programs within the education sector.
The College of Arts has graduate degree programs in Art and Music. But if a student wants to take up Art or Music Education, the Education Department has graduate programs in it for those concentrations.
There are many Masters Degree programs in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. These include Mathematics, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics, with several concentrations. In the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Masters Degree programs include Environmental Studies and Geoscience. There is also a PhD program in Environmental Management.
The School of Business has graduate degree programs in a lot of the concentration. The most popular Master's program is the MBA program in Business Administration. There are also graduate programs in Accounting, Management, and International Business.
Athletics
Montclair State University's athletic teams have played under many names in the school's history. From the late 1920s-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. At one point in the 1980s, the school's baseball team used the cartoon Native American used by the Cleveland Indians. Finally, in 1989, in response to the growing concerns voiced by many Native Americans, the school changed its nickname to the Red Hawks, named after the Red-tailed Hawks that are indigenous to the area.
Montclair State University athletics are in the NCAA Division III in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The university currently offers the following sports:
Growth
The old campus of Montclair State consisted of College Hall, Russ Hall, Chapin Hall and Morehead Hall, all built between 1908 and 1928. Near the end of World War II, housing for returning soldiers was added; one of these buildings still stands today and houses the broadcasting department. Between 1950 and 1980, Montclair acquired a significant amount of land in Little Falls that had previously been a rock quarry, and added at least 23 buildings to its campus during that time.
Additions to the campus slowed after this, with the dormitory Blanton Hall the only major addition to campus before Montclair State began aggressively pushing growth again in the late 1990s.
Dickson Hall was dedicated to David W.D Dickson, the first African American president of Montclair State, in 1995. The Floyd Hall Arena, an ice skating rink, was built in 1998. In 1999, Science Hall was opened. In 2001, the Red Hawk Diner was added to the campus, making it the first diner on a university campus in the United States.
In recent years, MSU committed itself to a $250 million capital construction program.[22] Some major projects achieved under this program are:
MSU has once again committed itself to a new campus master plan, estimated at about $650 million in capital construction and improvements.[1] The major projects under this new program are:
Completed Projects
On-Going Projects
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 (located at the Montclair State University NJ Transit train station), and a third parking garage was recently built and opened, the CarParc Diem deck. A fourth parking may become available if the university acquires part of the Overlook building overlooking the MSU campus, which has its own large parking deck and would accommodate students and faculty members from the School of Business.
Residence facilities
The current residence facilities at Montclair State University are:
Clubs and organizations
The Student Government Association (SGA) is a student-run non-profit corporation that manages most of the clubs and organizations at Montclair State. The SGA is responsible for disbursing funds to clubs and organizations collected by the bursar's office under the Student Government Association Fee.
The 2012-2013 SGA Executive Board Consists of:
See also
Allen B. DuMont