Centenary College History
- 1867 founding of Centenary College.
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary College has evolved from a coeducational preparatory school into a modern, independent, four-year baccalaureate and master-level institution of higher learning.
No stranger to change, Centenary evolved from its origin as a coeducational preparatory school to a girls’ preparatory school (1910), a junior college for women (1940), a four-year women's college (1976), a coeducational baccalaureate-degree-granting institution (1988), and a master-degree-granting institution (1995).
Centenary plays a significant role in providing educational programs to the adult population of northwest New Jersey. In 1976, Centenary began to offer coeducational degree programs for evening students.
- Eleanor Roosevelt speaks at Centenary College, 1950.
In 1999, it developed the Center for Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS), with an off-campus learning center located in Parsippany, New Jersey.
The CAPS program provides the working adult of northwest New Jersey with accelerated degree programs tailored for the individual whose professional schedule prevents him/her from attending a more traditional undergraduate college as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Management (MSM).
True to its Methodist origins, Centenary is proud to bear the distinction of being the first college within the State of New Jersey to require service education as a condition of graduation. Centenary is also proud of its international outreach, with international students from as many as 20 nations providing a distinct international character to the College’s student body.
- Aerial view of Centenary College.
Centenary likewise encourages its indigenous students to experience international study, maintaining articulation agreements with two institutions in China, three institution in Japan, six institutions in Korea, two institutions in the Philippines, two institutions in Spain, four institutions in the United Kingdom, and one institution in the Netherlands.
Today, Centenary College has a 19-building campus on 42 acres, an equestrian center with seven buildings on 65 acres, and the off-campus CAPS learning centers in Parsippany and MetroPark, New Jersey.
The College has 150 full-time and adjunct faculty. It is a member of the NCAA Division III supporting 14 intercollegiate athletic teams, having been an active member of the Skyline Athletic Conference since September 2002.
Centenary is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association, the National Association of State Directors for Teacher Education and Certification, and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). Centenary is a candidate for accreditation by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)
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