Former names | Centenary Collegiate Institute (1867–1940) Centenary Junior College (1940–1956) Centenary College for Women (1956–1976) Centenary College (1976–2016) [1] |
---|---|
Motto | Eruditio Vera |
Motto in English | True Learning |
Type | Private university |
Established | 1867 |
Founder | Jonathan Townley Crane |
Religious affiliation | United Methodist Church |
Endowment | $16.3 million (2021) [2] |
President | Dale G. Caldwell [3] |
Academic staff | 62 full-time and 150 part-time |
Undergraduates | 936 |
Postgraduates | 462 |
Location | , New Jersey , United States |
Campus | Suburban, 42 acres (Main Campus), 65 acres (Equestrian Center) |
Colors | Centenary Blue and Grey |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – Atlantic East |
Mascot | Cyclone |
Website | www |
Centenary Collegiate Institute | |
Coordinates | 40°50′57″N74°49′57″W / 40.84917°N 74.83250°W |
Area | 4.3 acres (1.7 ha) |
NRHP reference No. | 97000564 [4] |
NJRHP No. | 3496 [5] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 13, 1997 |
Designated NJRHP | April 21, 1997 |
Centenary University is a private university in Hackettstown, New Jersey, United States. Founded as a preparatory school by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1867, [6] Centenary evolved into a Junior College for women and later a coeducational university. [7]
Situated in suburban Warren County, New Jersey, 52 miles west of New York City, 35 miles southeast of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and 26 miles northeast of Easton, Pennsylvania, the school's main campus is identifiable by "Old Main," now known as the Edward W. Seay Administration Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [8]
Centenary was founded as the Centenary Collegiate Institute (CCI) by what was then known as the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1867. The name was chosen to commemorate the centennial of Methodism in the United States. [9] It was built for $200,000. George H. Whitney, D.D., was president from 1869 to 1895. [10]
Beginning as a coeducational preparatory school, CCI became a girls-only institution in 1910. In 1940, it became a junior college: Centenary Junior College. It would subsequently become Centenary College for Women in 1956 before becoming Centenary College in 1976, a four-year college for women offering associate and bachelor's degrees, with men allowed to pursue degrees only at night courses. In 1988, men were allowed to attend full-time. In 1995, master's degree programs were introduced. [9] In 2016, Centenary College was granted University status by the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education. [11]
In 1886, a 19-year-old kitchen worker at CCI named Tillie Smith was "outraged" and murdered in a field just off campus. A janitor at CCI named James Titus was convicted of the crime based on circumstantial evidence strongly influenced by yellow journalism. Authors and historians generally consider this a false conviction, but the debate over the facts continues perennially through dark tourism ghost tours, theatrical performances, books and Weird NJ magazine articles. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
On Halloween night, 1899, the original five-story CCI building burned to the ground in a fire. [19] [20] Old Main (now known as the Seay Building), was designed by architect Oscar Schutte Teale in a Renaissance Beaux Arts style [21] and built on the ruins of the original structure in 1901. [8] Only two buildings survived the fire, the men's gymnasium (now the Little Theater of the Seay Building) and the women's gymnasium (now the Ferry Building).
In 1957, a student-run college radio station, WNTI, began broadcasting on campus. Eventually becoming an NPR affiliate serving the regional community with an adult album rock format, the FM transmitter was sold to University of Pennsylvania-based WXPN in 2015. [22] [23] [24] As of 2020, a student-run internet radio station operates at WNTI.org. [25]
The Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theater, has been operating on campus since 1985. [26] [27] In 1992, a "Women's Playwright Series" development program offered grants, workshops, prizes and world premieres for the underserved voice of women in theater. [28] [29] Centenary also offers an intensive musical theater program for intermediate and advanced young performers. [30] [31]
In 1999, Centenary founded the Center for Adult and Professional Studies program. In 2011, the program was renamed the School of Professional Studies. [7]
In 2019, Centenary reported enrollment of 1,119 students. [32]
Centenary University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. Some programs at Centenary are accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, Council on Social Work Education, or International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. [7]
Centenary University Main campus is located in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The Centenary Equestrian Center in Long Valley provides riding and education facilities for its Equine Studies and Animal Health Department . [33]
The main campus of Centenary University is home to most of the school's academic, administrative, athletic and collegiate activities, as well as housing for its undergraduate students. It consists of ten main buildings and eight residence buildings. [34] The Seay Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1997, for its significance in architecture. [8]
The Equestrian Center is located in Long Valley, New Jersey. It consists of several large paddocks, an outdoor eventing course, two indoor arenas and one outdoor arena. The Equestrian Center sits on 65 acres (260,000 m2) of land.
In 2007 and 2012, Centenary Equestrian Center hosted the American National Riding Commission Championships, the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone Finals, and the Intercollegiate Dressage Association Championships. [38]
Centenary University teams participate in fourteen NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports. The Cyclones compete in the Atlantic East Conference, joining in the 2021-22 season, becoming the first non-Catholic member institution. [39] The Cyclones previously competed in the Colonial States Athletic Conference, joining in the 2007–08 season after being a member of the Skyline Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, equestrian, lacrosse, soccer and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, equestrian, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball. Three club sports are also offered in flag football, track and field, and women's wrestling. Students enrolled in the college's Equine programs may participate in competitions through intercollegiate organizations such as the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, the Intercollegiate Dressage Association, or with the Hunter/Jumper's Club. [40]
In 2009 Centenary's Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team won the National Championships in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Lindsay Clark, a Centenary Student, also won the USEF/Cacchione Cup. [41]
The 2010 women's soccer team won the CSAC Championship, [42] earning them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.[ citation needed ] The 2013 and 2016 men's soccer teams replicated this feat. [42]
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is perhaps best known as the home to the US headquarters of Mars, Inc.. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 10,248, an increase of 524 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 9,724, which in turn reflected a decline of 679 (−6.5%) from the 10,403 counted in the 2000 census.
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Once out of Madison High School, from which he graduated in 2008, Hall studied both criminal justice and political science at Centenary University in Hackettstown.