Drew University is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

faith, Drew University does not impose any religious requirements on its students.

History

19th century

In 1866, railroad " robber baron"

Daniel Drew Daniel Drew (July 29, 1797 – September 18, 1879) was an American businessman, steamship and railroad developer, and financier, one of the " robber barons" of the Gilded Age. Summarizing his life, Henry Clews wrote: "Of all the great oper ...

approached church leaders during the Methodist Centenary Celebration with an offer to build, equip, and endow a

theological seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

near

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.Drew University
Presidents of Drew University: John McClintock
Retrieved October 13, 2013. Adapted from Joy, James Richard (editor). ''The Teachers of Drew, 1867–9142, A Commemorative Volume issued on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of Drew Theological Seminary, October 15, 1942'' (Madison, New Jersey: Drew University, 1942). Drew asked that his pastor, John McClintock, be appointed to lead the seminary as its first president. Instruction began under the direction of McClintock as both president and professor of

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

after the first students were admitted in 1867. Drew is the third-oldest of thirteen Methodist seminaries affiliated with the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

.General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Theological Schools
Retrieved October 13, 2013. Drew offered professional training for candidates to the ministry augmented by "an opportunity for a broad culture through the study of the humanities." The seminary attracted a faculty that made influential contributions to Methodist theology and biblical scholarship, including James Strong, a professor of exegetical theology, who collaborated with McClintock on the ten-volume ''Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature'' (1867–1881), and researched, compiled, and published '' Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible'' (1890) during his tenure at the seminary.Drew University
"James Strong, A.B., A.M., S.T.D., LL.D., Professor of Exegetical Theology, 1868–1894"
Retrieved October 13, 2013. Adapted from Joy, James Richard (editor). ''The Teachers of Drew, 1867–9142, A Commemorative Volume issued on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of Drew Theological Seminary, October 15, 1942'' (Madison, New Jersey: Drew University, 1942). Writings on early church theology and Christian practice were translated into Chinese for use by foreign missions.General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church
Drew University, The Theological School
(2013). Retrieved October 13, 2013.

20th century

Drew Theological Seminary faculty c1880s

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Drew Theological Seminary educated and trained hundreds of Methodist ministers. It began to expand its role with the addition of a course of study for women in 1920 when it established a "College of Missions."Drew University
A Short History of Drew University
citing Cunningham, John T. ''University in the Forest: The Story of Drew University'' 3rd Edition (Florham Park, New Jersey: Afton Publishing, 2002). Retrieved October 23, 2013. This course would be renamed the "College of Religious Education and Missions" in 1929 but was short-lived. In 1928, Drew Theological Seminary accepted a gift of $1.5 million from brothers Arthur J. Baldwin and Leonard D. Baldwin to establish an undergraduate liberal arts college. The Baldwins were successful attorneys who were raised on a farm in

Cortland, New York Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a dec ...

. Both brothers attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

.Cunningham, John T
"Baldwin Brothers and Brothers College"
originally published in ''Drew Magazine'' (Winter 1999). Retrieved October 23, 2013. Cunningham states they studied law at Columbia, but no other source substantiates that.Knox, Herman W. (editor).
Who's Who in New York: A Biographical Dictionary of Prominent Citizens of New York City and State. Seventh Edition, 1917–1918
'. (New York: Who's Who Publications, Inc., 1918), 44, 46. They established a law firm with former New Jersey governor John Griggs spanning "varied interests in lumbering, manufacturing, transportation, and other enterprises that ranged from owning the Grosvenor Hotel in New York City to Arthur's legal counseling for the rising McGraw-Hill publishing empire." The Baldwins became acquainted with the seminary's president, Ezra Squier Tipple, who "welcomed the brothers to his prominent New York City Methodist Church when they came to Manhattan." Leonard Baldwin eventually became a trustee of the seminary in 1919. The donation originally consisted of $500,000 to build a college building, and $1,000,000 in the form of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) stock. However, the Baldwins exchanged the stock with a gift of cash in October 1928. In their modesty and in recognition of their sibling affection, the Baldwins asked that it be named "Brothers College." The theological seminary then changed its name to "Drew University" to reflect its expanded role. Brothers College, later renamed as the "College of Liberal Arts", opened in September 1928 with its first class of 12 students. Brothers College would incorporate the women's program and become coeducational in 1942 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when school officials recognized that the military draft and war effort would reduce the all-male student body. Drew offered admission to

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

personnel through the

V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...

. Drew was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the program which offered students a path to a naval officers' commission. In 1912, Drew began offering graduate-level education. The university expanded its graduate education programs, focusing on religious studies and establishing the Graduate School, a third of Drew's degree-granting entities, in 1955, under the leadership of the university's seventh president, Fred Holloway. Holloway also delivered on goals set during previous administrations, overseeing the renovation and rebuilding of the Drew campus, including the Baldwin Gymnasium and several dormitories. Four years later, it would expand the curriculum into other areas of the humanities. The Graduate School was renamed as the "Caspersen School of Graduate Studies" after a pledge of $5,000,000 in 1999 by financier Finn M. W. Caspersen and his wife (and Drew alumna) Barbara Morris Caspersen. With financial assistance from the Mellon Foundation, the college established a freshman seminar program during the 1970s, which allows first-year students to participate, with faculty who also serve as their academic advisers, in intensive study of a topic of hopefully mutual interest. Interdisciplinary study became a focus of the curriculum, with the creation of majors in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

and minors in such fields as

American studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, History of the United States, history, Society of the United States, society, and Culture of the Unit ...

and

museology Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...

, dance, and writing. In 1984, psychology professors Philip Jensen and Richard Detweiler led an effort to provide a personal computer and application software to all incoming freshman, a program referred to as the "Computer Initiative". Drew was the first liberal arts college to have such a requirement. The Computer Initiative differentiated Drew from other liberal arts colleges, and continued until 2012, by which time most entering students had their own computers or wished to select their own model. Outsideclass

After serving two terms as New Jersey's 48th governor, Thomas Kean was appointed as Drew's tenth president in 1990. He served for 15 years before retiring in 2005. As president, Kean raised Drew's profile, overseeing fundraising efforts that tripled the size of the university's endowment, adding new faculty in African, Asian, Russian, and Middle Eastern studies, significantly increased opportunities for students to study abroad, increased applications from prospective students, and committed more than $60 million to construction of new buildings and renovation of older buildings—principally student residence halls.

21st century

After Kean's retirement, the trustees selected Robert Weisbuch, former president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, as Drew's eleventh president in 2005. He served for seven years, and stepped down in June 2012. Under Weisbuch's direction, Drew became SAT-optional. From 2006 to 2013, applicants were allowed to submit a graded high school essay instead of SAT or ACT scores. In 2013, the university reinstated the SAT (or ACT) as an admission requirement, and changed course two years later in 2015, making it optional once again. MaryAnn Baenninger became the president of Drew University in July 2014 after serving 10 years as the president of the College of Saint Benedict. She succeeded Vivian A. Bull, a former economics professor and associate dean of the college at Drew and former president of

Linfield College Linfield University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with campuses in McMinnville, Oregon, McMinnville, and Portland, Oregon. Linfield Wildcats athletics participate in the Northwest ...

, who served as Drew's interim president from 2012 to 2014. In 2015, the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

was shared by William Campbell, a research fellow at Drew University, for his work developing a drug that treats parasitic diseases. Undergraduate tuition, room and board for the 2017–2018 academic year was $62,000 (excluding books, personal expenditures, and health insurance), making Drew among the most expensive private universities in New Jersey.Cost of Attendance
, Drew University. Retrieved September 13, 2017. In September 2017, the school announced that it was cutting the list price of its tuition for the 2018–2019 school year by 20%, from $48,300 to $36,600, as part of an effort to make the school more appealing to prospective students who had been deterred by the sticker price, which had been one of the state's highest. In May 2020, the university's board of trustees announced that President Baenninger would step down at the conclusion of her contract on July 31, 2020. In July, the school's search committee announced the appointment of Thomas J. Schwarz as interim president, beginning on August 1, 2020. Schwarz had previously served as president of Purchase College, SUNY, from 2002 to 2019 and was named President Emeritus of Purchase College shortly following his retirement. On February 8, 2023 the University announced the appointment of its fifteenth president, Hilary L. Link, former president of

Allegheny College Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1815, Allegheny is the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is a member of the G ...

Campus

Drew University is located in Madison, New Jersey, a borough approximately west of

.Caldwell, Dave
"Living in Madison, N.J.; A Town Right Out of Central Casting"
in ''The New York Times'' (June 15, 2008). Retrieved October 13, 2013. Known as "the Rose City" because of its rose-cultivating industry in the 19th century, Madison is an affluent commuter town in New Jersey's Morris County. It is connected with the northern section of the state and

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

through the NJ Transit's Morris & Essex Lines. The university hosts the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, an independent professional theatre company. The university sits on the former estate of William Gibbons, who owned the New York–New Jersey steamboat business that became famous from the '' Gibbons v. Ogden'' case, and who pieced together a estate in Madison, New Jersey in 1832. He named his holdings "The Forest," which gives Drew its nickname of the "University in the Forest". The following year, Gibbons commissioned the design and construction of a

Greek revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

antebellum-style residence that was completed in 1836. In 1867, financier and railroad tycoon

purchased Gibbons' estate from his descendants for $140,000.Drew University
"A Brief History of Mead Hall"
. Retrieved October 13, 2013.Cunningham, John T. ''Images of America: Madison'' (Dover, New Hampshire: Arcadia Publishing, 1998), 19, 31. A devout

, Drew donated the estate to the church to establish a Methodist theological seminary. The estate's mansion would be renamed

Mead Hall Among the early Germanic peoples, a mead hall or feasting hall was a large building with a single room intended to receive guests and serve as a center of community social life. From the fifth century to the Early Middle Ages such a building was t ...

in honor of Drew's wife, Roxanna Mead. Drew's academic buildings feature a mix of Greek Revival, Collegiate Gothic, and neoclassical architecture on a campus that is a serene, wooded oasis in the middle of a bustling suburban town. The campus features the Drew Forest Preserve, an expanse that was recently restored with the planting of 1,100 native trees and shrubs by the university community and volunteer assistance from pharmaceutical manufacturer

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

, a large and local employer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Jersey Audubon Society.Parke, John
Stewardship Blog: "Reforestation and a Partnership Grows at Drew University"
, New Jersey Audubon Society (June 10, 2011). Retrieved October 13, 2013. The university's campus also features the Florence and Robert Zuck Arboretum, named for two botany faculty members, containing a mixture of native and non-native trees, plants and two small glacial ponds supporting populations of turtles, goldfish,

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

, and

muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

s, and various species of birds including migratory fowl such as

Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North ...

, ducks, and

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

s. The preserve and

arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

both provide a natural laboratory for the instruction of students in the study of biology and life sciences and for research, but is also open to the public by appointment. According to the New Jersey chapter of the Audubon Society, the arboretum and forest preserve is "important for

groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in ...

and runoff reduction within the

Passaic River The Passaic River ( or ) is a river, approximately long, in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburb ...

watershed and the Buried Valley Aquifer System".

In popular culture

In films, the Drew University campus appears in '' So Fine'' (1981), '' Deconstructing Harry'' (1997), '' The Family Stone'' (2005), '' Spinning into Butter'' (2008), , '' The Incredible Hulk'' (2008) and "Insidious: The Red Door" (2023) In television, Drew University features prominently in Season 1, Episode 5 of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', titled "

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

", which initially aired on February 7, 1999. In the episode, Drew's

appears, substituting for

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...

, Colby College, and

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

in Maine. In an episode of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

series " Friday Night Lights", which aired November 19, 2008, several Drew University campus locations appear, including Asbury Hall and S.W. Bowne Hall.

Academics

Undergraduate admissions

In 2024, Drew University accepted 72.7% of applicants, with those admitted having an average 3.1 GPA. Drew University is a test optional school and those submitting test scores had an average 1230

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and Test score, scoring have changed several times. For much of its history, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test ...

score (32% submitting scores) or average 27 ACT score (4% submitting scores).

Rankings

For 2024, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Drew University tied for No.83 out of 211 National Liberal Arts Colleges and tied for No.8 in Top Performers on Social Mobility. In 2024, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine primarily covering United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine also publishes an annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which ser ...

'' ranked Drew 57th among 194 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.

Accreditation and affiliations

Drew University is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

. Drew was first accredited in 1932. Since 1938, the theological seminary at Drew has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.Drew University. See the section on "Accreditation" a
Theological School Admissions – Degree Program Information
Retrieved October 16, 2013.The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada – The Commission on Accrediting
Member Schools: Drew University Theological School
Retrieved October 17, 2013. Drew's accreditation is scheduled for a comprehensive evaluation in 2020–2021 for renewal. Drew's MAT program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation. All of the university's programs are approved and accredited by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the

University Senate An academic senate, sometimes termed faculty senate, academic board or simply senate, is a governing body in some universities and colleges, typically with responsibility for academic matters and primarily drawing its membership from the academic ...

of the United Methodist Church. Drew is one of 119 institutions that are members of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of The United Methodist Church (NASCUMC).

Undergraduate programs

Drew University offers programs leading to the traditional undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science through its College of Liberal Arts. Traditional core liberal arts courses are required of Drew students within a general education curriculum that allows them to shape an individual academic program. Drew's programs emphasize depth, independent research,

experiential learning Experiential learning (ExL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more narrowly defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students ...

, and collaborative teaming. A declared minor is required in the general education program, and students choose from structured disciplinary and interdisciplinary offerings, or may design a minor course of study, subject to faculty approval. The university provides undergraduate major concentrations in 50 academic areas and an additional 20 minor concentrations. The ''

Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981, and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

'' has consistently ranked Drew as having a top 20 theatre program in the United States since 2011. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were: *Business Administration and Management (43) *Psychology (37) *Biology/Biological Sciences (36) *Communication and Media Studies (26) *Economics (23) *Fine/Studio Arts (21) *Computer Science (21) Key programs available to undergraduate students include: * Semester on Wall Street: an 8-credit program where 20 students attend classes twice a week in New York City at St. John's University, located in the Financial District. Students have guest lecturers from the various banks, organizations, and financial agencies. * Semester on the United Nations: an 8-credit program where 20 students attend classes twice a week in New York City in the Church Center, directly across from UN Headquarters. Students have guest lecturers from the

UN Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the agenda for the deliberative and decision-making bodi ...

and NGOs, and attend meetings of the

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...

. * Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (RISE): selected students engage in research under the supervision of retired industrial scientists. * Drew Summer Science Institute: an on-campus summer program that pairs approximately 15 Drew students with faculty mentors for an intensive experience working full-time on a research project. * New York Semester on Contemporary Art: an 8-credit program where students meet weekly to discuss timely issues, and then visit New York City

art museums An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

two days a week. * London Semester: a 16-credit program where students explore political and social change in Great Britain.

Graduate programs

Graduate education Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelo ...

has taken place at Drew University since 1912. Initially, graduate education was limited to theology and was conducted through the Theological School. In 1955, the Graduate School was established to take responsibility for the academic (i.e., non-ministerial) study of religion at the graduate level and allow for the development of new graduate programs. In 1999, in exchange for a private donation made by Barbara and Finn Caspersen, the school was renamed the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. In 2006, the Graduate Division of Religion, which includes programs in

biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

and

early Christianity Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the History of Christianity, historical era of the Christianity, Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Spread of Christianity, Christian ...

, historical studies, religion & society, and theological & philosophical studies, was moved from the Graduate School to the Theological School. The transition was made to reflect current trends in the academic study of religion. In 2006, the school created a Master of Arts in Teaching program, In recent years, the school has also added Master of Education, Master of Finance, and data analytics degrees. the Graduate School offered 10-degree programs, including an earned

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

degree. In February 2022, it was announced that the university would halt admissions to their PhD program in History & Culture.

Theological degree programs

Drew Theological School admitted its first students in 1867. Until the 1950s, the school was known as the Drew Theological Seminary, and most students sought a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

(B.Div.) degree, which was considered the standard for becoming a minister in an established church. Occasionally, the seminary did issue other degrees, such a Master of Arts (MA) or a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

(Th.D.) to students engaged in the graduate study of religion. Starting in 1920 women were admitted as students, and most notably Olive Winchester was issued a Doctor of Theology in 1925, and became the first female ordained minister in Great Britain. The school is often noted for its strong ties to Korean Methodism. The Rev. Henry Appenzeller, a graduate of the Theological School, became the first Christian missionary to Korea. He worked to establish the Korean Methodist Church, schools and universities, and he translated the Bible into Korean. Henry Appenzeller maintained relationships with members of the Drew community following his graduation in the year 1885. As a result of his work and his connection to Drew, in 2016, members of the Chungdong First Methodist Church in Seoul, South Korea, started in 1887 by Appenzeller, visited Drew and donated a bronze bust of their patron, located outside the Theological School building. the Theological School's matriculating class includes many students from South Korea. One of the 13 official seminaries of the

, the Theological School prepares those pursuing ministry in the United Methodist Church. The student body also includes students preparing for ministry in other Christian denominations, and those from other faith communities. As of 2019, the Theological School offers six different degree programs. In October 2018, the school launched the "Drew Social Justice Leadership Project" which allows students, partners and professors to express their thoughts, and share their experience regarding social justice issues in an accessible way.

Rose Memorial Library and Methodist Archives

Built in 1938 with funds donated by Lenox S. Rose, the Rose Memorial Library houses the university's library collections offering 558,000 bound volumes, more than 378,000

microform A microform is a scaled-down reproduction of a document, typically either photographic film or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original d ...

s, 10,000 periodical titles in electronic database subscriptions, and about 2,700 periodical subscriptions in paper form. The facility also includes a media resource center and learning center. The library has been designated a selective depository for U.S. government publications in accordance with the

Federal Depository Library Program The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is a government program created to make Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. there are 1,114 depository libraries in the U ...

. Drew also maintains collections of official documents from the United Nations and the state of New Jersey. There are over 400,000 documents in the collection.Drew University
Policies and Regulations
Retrieved November 23, 2013. Drew University houses the United Methodist Archives and History Center administered by the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. This collection is among the most comprehensive collections of Methodist books, documents and artifacts in the world offering insight into eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English and American religious and cultural history. Special Collections at Drew University cover a wide range of materials from the 11th century to the present. Topics include religious materials such as hymnbooks, prayer books, and Bibles, as well as non-religious materials such as witchcraft, literature, graphic novels, and science fiction magazines. Most notably, the collection holds a first edition of the King James Bible. The library's special collections include a collection of books, manuscripts, artifacts and papers of Nebraska-born author

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', ''The Song of the Lark (novel), The Song of the Lark'', a ...

(1873–1947). This collection, which is regarded as the best collection of Cather's papers assembled in the United States, was given to the university by several donors, including Frederick B. Adams, former director of the

Pierpont Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...

; Earl and Achsah Brewster, longtime friends of Cather; violinist

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

; and by Finn and Barbara Caspersen.

Athletics

Originally known as "The Circuit Riders" in honor of their

origins, Drew's sports teams are known as the Rangers and compete in

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

. The Rangers field 20 teams (11 female, 9 male) in 12 varsity sports. Drew is a member of the Landmark Conference for men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, baseball, field hockey, and softball. The Rangers compete as an independent in men's and women's fencing, which compete in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association (MACFA), the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) and the Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC), and co-ed equestrian, which competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). Drew offers many club teams including ultimate frisbee and Drew's women's and men's rugby teams, which are part of the collegiate division of the Empire Geographical Union. Drew has several intramural sports programs.

Notable people

In the university's 146-year history, Drew's faculty and alumni have taken leading roles in the ministry and missions of the United Methodist Church and other Christian denominations, in spiritual instruction, in academia, in public service, and in the professional world. Drew's faculty, starting with John McClintock and James Strong—especially with his magnum opus, ''

Strong's Concordance ''The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible'', generally known as Strong's Concordance, is a Bible concordance, an index of every word in the King James Version (KJV), constructed under the direction of American theologian James Strong. Strong fi ...

''—to recent faculty members including philosopher Robert S. Corrington, the founder of "ecstatic naturalism"; ethics professor Thomas C. Oden, the founder of

paleo-orthodoxy Paleo-orthodoxy (from Ancient Greek :wikt:παλαιός, παλαιός "ancient" and Koine Greek :wikt:ορθοδοξία, ὀρθοδοξία "correct belief") is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, Christian theological movement in ...

, and Leonard Sweet, a leader in the emerging church movement, have continued to impact Christian theology and spiritual scholarship. Other faculty have included lexicographer Robert L. Chapman, editor of the fourth and fifth editions of ''

Roget's Thesaurus ''Roget's Thesaurus'' is a widely used English-language thesaurus, created in 1805 by Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869), British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer. History It was released to the public on 29 April 1852. Roget was ...

'';

Ira Progoff Ira Progoff (August 2, 1921 – January 1, 1998) was an American psychotherapist, best known for his development of the Intensive Journal Method while at Drew University. His main interest was in depth psychology and particularly the humanistic ada ...

, a

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

, developed the Intensive Journal Method, and researcher of

depth psychology Depth psychology (from the German term ''Tiefenpsychologie'') refers to the practice and research of the science of the unconscious, covering both psychoanalysis and psychology. It is also defined as the psychological theory that explores the rel ...

; and Irish history scholar Christine Kinealy. William Campbell, research fellow in Drew's RISE institute, was awarded the 2015

. According to the UMC, Drew's seminary now has more than 3,500 alumni and alumnae "in 45 states and 18 foreign countries, including 21 bishops of The United Methodist Church." Among these alumni: Henry G. Appenzeller (BD 1885) was the first Methodist missionary to Korea and fostered a relationship between Korea, the church, and Drew that endures to this day, Peter Deunov (1892), Bulgarian philosopher and spiritual teacher, and Olive Winchester (Th.D. 1925), a Church of the Nazarene theologian, was the first female ordained minister in Great Britain. Frederick Brown Harris (1912) was twice the

Chaplain of the United States Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

. Alumni include historian and journalist John T. Cunningham (BA 1938); Craig Stanford (BA 1978), a biology and anthropology professor and director of the Jane Goodall Research Center at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

; and Jeff Smith (M.Div. 1965), minister, cookbook author, host of '' The Frugal Gourmet'' a television program that aired from 1973 to 1997. Several Drew alumni have had careers in public service, including Nathaniel Raymond (BA 1999), human rights advocate involved in investigations into the Dasht-i-Leili massacre; Holly Bakke (BA 1973), an attorney who served as New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance (2002–2005);Kean University. "Ms. Holly Bakke, Esq., Trustee" a
About Kean – Leadership & Governance – Board of Trustees – Members
. Retrieved October 31, 2013. Peter Verniero (BA 1981), a former

New Jersey Attorney General The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confi ...

and

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases cha ...

justice; and Thomas J. Aquilino (BA 1962), a federal judge on the

United States Court of International Trade The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Ct. Int'l Trade), or CIT, is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in Lower Manhattan, New York City, ...

.Federal Judicial Center
Biographical Directory of Federal Judges: Aquilino, Thomas Joseph Jr.
Retrieved October 31, 2013.

Notes

References

; Citations

External links

*
Athletics website
* {{authority control 1867 establishments in New Jersey Arboreta in New Jersey Botanical gardens in New Jersey Liberal arts colleges in New Jersey Madison, New Jersey Private universities and colleges in New Jersey United Methodist seminaries Universities and colleges affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Methodist Church Universities and colleges established in 1867 Universities and colleges in Morris County, New Jersey