William Paterson University
William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American judge William Paterson, William Paterson is the third-oldest of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey. William Paterson offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees through its five academic colleges. During the fall 2021 semester, 5,838 undergraduate students and 3,100 graduate students were enrolled. History. William Paterson University was founded in 1855 as the Paterson City  Normal School. For more than a century, training teachers for New Jersey schools was its exclusive mission. In 1951, the University moved to the present campus. Originally known as Ailsa Farms, the site was purchased by the State of New Jersey in 1948 from the family of Garret Hobart, twenty-fourth vice president of the United States. The original manor house was built in 1877 in the style of a castle, and was the home of John McCullough, a Scottish immigrant who made a fortune in the wool industry. It was later purchased, enlarged and made the weekend retreat and  summer residence of the Hobart family. Today the building is known as Hobart Manor and is home of the Office of the President and the Office of Institutional Advancement. Hobart Manor was designated a national and state landmark in 1976. The university changed its name to Paterson State Teachers College when it relocated from Paterson in 1951. In 1966, the curriculum was expanded to include degree offerings other than those leading to a teaching career. In 1971, it was renamed William Paterson College of New Jersey. The change of name honored William Paterson, who was the state's first senator , its second governor, and a United States Supreme Court Justice appointed by President George Washington, and reflected both the institution's beginnings in the city that also bears his name and the legislative mandate to move from a teachers' college to a broad-based liberal arts institution. The Commission on Higher Education granted William Paterson university status in June 1997. Dr. Richard J. Helldobler, former interim president of Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois, became the eighth president of William Paterson University. He took office July 1, 2018 to replace the retiring Kathleen Waldron, who had served as the school 's president since August 2010. In August 2021, William Paterson University signed an agreement with Academic Partnerships, an online program manager. In November 2021, hundreds of workers and students protested planned layoffs at the school following a $30 million budget shortfall. Academics. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, National Association of Schools of Art and Design, National Association of Schools of Music, and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, among others . It is organized into five academic colleges: College of Arts and Communication, Cotsakos College of Business, College of Education, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and College of Science and Health, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. "U.S. News & World Report" in its 2018 edition of Best Colleges ranks the university as number 102 of Regional Universities North with an Overall Score of 49/100.0. Campus. William Paterson University is on a hilly, wooded campus in northern New Jersey in the suburban township of Wayne. The campus is located along the eastern town line of Wayne, and borders on High Mountain  Preserve, a forested area, as well as the boroughs of Haledon and North Haledon, nearly of wetlands and woodlands, and is west of the historic Great Falls in Paterson. New York City is to the east, the Jersey Shore is an hour's drive south, skiing is north, and the Meadowlands Sports Complex is a half-hour drive away. Facilities. William Paterson University's buildings include: Student life. Residential life. The university provides housing for nearly 2,600 students in ten residence halls, including two that opened in 2006. Two residence halls, High Mountain East and West, offer learning communities in  collaboration with the University's Honors College, and feature smart classrooms that are used as part of the living/learning experience. With accommodations ranging from double room suites to apartments, the University's modern, smoke-free buildings range in size from 100 to 400 students and are coed by suite, with four residents sharing a suite or apartment. First-year students start out in traditional residence halls such as Overlook South and North, Hillside Hall, White Hall, Matelson Hall, and Century Hall, while upper-class students and older transfer students experience the added independence of the apartments, Pioneer Hall and  Heritage Hall. The newest residence hall, Skyline Hall, completed construction in 2019. Organizations and campus activities. Offering an active campus experience for both resident and commuter students, William Paterson University hosts 24 fraternities and sororities and more than 70 clubs and organizations, as well as intramural and recreational activities, peer education, and leadership programs. William Paterson University's Club Sports include Cheerleading, Bowling, Equestrian, Ice Hockey, Rugby, Dance and Track. William Paterson has been nationally recognized for its alcohol prevention program, which requires freshmen and transfer students to take AlcoholEdu, an online alcohol prevention course to educate students about the  consequences of alcohol abuse. In addition, student workers serve as peer health advocates and help to spread the message to their peers about the need to take a responsible approach to alcohol. William Paterson is also an active member in the New Jersey Higher Education Consortium on Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Education. WPSC 88.7 Brave New Radio, William Paterson's student-run radio station, is the headquarters for College Radio Day, an effort to celebrate the importance of college radio. In 2012, more than 500 college radio stations in 20 countries participated in the event. In 2018, sorority  student Jasmine Barkley, who had been elected to the Greek student senate, posted a video along with a white female student from Penn State University, in which she used the n-word in an apparent song; she later posted a video saying that her video was not racist, but the school's administration issued a statement condemning her action. Athletics. The university has 13 intercollegiate sports teams in the NCAA Division III, six for men and seven for women, including NCAA teams in men's baseball and women's softball. The William Paterson University Pioneers compete in Division III of  the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as well as in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The Faculty Athletic Support Team (FAST) was established in 2013 by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, The Office of the Provost, and a number of faculty members, to create a formalized program to enhance communication and serve a resource to assist student-athletes with retention, success and growth. Cultural events, lectures, conferences, and art. WP Presents! is the university portal to information about performing arts programs produced and presented by the College of The Arts and Communication . University Performing Arts and University Galleries administrate programs in creative and performing arts including the Jazz Room Series, New Jersey Playwrights Contest, and all public productions in the Shea Center for Performing Arts and the Hunziker Black Box Theatre. Cultural events take place on campus throughout the year, including theater productions, gallery exhibits, and concerts presenting jazz, classical, and contemporary music.