Centenary 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 ...

Hackettstown, New Jersey Hackettstown is a Town (New Jersey), town in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is perhaps best known as the home to the US headquarters of Mars Inc., Mars, Inc.. As of the 2020 United States census, t ...

, United States. Founded as a preparatory school by the Newark Conference of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

in 1867, Centenary evolved into a

Junior College A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

for women and later a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

university. Situated in suburban

Warren County, New Jersey Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. According to the 2020 census, the county was the state's 19th-most populous county,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 ...

, 35 miles southeast of the

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a national recreation area administered by the National Park Service in northwest New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania. It is centered around a stretch of the Delaware River designated the ...

, and 26 miles northeast of

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

, the school's main campus is identifiable by the Edward W. Seay Administration Building, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

Centenary University was founded as the Centenary Collegiate Institute (CCI) by the Newark Conference of what was then called the

in 1867. The name was chosen to commemorate the

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

Methodism 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 ...

in the United States. It was built for $200,000. George H. Whitney, D.D., was president from 1869 to 1895. The first

commencement ceremony A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called commencement, congregation, convocation or invocation. The date of the graduation ...

was held on June 25, 1875. Beginning as a coeducational preparatory school, CCI became a girls-only institution in 1910. In 1940, it became a

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

: Centenary Junior College. It would subsequently become Centenary College for Women in 1956 before becoming Centenary College in 1976, a four-year college for women offering associate and

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

degrees, with men allowed to pursue degrees only during night courses. In 1988, men were allowed to attend full-time. In 1995,

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

programs were introduced. In 2016, Centenary College was granted

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

status by the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education. In 1886, a 19-year-old kitchen worker at CCI named Tillie Smith was "outraged" and murdered in a field just off campus. A

janitor A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of Industry (economics), industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (Scotland, United States and Canada), also known as a custodian, Facility Operator, porter ...

at CCI named James Titus was convicted of the crime based on

circumstantial evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without need ...

strongly influenced by

yellow journalism In journalism, yellow journalism and the yellow press are American newspapers that use eye-catching headlines and sensationalized exaggerations for increased sales. This term is chiefly used in American English, whereas in the United Kingdom, ...

. Authors and historians generally consider this a

false conviction A miscarriage of justice occurs when an unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Innocent p ...

, but the debate over the facts continues perennially through

dark tourism Dark tourism (also thanatourism, black tourism, morbid tourism, or grief tourism) has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy (event), tragedy. More recently, it was suggested that the con ...

ghost tours, theatrical performances, books and

Weird NJ ''Weird NJ'' (sometimes abbreviated ''WNJ'') is a semi-annual magazine that chronicles local legends, purported hauntings, ghost stories, folklore, unusual places or events, and other peculiarities in New Jersey. The magazine originated in 1989 ...

magazine articles. On Halloween night, 1899, the original five-story CCI building burned to the ground in a fire. The new building termed "Old Main" (now known as the Seay Building), was designed by architect Oscar Schutte Teale in a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

Beaux Arts style and built atop the ruins of the original structure in 1901. Only two buildings survived the fire, the men's gymnasium (now the Little Theater of the Seay Building) and the women's gymnasium (now the Ferry Building). In 1957, a student-run

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station, WNTI, began broadcasting on campus. Eventually becoming an

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

affiliate serving the regional community with an adult album rock format, the FM transmitter was sold to

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

-based

WXPN WXPN (88.5 FM) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) radio format, along with many other format sh ...

in 2015. As of 2020, a student-run

internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...

station operates at WNTI.org. The Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theater, has been operating on campus since 1985. In 1992, a "Women's Playwright Series" development program offered grants, workshops, prizes and world premieres for the underserved voice of women in theater. Centenary also offers an intensive

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

program for intermediate and advanced young performers. In 1999, Centenary founded the Center for Adult and Professional Studies program. In 2011, the program was renamed the School of Professional Studies. In 2024 Centenary University and the Ideal Institute of Technology joined forces to offer both vocational training and higher education. This collaboration offers work-based college programs to local residents who may be underserved in their community. Additionally, Centenary and

The Patrick School The Patrick School (TPS) is an Private school, independent Mixed-sex education, co-educational four-year High school in the United States, high school in Hillside, New Jersey, Hillside in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, New Jersey, Uni ...

(TPS), a private high school known for their nationally ranked basketball program, announced a partnership that relocated TPS to the Hackettstown campus in 2024 with students also having the option to live on campus. TPS alumni include

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

stars

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving ( ; , ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cav ...

Adama Sanogo Adama Sanogo (born 12 February 2002) is a Malian professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2023 he won the national championship with the UConn Huskies and was named the ...

, and

Samuel Dalembert Samuel Davis Dalembert (born May 10, 1981) is a Haitian-Canadian former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Seton Hall University. During his active N ...

Accreditation

Centenary 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 ...

and approved by the University Senate of 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 ...

. Some programs at Centenary are accredited by the

International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), formerly the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, is an educational accreditation agency for college and university business programs founded in 1997. It ...

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 2013 as a result of the merger of two predecesso ...

Council on Social Work Education The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a nonprofit national association in the United States representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1 ...

, or

Main campus and learning centers

Centenary University Main campus is located in Hackettstown,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. The Centenary Equestrian Center in Washington Township provides riding and education facilities for its Department of Equine Studies and Animal Health.

Hackettstown Campus

The main campus of Centenary University is home to most of the school's academic, administrative, athletic and collegiate activities, as well as housing for its undergraduate students. It consists of ten main buildings and eight residence buildings. The Edward W. Seay Building was added to the

on June 13, 1997, for its significance in architecture. With

Buildings

* Brotherton Hall – professor's offices and classrooms.

* Environmental Science Center– Located about a mile off the main campus, it is leased to Centenary by New Jeresy Fish and Wildlife as part of the Hackettstown Fish Hatchery. It includes a classroom and a laboratory. * Ferry Building – classrooms and small music hall. * Harris & Betts Smith Learning Center – Academic Success Center, Student Veterans Organization, Disabilities Services Office, and classrooms. * Lackland Center – classrooms, dance studio, dining hall, Sitnik Theatre, Edith Kutz Black Box Theater, TV studio, and the WNTI Radio Studio. * Littell Technology Center – classrooms, graphics department, and the ENACTUS office. * Reeves Gymnasium – athletics department, gymnasium, weight room, and wrestling center. * Seay Building – classrooms, Whitney Chapel, tutoring center, Student Activities Center, the Little Theater,

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

, main college offices: Admissions, Alumni Affairs, Bursar, Campus Life, Advancement, Marketing & Communications, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Information Technology, and the President's Office. * Taylor Memorial Library – academic library, print shop, and a classroom. * Trevorrow Hall – Science, fashion, and arts building with classrooms, laboratories, and studios. *Wellness Center– Health and counseling center. Taylor Memorial Library - Centenary University

Taylor Memorial Library - Centenary University

Residence halls

* Anderson Hall * Bennett-Smith Hall – Apartment style * Founders Hall – Apartment style * Lotte Hall * Reeves Hall – Freshmen students only * Smith Hall – Freshmen and first year transfer students only * Van Winkle Hall * Washabaugh Hall

Equestrian Center

The

Equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

Center is located in Washington Township, Morris County. It consists of several large paddocks, an outdoor eventing course, two indoor arenas and an outdoor arena. The United States Equestrian Team (USET) building is the main building of the equestrian center with its main offices, classrooms, a lounge, dining services, and the large indoor arena. The Equestrian Center sits on of land. In 2007 and 2012, Centenary Equestrian Center hosted the American National Riding Commission Championships, the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone Finals, and the Intercollegiate Dressage Association Championships.

Athletics

Centenary University teams participate in fourteen

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- ...

intercollegiate sports. The Cyclones compete in the

Atlantic East Conference The Atlantic East Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. History Beginning play ...

, joining in the 2021-22 season, becoming the first non-Catholic member institution. The Cyclones previously competed in the

Colonial States Athletic Conference The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) was an NCAA Division III collegiate athletic conference in the Mid-Atlantic United States that existed from 1992 to 2023. There were nine full member institutions when the conference. The conferenc ...

, joining in the 2007–08 season after being a member of the

Skyline Conference The Skyline Conference is an List of NCAA conferences, intercollegiate athletic conference based in the New York City area that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division III, Division III. The league was orig ...

. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, equestrian, lacrosse, soccer and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, equestrian, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball. Women's wrestling is also offered as a club sport. Students enrolled in the college's Equine programs may participate in competitions through intercollegiate organizations such as the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, the Intercollegiate Dressage Association, or with the Hunter/Jumper's Club.

Noted athletic achievements

In 2009 Centenary's Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team won the National Championships in

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

. Lindsay Clark, a Centenary Student, also won the USEF/Cacchione Cup. The 2010 women's soccer team won the CSAC Championship, earning them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2013 and 2016 men's soccer teams replicated this feat.

Notable alumni and staff

* Mike Hall (bassist) (born 1989), bassist. *

Bette Cooper Elizabeth Cooper-Moore (August 11, 1920 – December 10, 2017) won the Miss America 1937 pageant as Bertrand Island, New Jersey, Miss Bertrand Island, representing an amusement park on Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey. Early life She was born in Hac ...

(1920–2017),

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

1937. *

Jonathan Townley Crane Jonathan Townley Crane (June 18, 1819 – February 16, 1880) was an American clergyman, author and abolitionist. He was born in Connecticut Farms, in Union Township, New Jersey, and is most widely known as the father of writer Stephen Crane. ...

(1819–1880), clergyman, author, abolitionist, co-founder of the school. *

William Howe Crane William Howe Crane (1854–1926) was an American lawyer. Born to Reverend Jonathan Townley Crane and Mary Helen Peck Crane, he was the fourth-oldest of nine surviving children—Mary Helen, George Peck, Jonathan Townley, William Howe, Agnes Eliz ...

(1854–1926), lawyer. *

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

(born 1945), lead singer of Blondie. * Cole Kimball (born 1985), pitcher drafted by the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. *

Carol McCain Carol Shepp McCain (born February 19, 1938) is an American former political aide and event planner who served as the director of the White House Visitors Office from 1981 to 1987, during the Reagan administration. She was the first wife of Unite ...

(born 1937), former wife of U.S. Senator and former 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

. * Gail Phoebus (born 1950), politician who has represented the 24th Legislative District in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 2015 to 2018.Assemblyman Gail Phoebus
,

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

. Accessed August 19, 2016.

References

External links

*
Athletics website

WNTI radio

Centenary Stage Company

Simple History of Centenary University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Centenary College Of New Jersey Hackettstown, New Jersey Universities and colleges in Warren County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1867 establishments in New Jersey Private universities and colleges in New Jersey Universities and colleges established in 1867