# Centenary University

Centenary University is a private university in Hackettstown, New Jersey, United States. Founded as a preparatory school by the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1867, Centenary evolved into a Junior College for women and later a coeducational university.
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 the Edward W. Seay Administration Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

## History

Centenary University 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. It was built for $200,000. George H. Whitney, D.D., was president from 1869 to 1895.
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 during night courses. In 1988, men were allowed to attend full-time. In 1995, master's degree programs were introduced. In 2016, Centenary College was granted University status by the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education.
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.
On Halloween night, 1899, the original five-story CCI building burned to the ground in a fire. The new building termed "Old Main" (now known as the Seay Building), was designed by architect Oscar Schutte Teale in a Renaissance Beaux Arts style and built atop the ruins of the original structure in 1901. 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. As of 2020, a student-run internet radio station operates at WNTI.org.
The Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theater, has been operating on campus since 1985. In 1992, a "Women's Playwright Series" development program offered grants, workshops, prizes and world premieres for the underserved voice of women in theater. Centenary also offers an intensive musical theater program for intermediate and advanced young performers.
In 1999, Centenary founded the Center for Adult and Professional Studies program. In 2011, the program was renamed the School of Professional Studies.
In 2024 Centenary University and the Ideal Institute of Technology joined forces to offer both vocational training and higher education. This collaboration offers work-based college programs to local residents who may be underserved in their community.
Additionally, Centenary and The Patrick School (TPS), a private high school known for their nationally ranked basketball program, announced a partnership that relocated TPS to the Hackettstown campus in 2024 with students also having the option to live on campus. TPS alumni include NBA stars Kyrie Irving, Adama Sanogo, and Samuel Dalembert.

## Accreditation

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.

## Main campus and learning centers

Centenary University Main campus is located in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The Centenary Equestrian Center in Washington Township provides riding and education facilities for its Department of Equine Studies and Animal Health.

### Hackettstown Campus

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. The Seay Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1997, for its significance in architecture.

#### Buildings

* Brotherton Hall – professor's offices and classrooms
* Environmental Science Center– Located about a mile off the main campus, it is leased to Centenary by New Jeresy Fish and Wildlife as part of the Hackettstown Fish Hatchery. It includes a classroom and a laboratory.
* Ferry Building – classrooms and small music hall.
* Harris & Betts Smith Learning Center – Academic Success Center, Student Veterans Organization, Disabilities Services Office, and classrooms.
* Lackland Center – classrooms, dance studio, dining hall, Sitnik Theatre, Edith Kutz Black Box Theater, TV studio, and the WNTI Radio Studio.
* Littell Technology Center – classrooms, graphics department, and the ENACTUS office.
* Reeves Gymnasium – athletics department, gymnasium, weight room, and wrestling center.
* Seay Building – classrooms, Whitney Chapel, tutoring center, Student Activities Center, the Little Theater, Starbucks, main college offices: Admissions, Alumni Affairs, Bursar, Campus Life, Advancement, Marketing & Communications, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Information Technology, and the President's Office.
* Taylor Memorial Library – academic library, print shop, and a classroom.
* Trevorrow Hall – Science and Fashion building with classrooms and laboratories.
* Wellness Center– Health and counseling centerThe William H. and May D. Taylor Memorial Library

#### Residence halls

* Anderson Hall
* Bennett-Smith Hall – Apartment style
* Founders Hall – Apartment style
* Lotte Hall
* Reeves Hall – Freshmen students only
* Smith Hall – Freshmen and first year transfer students only
* Van Winkle Hall
* Washabaugh Hall

### Equestrian Center

The Equestrian Center is located in Washington Township, Morris County. It consists of several large paddocks, an outdoor eventing course, two indoor arenas and an outdoor arena. The United States Equestrian Team (USET) building is the main building of the equestrian center with its main offices, classrooms, a lounge, dining services, and the large indoor arena. The Equestrian Center sits on 65 acres (260,000 m$^2$) 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.

## Athletics

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. 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, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball. Two club sports are also offered: track & 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.

### Noted athletic achievements

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.
The 2010 women's soccer team won the CSAC Championship, earning them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2013 and 2016 men's soccer teams replicated this feat.

## Notable alumni and staff

* Mike Hall (bassist) (born 1989), bassist.
* Bette Cooper (1920–2017), Miss America 1937.
* Jonathan Townley Crane (1819–1880), clergyman, author, abolitionist, co-founder of the school.
* William Howe Crane (1854–1926), lawyer.
* Debbie Harry (born 1945), lead singer of Blondie.
* Cole Kimball (born 1985), pitcher drafted by the Washington Nationals.
* Carol McCain (born 1937), former wife of U.S. Senator and former 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain.
* Gail Phoebus (born 1950), politician who has represented the 24th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2015 to 2018.