Centenary University

Centenary University was founded as the Centenary Collegiate Institute ( CCI ) by the Newark Conference of what was then called the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1867. [ 9 ] The name was chosen to commemorate the centennial of Methodism in the United States. [ 10 ] It was built for $200,000. George H. Whitney, D.D., was president from 1869 to 1895. [ 11 ] The first commencement ceremony was held on June 25, 1875. [ 12 ] Beginning as a coeducational preparatory school , CCI became a girls-only institution in 1910. In 1940, it became a junior college : Centenary Junior College . It would subsequently become Centenary College for Women in 1956 before becoming Centenary College in 1976, a four-year college for women offering associate and bachelor's degrees, with men allowed to pursue degrees only during night courses. In 1988, men were allowed to attend full-time. In 1995, master's degree programs were introduced. [ 10 ] In 2016, Centenary College was granted University status by the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education. [ 13 ] In 1886, a 19-year-old kitchen worker at CCI named Tillie Smith was "outraged" and murdered in a field just off campus. A janitor at CCI named James Titus was convicted of the crime based on circumstantial evidence strongly influenced by yellow journalism . Authors and historians generally consider this a false conviction , but the debate over the facts continues perennially through dark tourism ghost tours, theatrical performances, books and Weird NJ magazine articles. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ] [ 19 ] On Halloween night, 1899, the original five-story CCI building burned to the ground in a fire. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] The new building termed "Old Main" (now known as the Seay Building), was designed by architect Oscar Schutte Teale in a Renaissance Beaux Arts style [ 22 ] and built atop the ruins of the original structure in 1901.

[ 8 ] Only two buildings survived the fire, the men's gymnasium (now the Little Theater of the Seay Building) and the women's gymnasium (now the Ferry Building). In 1957, a student-run college radio station, WNTI , began broadcasting on campus. Eventually becoming an NPR affiliate serving the regional community with an adult album rock format , the FM transmitter was sold to University of Pennsylvania -based WXPN in 2015. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] [ 25 ] As of 2020, a student-run internet radio station operates at WNTI.org. [ 26 ] The Centenary Stage Company, a professional Equity theater, has been operating on campus since 1985. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] In 1992, a "Women's Playwright Series" development program offered grants, workshops, prizes and world premieres for the underserved voice of women in theater. [ 29 ] [ 30 ] Centenary also offers an intensive musical theater program for intermediate and advanced young performers . [ 31 ] [ 32 ] In 1999, Centenary founded the Center for Adult and Professional Studies program. In 2011, the program was renamed the School of Professional Studies. [ 7 ] In 2024 Centenary University and the Ideal Institute of Technology joined forces to offer both vocational training and higher education. This collaboration offers work-based college programs to local residents who may be underserved in their community. [ 33 ]

Centenary University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church . Some programs at Centenary are accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education , Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation , Council on Social Work Education , or International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education . [ 7 ]

The Centenary University Main campus is located in Hackettstown , New Jersey . The Centenary Equestrian Center in Washington Township provides riding and education facilities for its Department of Equine Studies and Animal Health. [ 34 ] Hackettstown Campus The William H. and May D. Taylor Memorial Library The main campus of Centenary University is home to most of the school's academic, administrative, athletic and collegiate activities, as well as housing for its undergraduate students. It consists of ten main buildings and eight residence buildings. [ 35 ] The Edward W. Seay Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1997, for its significance in architecture. [ 8 ] The Ferry Music and Arts Building. The old section of the building is one of the two oldest structures on campus, surviving the fire of 1899. In addition to its own residence halls, Centenary has an agreement with Sussex County Community College , where some Sussex athletes and students have the option to live on Centenary's campus [ 36 ] . Sussex students may only live in the traditional dormitories and not the apartment-style buildings. Additionally, Centenary has leased out Smith Hall, traditionally for freshmen and transfer students, to be used as housing for local high school programs.