Type | Public University |
---|---|
Established | 1855 |
President | Dr. Kathleen Waldron |
Administrative staff
|
1,152 |
Students | 10,583 (2016) |
Undergraduates | 9,103 (2016) |
Postgraduates | 1,480 (2016) |
Location | Wayne Township, New Jersey, United States |
Campus | 370 acres (1.5 km2) |
Colors | Orange & Black |
Nickname | Pioneers |
Mascot | Billy the Bear |
Website | www.wpunj.edu |
William Paterson University, officially The William Paterson University of New Jersey, is an American public university located in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1855, William Paterson is the second oldest of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey. William Paterson offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees through its five academic colleges. During the fall 2016 semester, 9,103 undergraduate students and 1,480 graduate students were enrolled.
William Paterson University is located on a 370-acre hilly, wooded campus in northern New Jersey in the suburban town of Wayne. The campus borders on High Mountain Preserve as well as the boroughs of Haledon and North Haledon, nearly 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) of wetlands and woodlands, and three miles (5 km) west of the historic Great Falls in Paterson. New York City is 20 miles (32 km) to the east, the Jersey Shore is an hour’s drive south, skiing is 30 miles (48 km) north, and the Meadowlands Sports Complex is a half-hour drive away.
William Paterson University was founded in 1855 as the Paterson City Normal School. For more than a century, training teachers for New Jersey schools was its exclusive mission. In 1951, the University moved to the present campus. Originally known as Ailsa Farms, the site was purchased by the State of New Jersey in 1948 from the family of Garret Hobart, twenty-fourth vice president of the United States.
The original manor house was built in 1877 in the style of a castle, and was the home of John McCullough, a Scottish immigrant who made a fortune in the wool industry. It was later purchased, enlarged and made the weekend retreat and summer residence of the Hobart family. Today the building is known as Hobart Manor and is home of the Office of the President and the Office of Institutional Advancement. Hobart Manor was designated a national and state landmark in 1976. The building is reported to have sightings of ghosts from time to time.