Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College) is a selective public university in southern New Jersey with the funds and public support to transform itself into a top regional university.

The University's development received a major boost in 1992 with the unprecedented gift of $100 million from Henry and Betty Rowan, at that time the largest gift ever given to a public college or university. To honor the Rowans, the school changed its name to Rowan College of New Jersey. In 1997 the school achieved university status and became Rowan University.

The Rowan gift has led to additional funding from both public and private sources. Rowan University's endowment is among the largest of any similar public university in the country and is expected to grow considerably. Because of these assets, the University is able to compete with private colleges and produce direct benefits for students.

Over the last three years, Rowan University's ranking in US News & World Report has improved from 55 to 29 and its academic rank has risen from 38th to 19th. Rowan is listed in the "top tier" of Northern Regional Universities. The Newsweek/Kaplan "How to Get into College Guide" named Rowan a "Hidden Treasure"-a terrific college that offers the best value for the money, based on a nationwide survey of guidance counselors. And Kiplinger's named Rowan one of the "100 Best Buys in Public Colleges and Universities."

Rowan University is divided into a Graduate School and six academic colleges: Business, Communication, Education, Engineering, Fine & Performing Arts, and Liberal Arts & Sciences. Students can select from among 31 undergraduate majors, seven teacher certification programs, 25 master's degree programs and a doctoral program in educational leadership. The 200-acre campus contains 31 buildings, including eight residence halls and three apartment complexes.

Students have access to the resources of a large university without sacrificing the personal attention and small class size of a college. All classes are taught by professors, not teaching assistants. The average class size is 23 students.

The University enrolls more than 9,500 students who represent the mid-Atlantic states and 30 foreign countries. Approximately one-third live on campus, another third live in private homes and apartments in the area and a third commute from home. Because so many students live on or near campus, they are very involved in campus life. More than 150 clubs and organizations offer students professional, cultural and service activities. Students and faculty regularly win national competitions, usually competing with larger universities.

The University is located in the heart of the "Cultural Crescent," midway between Washington, D.C. and New York and 20 miles east of Philadelphia. The University's strategic location was the reason it was chosen to host the historic Summit Conference between President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin in 1967.

To lead Rowan University into the 21st century, the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Donald J. Farish as the sixth president in July 1998. Among the goals he has set for the University are plans to expand the campus, reduce the student/faculty ratio and drive economic development.

Over the next 10 years, Rowan's physical campus will be transformed to match the quality of the academic program. Starting with a new $44 million Science Building, the University will spend $270 million on landscaping and the construction of spectacular new buildings and facilities and the nearly total renovation of existing buildings

The plan also provides for the purchase of more than 400 acres near the main campus, tripling the size of the current campus. The University plans to use the land for new athletic facilities as well as for the South Jersey Technology Center.

With private colleges as the model, the University plans to reduce the student/faculty ratio to 12:1 from the current 14.5:1 by reducing the number of adjuncts and hiring an additional 100 full-time faculty over the next eight years. With an improved ratio, faculty will be able to spend more time with students and collaborate with them on research projects. As a result, the University should see an increase in its already high graduation and retention rates.

With a growing reputation, Rowan University is attracting highly qualified faculty and students. A total of 30 new faculty were hired with degrees from the top universities in the country, including Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown, Purdue, Columbia, Stanford, and MIT.

Top students are applying in record numbers. In the last eight years, applications have increased by 60 percent and the average SAT score rose by 116 points. The University has five times the number of students who want to attend than it can accommodate. For the fall of 2001, 6,119 applications were received for only1,150 seats. Less than 50 percent of those who applied were offered admission.

Rowan University plans to go beyond the traditional role of universities and adopt the model of the modern university by driving the economic growth in the region. The successful pursuit of the $6 million Southern New Jersey Technology Center over 16 other applicants is an example of how the University can help the region achieve its economic growth objectives.

Businesses will lease office space at the Technology Center at affordable rates and have access to the University's state-of-the-art research facilities and engineering faculty and students. When businesses are ready to expand, the hope is that they will locate in South Jersey, creating high-paying professional jobs. Besides creating jobs from spin-off companies, the Technology Center itself will create jobs for highly skilled workers. It will also give faculty and students hands-on research experience that will allow them to secure privately and publicly funded research projects.

Closer to home, the University is working with the town of Glassboro to create a thriving "College Town" that will feature new housing, a café, boutiques and parks. Rowan University has already purchased private homes next to the campus so it can upgrade the properties and provide safe student housing. This partnership will enhance the marketing prospects for both the town and the University.

Rowan University provides excellent benefits to its faculty and staff including: educational assistance; health, dental and prescription drug plans; retirement plans; and leave provisions. Employees are eligible for reduced fees for sporting events, concerts, plays and membership in the Recreation Center.

From the modest normal school begun more than 75 years ago, Rowan University has become an extraordinary comprehensive institution that has improved the quality of life for the citizens of New Jersey and the surrounding states.