Historic Semester for Montclair State

When students arrived at Montclair State University for the start of the fall 2017 semester, they became a part of history. The University has grown tremendously in size and scope since it was established in 1908 as the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair with an initial class of 187 students.

Here’s a peek at who and what we are now, at this remarkable point in time. As you read it, bear in mind that it’s a story that continues to be written – stagnant is not a word that describes Montclair State University.

Fall 2017 marks the University’s highest-ever total enrollment, exceeding 21,000 students registered for the fall 2017 semester

• There are 4,469 new, first-time, full-time students, bringing the University’s total to 16,852 undergraduate students
• There are 4,161 graduate students
• The incoming freshman class represents 48 states, more than 20 foreign countries and all 21 of New Jersey’s counties.
• Twenty-nine percent of the Class of 2021 identifies as Hispanic
• African-American students make up 22 percent of the class, representing a 6 percent increase over the previous year.
• Completed undergraduate applications for admission to Montclair State totaled more than 15,000 for the 2017-2018 academic year, a trend that is expected to continue into the future.

The University’s academic programs are dynamic and expanding, and we are increasingly recognized for our excellence and innovation

• In July, Governor Chris Christie signed legislation designating Montclair State University as a New Jersey public research university. Already classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a research doctoral institution, and classified by the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education as a doctoral degree-granting institution, this latest acknowledgement formally recognizes the very substantial transformation that has occurred in recent years at New Jersey’s second largest university.
• The University’s inaugural cohort of four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students began their studies, as the first RN to BSN students entered their second year.
• The newly launched student success initiative, the Discovery Program for Undeclared Students, is designed to guide incoming freshmen toward the selection of a major that meets their educational goals and capacities.
• The newly launched STEM Pioneer program is focused on incoming first-generation college freshmen who are undeclared students and who think they may wish to pursue a science field. The goal of this program is to increase science literacy among the University’s students regardless of their ultimate major, to increase enrollment of first-generation students into the sciences, and to increase their retention and success at the University.
• In less than a year, Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business graduate programs have grown nearly 40 percent in overall enrollment, driven primarily by the success of its new online MBA degree.
• A new Master of Social Work program has been introduced and will welcome its inaugural class in fall 2018.

Important strategic investments are being made across the campus to deliver the very best possible educational opportunities to our students

Anyone who sets foot on campus can see that there is change underway, continuing to shape and expand Montclair State’s built landscape.

• A ribbon cutting ceremony on September 26 marked the official opening of the new, high-tech, multimedia School of Communication and Media Building at Montclair State, dubbed Hollywood East. The building features a range of tools and resources – from broadcast-ready 4K and HD studios and control rooms to multimedia labs and an advanced audio production center – designed and implemented through a strategic partnership between the University and Sony Electronics’ Professional Solutions Americas.
• The newly renovated School of Nursing and Graduate School building, formerly known as Partridge Hall, is now fully operational.
• The University’s original structure, College Hall, is undergoing a complete renovation and will be transformed into a one-stop student services center, complete with a landscaped Alumni Green park.
• A $22.2 million Instructional and Research Facility for the Computer Sciences is currently in the active construction phase and is expected to be completed in fall 2018.