(In)Visible History Tours at Princeton

 

Princeton University’s (In)Visible History tours provide a glimpse into the prestigious Ivy League experience and also provide a way for participants to explore the campus in a way that encourages a re-examination of the past and its implications for the present and future.

The tours were initially developed by the Campus Iconography Committee in 2018. The tours offer a guided exploration of the Firsts at Princeton, Traditions at Princeton, Women at Princeton, African Americans at Princeton, and Asians and Asian Americans at Princeton. The tours focus on aspects of Princeton’s history that have been less frequently discussed but have significantly contributed to shaping the campus and its community into what it is today. 

Users can access the tours via mobile devices or personal computers, allowing individuals or groups to take a self-guided walking tour on campus or follow the audio tour remotely.

Each tour stop features multimedia elements, including audio, images and videos, that enhance the storytelling and provide a richer understanding of the narratives featured.

Union County College Adopts New Name

Union County College with campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield, and Scotch Plains, New Jersey will be changing its name to Union College.

The institution was founded in 1933 as Union County Junior College. It merged with Union County Technical Institute in Scotch Plains and was renamed Union County College in 1983.

You can click on the Index to Institutions by State that have closed, merged, or changed their names link at the right to find a file with a list of institutional changes for New Jersey or other states.

Stockton University Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Stockton University in Galloway, NJ is beginning a 50th anniversary celebration of its founding as Richard Stockton State College. Classes were initially offered using the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City as a temporary location while a campus was constructed.

The name was changed to The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 1993 and then to Stockton University in 2015.

The 50th Anniversary web pages offer a calendar of events, an opportunity to share stories, view videos, or scroll an interactive timeline.

Middlesex County College Announces Name Change

Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ changed its name to Middlesex College in January 2021. The institution was founded in 1964 and reports recent enrollment of 10,885.

Individuals can consult Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names see more information on institutions that have closed or changed names. There are separate pages for each of the states and the District of Columbia.

The College of Saint Elizabeth changes name to Saint Elizabeth University

The College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ changed its name to Saint Elizabeth University on July 1, 2020. The institution was initially founded in 1899 and is affiliated with the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.

You can view a brief YouTube video on the institution's website of Dr. Helen J. Streubert answering questions about the change from College to University.

A previous College History Garden post from September 25, 2015, "College of Saint Elizabeth Celebrates 115th Anniversary," also features a video with historical images.

Stevens Institute of Technology Celebrates 150th Anniversary

Stevens Institute of Technology is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1870. The private engineering institution in Hoboken, NJ currently enrolls 7,000 students with 3,431 of those in undergraduate programs.

Visit Stevens150.com for an interactive timeline and information on planned activities.

You can view A Brief History of Stevens page on their website to learn more and Wikipedia's entry for Stevens includes a more detailed history with references.

The Internet Archive versions of Stevens Institute of Technology 25th Anniversary booklet published in 1897 and A History of the Stevens Institute of Technology published in 1905 with information on the trustees, faculty, and alumni. Several used versions of this latter book are available for purchase through AbeBooks affiliates. 

Student Research Renews Memories of Don Bosco College

The New Jersey Herald published "Plaque honors former seminary at SCCC campus" after research of a student at Sussex County Community College renews memories of Don Bosco College in Newton, NJ. 

 
Don Bosco College was affiliated with the Salesian Congregation and operated in Newton from 1928 to 1989.  The institution was founded as St. Joseph House of Studies.  It became Don Bosco Seminary in 1931 and Don Bosco College in 1937.  The property is now home to Sussex County Community College.

The Journal of Salesian Studies offers a .pdf of an article from their Spring 1996 issue by Philip Pascucci, SDB with more details relating to the founding and operation of Don Bosco College, "Out of Our Past An American Venture into Seminary Training."

50th Anniversary for the County College of Morris

The County College of Morris in Randolph, NJ is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding.  The 50th anniversary web page offers links to a variety of photographs, videos, and stories of student success.

CCM serves as a community college for Morris County, NJ and enrolls just under 8,000 students.  It was established in 1966 and the first classes were offered in 1968.

Merger Planned for Two New Jersey Colleges

Claire Lowe of the Press of Atlantic City reports that, "Cumberland and Gloucester county colleges take next step toward merger." Lowe indicates that administrators of both institutions signed agreements to proceed with a merger by July 1, 2019.

Inside Higher Ed's Rick Seltzer also posted information on the merger in "New Jersey 2-Year Colleges Pursue Merger," and indicates the merged institutions will be known as Rowan College of South Jersey.

Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCGC) is a collaboration between the former Gloucester County College and Rowan University.  Gloucester County College located in Sewell, NJ was founded in 1968.  Cumberland County College of Vineland, NJ was founded in 1966.

The Courier-Post based in Cherry Hill, NJ published an opinion piece on September 7, 2018, "Merger of Cumberland, Gloucester colleges would be visionary step," written by Cody D. Miller, a former trustee of RCGC.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions.  Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Douglass College: Educating Women for 100 Years

New Brunswick Today published "Douglass Celebrates a Century of Higher Education for Women" on March 29, 2018.  The article written by Benjamin Clapp coincides with several events that commemorate the founding of New Jersey College for Women in 1918.  The institution was renamed as Douglass College in 1955 and changed its name again in 2007 to Douglass Residential College.

You can visit Douglass web pages for more information on college traditions, a timeline, and "Douglass: The Power of 100 Years," web pages where alumnae and students can review memories or learn more about various centennial events. 

Clapp also notes that a new book, The Douglass Century: Transformation of the Women’s College at Rutgers University, written by three Rutgers faculty members, Kayo Denda, Mary Hawkesworth, and Fernanda Perrone, is published by the Rutgers University Press.

Bloomfield College Celebrates 150th Anniversary of Founding

Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, NJ is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1868.  The institution was established as the German Theological School and was affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church. The name change to Bloomfield Theological Seminary in 1913. The name change again to Bloomfield College and Seminary in 1926 and then to Bloomfield College in 1960. Enrollment is approximately 1,996 students.

You can visit the college website for web pages devoted to the anniversary that include a timeline, upcoming events, and other information.

Walking Tour of Princeton

A self guided Walking Tour of Princeton has been created by the Princeton Regional Conventionand Visitors Bureau.

Some of the sites on the tour include:

1. Albert Einstein House
2. Princeton Theological Seminary, founded in 1811.
3. Palmer Square
4. Nassau Presbyterian Church
5. MacLean House, built in 1756. The official residence of college presidents until 1878.
6. Nassau Hall, the largest stone building in America when completed.
7. University Chapel, one of the most beautiful buildings on campus. It was built between 1925 and 1928.
8. University Art Museum, erected in 1889.
9. Prospect House and Garden given to the College in 1878 for use as a residence for the presidents. In 1968 the Lowrie House became the official presidential home and Prospect House is now the faculty club.
10. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, founded in 1930.
11. Bainbridge House, headquarters of the Historical Society of Princeton with a museum and changing exhibits.
12. Princeton Cemetery, most of the College presidents are buried in President’s Row, including Reverend Aaron Burr, the second president, and his son, Colonel Aaron Burr, who is buried at his father’s feet next to his grandfather, Jonathan Edwards. Also resting here are U.S. President Grover Cleveland, Dr. John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Paul Tulane, along with many other notable dignitaries. 
13. McCarter Theatre, built in 1929
14. Princeton Railroad Station
15. Einstein Statue, dedicated on April 18, 2005 marking the 50 anniversary of Einstein's death and 100th anniversary of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

Centenary College announced change in name to Centenary University

Kelly Heyboer reports for NJ.com that Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ will change its name to Centenary University effective immediately.  Centenary was founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church as a preparatory school.  The institution evolved to become a junior college for women by 1940.  Baccalaureate programs were added after 1976 and Centenary became coeducational in 1988.

1890 Commencement Program for Lansley Business College

The Heirlooms Reunited blog posted an entry February 7, 2016 that reproduces the pages from an 1890 commencement program of Lansley Business College in Elizabeth, NJ.  Lansley was founded in 1872.  The pages include a brief history of the institution and biographical information on the founder.

Pam Beveridge created the fascinating site.  There are a number of labels organizing various posts into categories that include photographs, autograph albums, church or school memorabilia, etc.  Users are then directed to Google+ collections that are used as a creative way to organize the available resources.

Thomas Edison State University announces new name and expanded Mission

Thomas Edison State College announced a change in name on January 11, 2016 to become Thomas Edison State University.  The institution located in Trenton, NJ was initially founded in 1972.  The change caps a process that was started back in December, 2014.

Kevin Shea and Christina Rojas wrote separate pieces on the change for NJ.com.  Shea's reporting appeared under the headline, "Thomas Edison State 'University' announces states, name change."

Rojas explores more of the details leading up to the change in "Why N.J. college for adults was upgraded to university status."

Rutgers Ready for Celebration of 250th Anniversary

Adam Clark of nj.com wrote an interesting historical sketch highlighting the 250th anniversary of Rutgers.  Clark notes that the institution was "Founded as Queen's College in 1766 to train future ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church, the school was renamed Rutgers College in 1825 and grew into a land-grant institution and, eventually, the state university of New Jersey in 1956."  The article includes links to a number of historical images from Rutger's Special Collections and Archives.

There is an impressive site set up with links to events and resources that includes a Rutgers 250 Historical App.

Felician College becomes Felician University

Felician College received approval to change its name to Felician University.  The institution, located in Rutherford, NJ, opened in 1923 as Immaculate Conception Normal School.  It evolved to become Immaculate Conception Junior College in 1942 and in 1967 the name was changed to Felician College.

Adam Clark, reporter for NJ.com also wrote about the institution's name change.

College of Saint Elizabeth Celebrates 115th Anniversary....Video Features Historical Images

The College of Saint Elizabeth was founded in Morristown, NJ on September 11, 1899 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.  There is a short video on YouTube featuring images from the institution's first course catalog for women who would have graduated in the 1903-1904 academic year.

Context for Name Change: College of New Jersey becomes Princeton University

The Mudd Manuscript Library Blog at Princeton University features a post with details of the institution's name change.  April C. Armstrong writes that the institution was founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey and changed to Princeton as part of the Sesquicentennial celebration in 1896.  A number of historical images from the library's collection are also included.

Drake College of Business is Closing

Ashley A. Smith reported for Inside Higher Ed on May 22, 2015 that for-profit Drake College of Business is closing.  The institution was founded in 1883 as Jersey City Business School.  The name changed to Drake College of Business in 1910.  Drake's web site indicates that it will teach out all programs and close on July 31, 2015.