College of New Jersey at 150: A time for celebration, The

Mercer Business, Feb 01, 2005 by Gitenstein, R Barbara

In 1855, the New Jersey State Normal School was founded with a clear and critical mandate - to train teachers for our state's public schools. That mission has broadened considerably over time and the name of the institution has also changed, but the commitment to excellence in education that began 150 years ago continues to thrive today at The College of New Jersey.

We have become a dynamic learning community and a national exemplar of what undergraduate higher education has to offer at its best. And it is only appropriate that this, our sesquicentennial year, has been marked by unprecedented achievement.

With the onset of the 2004-2005 academic year came increased public recognition of The College's evolution into one of the premier educational institutions in the nation. U.S. News & World Report, in August of 2004, named The College of New Jersey the top public institution in the northern region of the country from among the 572 schools in the magazine's "best universities-master's" category. That prestigious honor was followed less than a month later by news that Barron's Profiles of American Colleges had included TCNJ on its list of the 75 "most competitive" colleges and universities in the United States. The College of New Jersey joined the likes of Duke University, Stanford University, and the eight Ivy League schools in Barron's top category, but what was particularly impressive was TCNJ's status as the only public institution in the entire northeast to make the list. in fact, just seven statesupported institutions nationally - TCNJ, the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Florida - were named "most competitive."

These rankings have helped extend awareness of what The College of New Jersey and its graduates have accomplished. They are also confirmation that we are on the right path. By offering innovative academic programs and hiring extremely talented faculty and staff members, TCNJ has created a supportive and challenging learning environment that is appealing to academics and prospective students.

Individual members of the TCNJ community have also brought great acclaim to our school this year. Professor Beth Paul's psychological research has been featured by several major media outlets (including Newsweek and NBC's Today Show); Professor Tim Clydesdale is prominently engaged in the national debate on Affirmative Action policies; and countless other faculty members and students have been honored with prestigious citations and awards.

It its 150th year, The College of New Jersey is blossoming. And people are taking note. Just recently, an on-site evaluation team from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education offered its take on the TCNJ story. The team issued a report that stated, "TCNJ is committed to offering an undergraduate educational experience that rivals the best of what is offered by private colleges, but at a public school tuition cost and from a public school perspective ... TCNJ is an extremely dynamic institution of higher education ... an institution of remarkable achievement."

This is truly a time for celebration.