Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States.
Seton Hall consists of 9 schools and colleges and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 5,800 students and a graduate enrollment of about 4,400. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
The university is known for its men's basketball team, which has appeared in 13 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments after making it to the final of the 1989 tournament and losing 79–80 in overtime to the Michigan Wolverines. The resulting increase in national television exposure has led to increasing numbers of applications from prospective students.Carino, Jerry. "Seton Hall basketball: The sport that shaped a university – then and now" , Asbury Park Press, November 4, 2019. Accessed May 19, 2023. "Felt isn't the only person who came to find out about the school through men's hoops. In the 1980s, hardwood success translated into a changed campus and soaring applications for a small local school. That's happening again."
History Early history
Like many Catholic universities in the United States, Seton Hall arose out of the Council of Baltimore, held in Maryland in 1844, with the goal of bringing Catholicism to higher education in order to help propagate the faith. The Diocese of Newark had been established by Pope Pius IX in 1853, just three years before the founding of the college, and it necessitated an institution for higher learning. Seton Hall College was formally founded on September 1, 1856, by Newark Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, a first cousin of James Roosevelt I, father of president Franklin Roosevelt. Bishop Bayley named the institution after his aunt, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was later named the first American-born Catholic saint.
The main campus was originally in Madison, New Jersey. Reverend Bernard J. McQuaid served as the first college president (1856–1857, 1859–1868) and directed a staff of four diocesan clergy including Reverend Alfred Young, vice-president; Reverend Daniel Fisher (the second college president, 1857–1859) and five lay instructors. Initially, Seton Hall had only five students – Leo G. Thebaud, Louis and Alfred Boisaubin, Peter Meehan, and John Moore. By the end of the first year, the student body had grown more than tenfold to 60. The college moved to its current location in 1860.
By the 1860s, Seton Hall College was continuing its rapid growth and began to enroll more and more students each year. However, among other difficulties, several fires on campus slowed down the growth process. The first of several strange fires in the university's history occurred in 1867 which destroyed the college's first building. Two decades later on March 9, 1886, another fire destroyed the university's main building. In the 20th century, another campus fire burned down a classroom as well as several dormitory buildings in 1909.
During the 19th century, despite setbacks, financially tight times, and the American Civil War, the college continued to expand. Seton Hall opened a military science department (forerunner to the ROTC program) during the summer of 1893, but this program was ultimately disbanded during the Spanish–American War. Perhaps one of the most pivotal events in the history of Seton Hall came in 1897 when Seton Hall's preparatory (high school) and college (undergraduate) divisions were permanently separated.
James F. Kelley, then 33 years old, was appointed by Thomas J. Walsh of the Archdiocese of Newark to serve as president of Seton Hall College in July 1936, making him the nation's youngest college president."Rev. J.F. Kelley Heads Seton Hall; Priest, 34 Years Old, Will Be the Youngest President of a College in Nation. Named By Bishop Walsh; Philosophy Department Chairman at Jersey Institution Has Studied in Many Schools." , The New York Times, July 10, 1936. Accessed April 28, 2022. "The Rev. James Francis Kelley, head of the Department of Philosophy of Seton Hall College, South Orange, was appointed president of the college today by Bishop Thomas J. Walsh of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Newark." When he took office, Kelley led a liberal arts school that had an enrollment of 300. By 1937, Seton Hall established a University College. This marked the first matriculation of women at Seton Hall. Seton Hall became fully coeducational in 1968. In 1948, Seton Hall was given a license by the FCC for WSOU-FM. The construction of the Walsh Gymnasium began as part of a project initiated in 1939 that would cost $600,000 (equivalent to $ million in )."Seton Hall College To Get A Gymnasium; Ground for $600,000 Edifice to Be Broken Thursday" , The New York Times, June 27, 1939. Accessed April 28, 2022. "Ground for a $600,000 gymnasium, to include an auditorium, a theatre and two swimming pools, will be broken Thursday at Seton Hall College here, it was announced today by the Rev. Dr. James F. Kelley, president of the college."
Kelley stepped down from office at Seton Hall in March 1949 in the wake of an investigation into the school by the federal government that looked into potential improper sales of war surplus equipment that had been given for the school's use. He was succeeded by John L. McNulty. Enrollment at the school had grown to 6,000 by the time Kelley left office."Seton Hall Gets A New President; College Under Inquiry in War Goods Sales – Father McNulty Succeeds Msgr. Kelley" , The New York Times, March 4, 1949. Accessed April 28, 2022. "Msgr. Kelley had been president of Seton Hall since 1936, when at the age of 33 he became one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. Under his leadership the school, which is operated by the Archdiocese of Newark, grew from an enrollment of 423 students to its present total of more than 6,000"
The college was organized into a university in 1950 following the unprecedented growth in enrollment. The College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of business, nursing, and education comprised the university; the School of Law opened its doors in 1951, with Miriam Rooney as dean of law.
College of Medicine and Dentistry The Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry was established in 1954 as the first medical school and dental school in New Jersey. It was located in Jersey City, adjacent to the Jersey City Medical Center, which was used for clinical education. Although the college, set up under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Newark, was a separate legal entity from the university, it had an interlocking board of trustees. The first class was enrolled in 1956 and graduated in 1960. The dental school also awarded its first degrees in 1960. From 1960 to 1964, 348 individuals received an M.D. degree. The college was sold to the state of New Jersey in 1965 for $4 million after the archdiocese could not support mounting school debt and renamed the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (which became the New Jersey Medical School, part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey). That entity became part of the Rutgers University system in 2013 and now exists as the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Seton Hall established a new School of Medicine in partnership with Hackensack University Health Network in 2015; however, in 2020, the medical school formally separated from Seton Hall becoming the independent Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Modernization period Beginning in the late 1960s and continuing in the next two decades, the university saw the construction and modernization of a large number of facilities and the construction including the library, science building, residence halls, and the university center. Many new programs and majors were inaugurated, as were important social outreach efforts. New ties were established with the private and industrial sectors, and a growing partnership developed with federal and state governments in creating programs for the economically and educationally disadvantaged.
The 1970s and 1980s continued to be a time of growth and renewal. New business and nursing classroom buildings and an art center were opened. In 1984, the Immaculate Conception Seminary returned to Seton Hall, its original home until 1926, when it moved to Darlington (a section of Mahwah centered on a grand mansion and estate). The Recreation Center was dedicated in 1987. With the construction of four new residence halls between 1986 and 1988 and the purchase of an off-campus apartment building in 1990, the university made significant changes to account for a larger number of student residents. Seton Hall is recognized as a residential campus, providing living space for about 2100 students.
The physical development of the campus continued in the 1990s. The $20 million Walsh Library opened in 1994, and its first-class study and research resources marked the beginning of a technological transformation of Seton Hall (current university library holdings are over 500,000 volumes). The university dedicated its newest academic center in 1997, originally named Kozlowski Hall for Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco International. It was renamed Jubilee Hall following Kozlowski's criminal conviction in 2005. Its recreation center was originally named after Robert Brennan, but he was found guilty of securities fraud in 1994. It has since been renamed for athletic director Richie Regan.
Boland Hall fire
On January 19, 2000, an arson fire killed three and injured 54 students in Boland Hall, a freshman residence hall on the campus in South Orange. The incident, one of the deadliest in recent US history, occurred at 4:30 am, when most students were asleep. After a three-and-a-half-year investigation, a 60-count indictment charged two freshmen students, Sean Ryan and Joseph LePore, with starting the fire and felony murder for the deaths that resulted. LePore and Ryan pleaded guilty to third-degree arson and were sentenced to five years in a youth correctional facility with eligibility for parole 16 months after the start of their prison terms. Consequently, the student body dedicated an area in front of Boland Hall to those that suffered from the fire called "The Remember Seal" and stronger university fire safety precautions were instituted.
Sesquicentennial On the 150th anniversary (1856–2006) of the university's founding, Seton Hall initiated the Ever Forward capital campaign to raise a total of $150 million. The campaign was the most prestigious building campaign in the university's long history. The funds were directed to many areas throughout the university, however a majority went toward building and reconstructing campus facilities and historic sites.
In fall 2007, the university opened the new $35 million Science and Technology Center, completing one of the major campaign priorities ahead of schedule. On December 17, 2007, the university announced that the campaign's fund raising goals had been met and exceeded more than two weeks ahead of the campaign's scheduled closing date.Ever Forward Campaign completion page
2010–present
On April 30, 2010, the archbishop John J. Myers expressed concern about a planned offering of a course on same-sex marriage at Seton Hall University, saying it "troubles me greatly".New Jersey.com: "Newark archbishop questions plan for Seton Hall University gay marriage class" May 1, 2010Cardinal Newman Society: "Archbishop of Newark Criticizes Same-Sex 'Marriage' Course at Seton Hall" April 30, 2010