William Paterson University

William Paterson University of New Jersey File:WpuSeal.gif

Type	Public University
Established	1855
President	Dr. Arnold Speert
Students	10,500
Undergraduates	8,830
Postgraduates	1,613
Location	Wayne Township , New Jersey , United States
Campus	370 acres
Colors	Orange & Black
Mascot	Pioneers
Website	www.wpunj.edu

William Paterson University is a public university located in Wayne, New Jersey, an affluent suburb of New York City. It is set on 370 wooded acres in northeast New Jersey and the campus is located just 20 miles west of New York City. The University has 10,970 students. During the Fall 2007 semester, 8,830 undergraduate students and 1,613 graduate students were enrolled. It has 1,111 full-time employees, including 373 faculty members. The average class size is 20.5 with a student to faculty ratio of about 15.0 to 1.

History

William Paterson University

The school was founded in Paterson, New Jersey in 1855 as the Paterson City Normal School to provide professional preparation for teachers. In 1875 started to provide a one year program for teachers, which later expanded into a two year program. By 1936 the school accepted those that did not intend to become teachers, later expanding offerings in nursing and business. The name of the school was changed in 1937 to the New Jersey State Teacher's College at Paterson.

In 1950 the college moved to its current hill-top location in Wayne, New Jersey. The school dropped the word "teachers" from its title in 1958 before being renamed The William Paterson College of New Jersey in 1967, in honor of the New Jersey statesman and patriot, William Paterson.

The college was renamed William Paterson University of New Jersey in 1997 after sufficiently expanding its program. In 2005 the school celebrated its' 150th year of operation.

Schools

William Paterson offers 42 undergraduate and 22 graduate programs through its five colleges: Arts and Communication, Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Health. Certification is available in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and special education. Preprofessional programs in dentistry, law, medicine, and veterinary medicine are arranged at the request of students.

Athletics

The University has 12 intercollegiate sports teams in the NCAA Division III, five for men and seven for women, including successful NCAA teams in men’s baseball and women’s softball. The men's baseball team has won the national championship of Division III baseball twice. Campus facilities include a competition-size indoor pool, outdoor tennis courts, and a lighted athletics field complex. All teams are named "The Pioneers."

The school also has four club-level sports teams, which consist of bowling, ice hockey, equestrian, and rugby.

Growth and Renovation

William Paterson has been experiencing an increase of students, causing a demand for newer facilities and expanding residence hall facilities. The most drastic and noticeable of these changes has been to the Machuga Student Center, which in 2003 began extensive renovations and additions. It was completed in the Summer of 2007.

Another addition has been the newly completed "High Mountain" Residence Halls, which took the place of incoming freshman residence halls in the Fall 2006 semester. The Towers,which had been the freshman residence halls since their completion in the mid-70's, experienced a partial shutdown in the 2006 semester due to lack of interest in staying there. The South Tower has undergone renovations while the North Tower remained open and functional for students' use.

The next project the school has in mind will be the partial-reconstruction of the Science Hall.

Parking Issues

Much like Rutgers University and Montclair State University, William Paterson has experienced a burst in student growth, which has led to parking pains. Currently, the University has only two large scale parking lots (Lots 5 and 6), however, Lot 5 is restricted to between 2:00 AM and 7:00 AM. All lots other than Lots 2 and 6 are closed between the hours of 2:01 AM and 6:59 AM. Many students, both commuters and those residing on campus, have voiced their concerns about the situation of the lack of parking, which has largely been dismissed as an issue by the President.

Academic Facilities

• Shea Center for the Performing Arts
  • Shea is the premiere auditorium of the school. It features seating for upwards of nine hundred people, a full orchestra pit, and a lifting platform under the stage to raise and lower musicians and actors to and from. Many productions are produced there every year and classes are frequently held in the lower floors for music majors.

• Hobart Hall
  • Hobart Hall is a large telecommunications education building, used primarily for TV, Radio, and Movie production classes. It features a live TV Studio, a radio station (WPSC-FM), screening and editing rooms, video/teleconferencing rooms, and is home to The Pioneer Times, the communication department newspaper.

• Coach House
  • The Coach House is the current home to the Computer Science Department

• Wightman Gym
  • Wightman Gym is the smaller of the two on-campus gymnasiums. It is used primarily for athletic and health academic courses, and can be used as a "party hall" of sorts for hosted events. It also has a large-scale pool used mainly for the swim team.

• Hunziker Hall and Hunziker Wing
  • Hunziker Hall originally started out as a local high school and was absorbed into the college campus as it grew and other facilities were built. It is used primarily for the humanities and social sciences courses. Its addition, Hunziker Wing, is used for Philosophy and includes the Academic Support Center, where one can go for tutoring. Hunziker Wing also has an auditorium for production of plays and concerts.

• Ben Shahn Center for the Visual Arts
  • The heart of the university's painting, sculpting, and liberal arts education can be found here. Many famous painters' art can be found on display in the galleries during various parts of the year, alongside students' work.

• David and Lorraine Cheng Library
  • The resident library of the university features private study rooms, an auditorium for guest speakers, and over 350,000 books and reading material. Mounted alongside the library is a live webcam where students may view the construction progress of the Machuga Student Center.

• Raubinger Hall
  • Raubinger Hall is where the executive vice president, provost, academic services, and financial aid are all located. The upper floors hold classrooms where languages, history, and anthropology are mainly taught.

• Science Hall
  • The soon to be renamed Science Hall is where all science and most mathematics classes are held. It is expected to undergo renovation or even deconstruction and rebuildment upon the Machuga Student Center's completion.

• Atrium
  • The Atrium is a large, narrow building at the front of the campus. It has four computer labs, features many professor offices, and a Graduate Studies Lounge. It also had an auditorium used mainly for lectures and important briefings by the university president.

• 1600 Valley Road
  • 1600 Valley Road is home to the Cotsakos College of Business,Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales, the E*TRADE Financial Learning Center, and is primarily used as the university's business and teaching education facility. It also has a cafeteria inside for students' use.

• Power Arts Center
  • Located on Power Avenue in Wayne, just off of Hamburg Turnpike, Power Arts is one of the newest acquisitions by the university. The building has replaced the Ben Shahn Center as the center of all studio classes. Painting, sculpture, woodworking, printmaking, and ceramics studios can be found there, along with several darkrooms for photographic use and a state-of-the art lighting studio. Power Arts Center has become something of a mecca for the fine arts majors at the college.

Administrative Buildings

• Hobart Manor
  • Originally known as Alisa Farms when first constructed, this forty room mansion originally belonged to John McCullough, a Scottish immigrant who made a fortune in the wool industry, constructed a two-story fieldstone castle with two octagonal turrets facing the valley to the East. When he returned to Scotland, the family of Garret A. Hobart, the Twenty-Fourth Vice President of the United States, who had served under William McKinley purchased the house. His son expanded the original design of the house greatly, to its' present day size. In 1948, the building was sold to the University for $200,000, which then converted most of the rooms to offices, three classrooms, and the library. During the celebration of the Bicentennial, the building was listed on the New Jersey and National Registers for Historic Places and, in recognition of its history, was renamed Hobart Manor. In 1985, the Manor was emptied and a major renovation began. Partitions were removed, and much-needed electrical and plumbing repairs were made. The leaded glass windows, beautiful marble fireplaces, and original hardwood floors were all restored. Today, the Manor houses the offices of the President, Institutional Advancement, Development, and Alumni Relations. Its refurbished public rooms include the original dining room, drawing room, library, billiards room, and central foyers. Furnished with period reproductions, the rooms once again offer a reminder of life in another era.

• Morrison Hall
  • Morrison Hall is the center for Campus Outreach activities. It is primarily used for students who are looking for jobs in the area, students looking for internships, and students interested in foregin exchange and study abroad programs.

• College Hall
  • College Hall is home to administrative offices, the Bursar and Registrar offices in particular.

• Admissions Hall
  • Located behind Hobart Hall, the admissions hall is where all things pertaining to actual admission to the university are handled.

Student Life Buildings

• Machuga Student Center

The Machuga Student Center is the heart of all student life activities. The student center is home to the on-campus bookstore, "Center Cafe" (a Starbucks with a lounge area), an arcade, a pool hall, and a table tennis room. The SGA (Student Government Association), MEISA (Music & Entertainment Industry Student Association), SABP (Student Activities Programming Board), Pioneer Times, The Beacon, and all other clubs also have offices on the second and third floors.

The Student Center as a whole has undergone renovations and remodeling between 2003-2007. The process was expected to be completed in 2004-2005, which caused much controversy when the project began lagging and hemorrhaging money. However, the Center has since been completed with a connecting walkway to Wayne Hall, three ballrooms (which may connect into one for a 2,399 person Ballroom), expanded office space, and Quiznos, Burger King, Sbarro, Sunset Strip (Primarily serving Chicken), and a Chinese Food food service area.

• Wayne Hall

Also known as "The Stalls" frequently by students due to its sub-standard cleanliness and poor food quality, is the main cafeteria for the university, it is under renovation to allow for better facilities and access. Currently, only the buffet-style section is open, including burgers, pizza, and a deli sandwich section. Food at Wayne Hall is prepared by the food catering company Sodexho.

• The Rec Center

Far larger than Wightman Gym, the Rec Center is an all-inclusive recreational facility, including a gymnasium, an exercise machine room, and various other recreational services.

Residence Halls

William Paterson features many on-campus living facilities, both old and new.

• High Mountain East and High Mountain West
  • The most recently constructed residence halls, completed in Summer 2006 feature card-key locking mechanisms on the doors. They are designed to accommodate 372 students.

• The Towers
  • The North and South Tower complex were originally the complex for the housing typically of sophomore and freshman students. The North Tower can hold 526 students while the South Tower can hold 486. Currently, due to lack of interest and budget cuts, the South Tower is closed for renovation.

• Hillside Hall
  • Hillside Hall currently holds all students, but is typically for upperclassmen. It can hold 247 students.

• Century Hall
  • Century Hall currently holds all students, but is typically reserved for upperclassmen. It can hold 287 students, and features an in-hall "W Store" which is the campus' convenience store. It is also the only fully serviceable residence hall all year round.

• White Hall
  • White Hall is currently open to students that are of age 21 or older, due to the alcohol permittance in this building. It is a smaller residence hall, holding only 73 students.

• Matelson Hall
  • Matelson Hall is currently open to students with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Its current capacity is 138 students. The fourth floor is typically reserved for biology, nursing, and health majors as a quiet study floor, due to the intensity of these areas of study.

• Pioneer and Heritage Halls
  • Commonly referred to simply as "The Apartments", Pioneer Hall and Heritage Hall are reserved for upperclassmen age 21 or older, or age 20 and have obtained at least 58 credits of study (thus attaining Junior status.)

"Notable" alumni

• Raymond Arthur, president of Toysrus.com
• Kevin Burkhardt, on-air Personality and Jets Beat Reporter for Sports Radio 660AM, WFAN
• Wendy Coakley-Thompson, writer, Back to Life (novel).
• Christos Cotsakos, former CEO of E*TRADE Group
• Rod Daniels, Anchorman for WBAL Channel 11 in Baltimore.
• Horace Jenkins, former NBA player
• Clinton Wheeler, former NBA player
• Dan Pasqua, Major League Baseball player
• William Pesce, president and CEO of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Joseph D. Pistone, class of 1965, a.k.a "Donnie Brasco", FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family
• Eileen Scott, CEO of Pathmark Stores, Inc.
• Ian Ziering, class of 1987, cast of Beverly Hills 90210
• Tom Fitzgerald (Reporter), journalist, emmy award winner
• Dick Vitale, legendary sports broadcaster, (Graduate Degree)
• Cora-Ann Mihalik, broadcast anchor/journalist
• Tiffany Riddick, background vocalist for Beyonce
• Eric Alexander, jazz musician
• Joe Louis Clark, Former principal of Eastside High School, Paterson, NJ

External links

• William Paterson University website
• William Paterson University SHRM