Mark M. Chamberlain (1931–2014) was an American educator and the fourth president of Glassboro State College (now known as

Rowan University Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. Founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents, the scho ...

) from 1969 to 1984.Forand, Rebecca
"Former Rowan University President Dr Mark Chamberlain Dies"
''South Jersey Times'', 31 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.

Life

Chamberlain was born in

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...

and raised in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. After graduating from Pittsburgh's South Hills High School in 1949, he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1787 as Franklin College and later merged with Marshall College in 1853, it is one of the oldest colleges in the United St ...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

, and subsequently attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

where he earned a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(Ph.D.) in

inorganic chemistry Inorganic chemistry deals with chemical synthesis, synthesis and behavior of inorganic compound, inorganic and organometallic chemistry, organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subj ...

.Rowan University
Office of the President: Dr. Mark M. Chamberlain, 1969-1984
. Retrieved 1 April 2014. Chamberlain had three sons (David, Mark, and Matthew) with his first wife, Miriam Chamberlain (née Ewing.) Chamberlain taught chemistry at

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

, now Case Western Reserve in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

for 13 years, also serving as assistant chair of the chemistry department and vice provost for student services. He was appointed as the fourth president of Glassboro State College in 1968 after being selected by the students and faculty of the college. Previous presidents at Glassboro had been appointed by the sitting

New Jersey governor The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

. During his tenure as president, Glassboro transitioned from a small

teachers college Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

in Southern

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 ...

to a multipurpose institution, creating three new academic divisions and expanding the school's enrollment from 3,500 to 8,800 students by 1984. After leaving the college presidency, Chamberlain taught as a chemistry professor until his retirement in 2000. Chamberlain died on March 29, 2014, at age 82. Rowan University's student center, completed in 1974, was renamed named in honour of Chamberlain in 2006.Rowan University
Chamberlain Student Center Overview - History
. Retrieved 1 April 2014.

References

1931 births 2014 deaths Franklin & Marshall College alumni Case Western Reserve University faculty Rowan University faculty People from Pawtucket, Rhode Island Educators from Pittsburgh People from Glassboro, New Jersey University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences alumni {{US-academic-administrator-1930s-stub