{"id":215035,"date":"2021-06-22T14:59:48","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T18:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=215035"},"modified":"2021-07-06T12:04:25","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T16:04:25","slug":"college-hall-rededicated-as-susan-a-cole-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2021\/06\/22\/college-hall-rededicated-as-susan-a-cole-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"College Hall Rededicated as Susan A. Cole Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Montclair State community gathered on June 22 to celebrate retiring President Susan A. Cole at the rededication of College Hall in her name.<\/p>\n

Now known as Susan A. Cole Hall, the University\u2019s iconic 113-year-old Mission Revival building that once housed the entire school, recently reopened after being completely renovated and expanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is fitting that we rededicate College Hall to formally honor President Cole, who, as the University\u2019s eighth president, and first female president, has led the University through its remarkable period of growth and transformation,\u201d Francis M. Cuss, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in remarks to an appreciative crowd of friends and colleagues attending the rededication, which was followed by tours of the building conducted by Student Ambassadors.<\/p>\n

\u201cRededicating College Hall in Dr. Cole\u2019s name is the most fitting honor the Board of Trustees can bestow,\u201d Cuss said. \u201cHer approach to renovating this building, which honors its past, while preparing it to serve the needs of the students of today and tomorrow, exemplifies what she has done for the entire institution for the past 23 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she thanked Cuss and the Board of Trustees, President Cole said that when College Hall first opened as a Normal School in 1908, Principal Charles S. Chapin said leaders accepted the state\u2019s trust and would do the best they knew how to do. Since then, she said, generations have accepted that trust and done the best they knew how to do.<\/p>\n

\"President
President Cole spoke before the assembled crowd and the press at the June 22 rededication ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI feel grateful that I can leave the institution knowing that I did do everything that I could do and I’m satisfied with that. I also know what I did was only what a whole lot of other people did. I could not go from point A to point B without the extraordinary people working by my side,\u201d Cole said, giving a nod to the board, faculty and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did our best. We did what in our time we could do, and now there will be the next generation, and I am absolutely convinced that they will do the best that they can do and the University will continue to change and evolve as an institution.\u2026It will continue to grow and develop under new leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

With its signature red tiles, tin ceilings and wood finishes restored, Cole Hall now includes a soaring glass atrium which houses Red Hawk Central, where students can get help with financial aid, course registration and more, including tutoring, advising. \u201cAt its essence, it is the one-stop shop to serve students, which has always been the University\u2019s focus,\u201d Cuss said.<\/p>\n

Over the decades, generations of students have passed through its doors as the institution has grown from the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair, with an initial class of 187, to become a doctoral research university with a highly diverse student body of more than 21,000.<\/p>\n

College Hall has represented \u201cthe heart and soul of Montclair State,\u201d Cuss said during the rededication ceremony. \u201cCollege Hall is iconic, representing Montclair State\u2019s foundation and its core \u2013 literally and symbolically at the center of what the University does and stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early on, crews working on the renovation knew they had something special with the building. Workers found notes on the attic walls to students heading to World War II wishing their safe return. Other mementos were also discovered, but the most fascinating of all was a message in a bottle that tumbled out of a wall that was torn down during renovations.<\/p>\n

The note left by bricklayers dated July 3, 1907, is among the oldest on record and a metaphor for the muscle and sweat that brought public education to life in Montclair, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, in her 23 years of leadership, President Cole has upheld the ideals of Montclair State \u2013 creating an institution of academic excellence and increasing its accessibility to ensure that more people can transform their lives through higher education and become informed citizens who are so important to our state and country,\u201d Cuss said.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, the name change was formally adopted by the Board of Trustees, which voted unanimously to name the building Susan A. Cole Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn naming Susan A. Cole Hall, we are keeping President Cole\u2019s legacy front and center on campus, symbolizing the spirit and tenacity of the University to live up to its \u2018Carpe Diem\u2019 motto to Seize the Day \u2013 and to serve and achieve,\u201d Cuss said.<\/p>\n

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\"archival
The iconic hall was the original home of the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair, opened in 1908, and renamed Montclair State Teachers College in 1927.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"college
A three-and-a-half year construction process included expansion and renovation, completed in 2020.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"close
During construction, workers found a 112-year-old message in a bottle; descendants of the laborers who left the note have been located and many continue to live and work in the area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"interior
\u00a0A new soaring glass atrium houses Red Hawk Central, a one-stop shop where students can get help with financial aid, course registration and more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"student
The atrium also provides a gathering place for students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Stained
Historic details including tin ceilings, wood finishes and decorative elements were lovingly preserved and restored, even as the building was updated with modern systems.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Exterior
College Hall has a new name.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"view
\u201cRededicating the hall in Dr. Cole\u2019s name is the most fitting honor the Board of Trustees could bestow,\u201d says Francis M. Cuss, chair of the Board of Trustees. Honoring the past while serving the needs of the students of today and tomorrow, \u201cexemplifies what she has done for the entire institution for the past 23 years.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cupcakes
Cole Hall cupcakes at the rededication ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Story by Staff Writers Mary Barr Mann<\/a> and Marilyn Joyce Lehren<\/a><\/p>\n

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