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Montclair State University is a public university located in Montclair, New Jersey. As of Fall 2004, there are about 9,600 full-time and 2,200 part-time undergraduate and 3,800 graduate students. About 80% of the students are commuters. Montclair State University is also home to one of the most diverse student populations in the whole of the United States of America with more than 100 nations being represented in its student body. As of 2005, the university had 56% White, 17% Hispanic, 10% Black, and 6% Asian. The international student population is represented by the International Student Organization.

History

Montclair State was established in 1908 as "Montclair Normal School" in response to a growing need for teachers. It was renamed "Montclair State Teachers College" in 1927, when it developed a program of educating secondary school teachers through a Bachelor of Arts degree. It became "Montclair State College" in 1958 with the introduction of an expanded curriculum to answer the increases in enrollment during the time. The university was designated as "Montclair State University" in 1994.

Schools

Montclair State is broken up into six colleges and schools: The College of Education and Human Services, The College of Humanities and Social Sciences,The College of Science and Mathematics, The School of Arts, The School of Business, and the Graduate School. All colleges and programs specialize in majors ranging from English to Molecular Biology. The Graduate School has a doctorate program called Pedagogy, a program that studies the unique fundementals of teaching. Montclair State's program is the only one in the nation.

Athletics

Montclair State University's athletic teams have gone through several nicknames in its history. From the late 1920s-30s, the school went as the "Big Red", and featured a large scarlet "M" on its uniforms. Next, the then Montclair State Teacher’s College competed as the Indians, using a logo with a Native American chief's profile with the initials "MSTC" emblazoned on the charicature's headress. The initials were changed to "MSC" when the school became Montclair State College in 1958. At one point in the 1980s, the school's baseball team used the cartoon Native American used by the Cleveland Indians. Finally, in 1989, out of respect for concerns voiced by Native Americans, the school changed its nickname to the Red Hawks, named after the Red-tailed Hawks that are indigenous to the area.

Growth of Montclair State University

Over the past 10 years, Montclair State University has been adding new buildings to the campus. The first building added was Dickson Hall in 1995, which was dedicated to David W.D Dickson, the first African American president of Montclair State. The Floyd Hall Arena, an ice skating rink, was built in 1998. In 1999, Science Hall was opened. In 2001, the Red Hawk Dinner was added to the campus, making it the first dinner on a university campus in the United States. The Village Apartments at Little Falls, a new apartment complex for students, was opened in 2003. In 2006, University Hall, the largest building on campus, was opened. In addition, the Alexander Kaiser Theater, a Children's Center, the Red Hawk Parking Deck, and the New Jersey Transit Parking Deck were built.

Future projects include a new recreation center, which is currently being built for the Fall of 2006 and a new cyber cafe attached to the library. In the Summer of 2007, the Clove Road Apartments will be replaced with new ones. Finally, Mallory Hall will be replaced with a new building. These projects are meant to put Montclair State University in a more important position in the college spectrum.

By 2008, Montclair State is projected to have 18,000 students.

Parking Problems

Like Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Montclair State University is developing a parking problem because of the increase of students and the amount of space being used to build new buildings. In order to start building University Hall in 2003, a large faculty parking lot had to be taken away. The new recreation center, which was started in 2005, took a major student parking lot away. Montclair State has tried to address the problems by building two parking decks, which are the Red Hawk Parking Deck and the New Jersey Transit Parking deck. This alievates some of the parking issues, but it requires a permit and additional fee to park in the decks not always guaranteeing a spot.

Residence Facilities

The current residence facilities at Montclair State University are as follows:

  • Blanton Hall
    • This five story coed complex houses 640 residents in mostly triple rooms connected by a bathroom. Only 4, 5, or 6 residents share each "suite" bathroom.

  • Bohn Hall
    • The tallest building at MSU, housing approximately 600 co-ed residents in double and triple rooms. Each wing has its own community bathroom facility.

  • Clove Road Apts.
    • These coed apartment units house 350 upperclassmen and the international community of MSU. Each apartment has 2 bedrooms, housing 4 or 5 residents. Each apartment has a kitchen and bathroom. This facility is slated to be demolished and replaced with a new residence facility (Summer 2007).

  • Freeman Hall
    • Housing approximately 235 coed residents, the Freeman community is home to the honors program. Residents live in a "suite" style double or triple room, in which two rooms share a bathroom.

  • Russ Hall
    • Russ Hall is a coed upperclassmen community, housing 91 residents in a "suite" style community. Russ Hall was converted from an administrative building into a residential facility in the late 1990s. It is the unknown treasure of residence at MSU.

  • Stone Hall
    • Stone Hall is the oldest continuous residence facility in operation. It houses 109 residents in a traditional residence hall layout.

  • The Village at Little Falls
    • 'Made up of four separate buildings: Williams Hall, Basie Hall, Fenwick Hall, and Alice Paul hall.
    • The newest residential apartment facility is an 848 bed apartment complex consisting of four residential buildings and a recreation/office building, many amenities such as cable, laundry facilities, fitness center and more than 500 parking spaces.

  • Webster Hall
    • MSU's only all female residence hall community houses approximately 100 residents. This three floor facility has triple rooms in "suite" style arrangements. Two triple rooms are connected by a bathroom.

Clubs and Organizations

Here is a list of some of the clubs and organizations on campus.

  • Fall Sports
    • Field Hockey
    • Football
    • Men's soccer
    • Women's soccer
    • Women's tennis
    • Volleyball

  • Winter Sports
    • Indoor Track and Field
    • Men's Basketball
    • Swimming & diving
    • Women's Basketball
    • Wrestling

  • Spring Sports
    • Baseball
    • Men's lacrosse
    • Softball
    • Track & Field
    • Women's lacrosse

  • Non-Varsity Sports
    • Ice Hockey

  • Discontinued Sports
    • Cross Country
    • Golf
    • Tennis

Distinguished alumni & persons associated with Montclair State University

External links

  • http://www.montclair.edu/
  • http://www.themontclarion.org/
  • http://www.wmscradio.com
  • http://www.flickr.com/groups/montclairstateuniversity/

Sea-grant universities | Universities and colleges in New Jersey

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Montclair State University".

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