New Jersey City University - History

History

1927: The New Jersey State Normal School at Jersey City was chartered. The institution was built to accommodate 1,000 students and an eight-room demonstration school in its one building, Hepburn Hall, on 10 acres (40,000 m2) on what was then Hudson Boulevard.

1935: The name was changed to New Jersey State Teachers College at Jersey City. The institution was authorized to offer a four-year teacher education program and award the bachelor of science degree in education.

1936: A degree program in health education and nursing was initiated in cooperation with the Jersey City Medical Center for the training of school nurses.

1958: New Jersey State Teachers College at Jersey City became Jersey City State College and was authorized to award the bachelor of arts degree.

1959: The institution began to offer the master of arts in elementary education.

1968: Jersey City State College became a multipurpose institution, authorized to develop a liberal arts program and to enlarge its teacher preparation programs.

1985: The institution was awarded a $5.7 million Governor’s Challenge Grant for an expanded Cooperative Education Program, which would serve all academic majors. From that time, Jersey City State College was known as New Jersey’s premier cooperative education college.

1998: The New Jersey Commission on Higher Education approved a petition submitted by the JCSC Board of Trustees requesting that the institution be granted university status and renamed New Jersey City University. The University was restructured into three colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, and Professional Studies.

2003: NJCU joined with the City of Jersey City, the Jersey City Board of Education, and New Jersey Transit to collaborate on Jersey City Bayfront Plan. New Jersey City University West Campus Redevelopment Plan, a part of this huge project and NJCU is a major player in this University-Community Partnership.

2012: After 19 years, NJCU President Carlos Hernandez will retire. Under his watch, three new buildings were erected, and the College became a University in 1998.