Everything about Seton Hall University totally explained
Seton Hall University is a
private Roman Catholic university in
South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop
James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the
United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the State of New Jersey. The university is known for its programs in
business,
law,
education,
nursing, and
diplomacy, as well as its
basketball team.
Seton Hall is made up of nine different schools and colleges with an undergraduate enrollment of about 5,200 students and a graduate enrollment of about 4,500. Its
School of Law, which is ranked as one of the
top law schools in the nation, has an enrollment of about 1,200 students. The Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry was acquired by the state in 1965, and is now the
New Jersey Medical School, part of the
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
History
Early history
Like many Catholic universities in the US, Seton Hall arose out of the
Plenary Council of American Bishops, held in Baltimore in 1844, with the goal of bringing Catholicism to higher education in order to help propagate the faith. Seton Hall College was formally founded on
September 1,
1856 by Archdiocese of Newark Bishop
James Roosevelt Bayley, a cousin of President
Theodore Roosevelt. Bishop Bayley named the institution after his aunt, Mother
Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was the first American-born Catholic
saint.
The main campus of the college 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 fivefold to 54.
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.
The first medical school class graduated in 1960. From 1960 to 1964, 348 individuals received an M.D. degree. The dental school also awarded its first degrees in 1960. The College was sold to the state of New Jersey for US$4 million after the Archdiocese of New Jersey couldn't support mounting school debt.
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 of 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). The Recreation Center was dedicated in 1987. With the construction of four new residence halls between 1986 to 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. Kozlowski Hall (now Jubilee Hall), the University's newest academic center dedicated in 1997, is a clear example of Seton Hall's continued commitment to undergraduate education and the expanding role of information technology in higher education. All classrooms in this six-story, 126,000 square foot (12,000 m²) building are wired for network and Internet connections, and many of the lecture halls are equipped with distance-learning technology. 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 long-time athletic director
Richie Regan.
A new School of Law building and parking garage were also constructed in the 1990s. Seton Hall continues to be a leader in technology in education, as well as in distance learning, with its renowned Seton World Wide program. In 1998, all incoming full-time, first-year students were issued laptop computers as part of the University's innovative and nationally recognized mobile computing program.
Boland Hall fire
On
January 19,
2000, an arson fire killed three and injured 54 students in Boland Hall, a freshman
dormitory on the campus in
South Orange. The incident, one of the deadliest in recent US history, occurred at 4:30am, 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 plead 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.
Sesquicentennial and onwards
Seton Hall alumni and community, on the 150th anniversary (1856–2006) of the university’s founding, initiated the Ever Forward capital campaign to raise a total of $150 million. The campaign is one of the most prestigious building campaigns in the University’s long history. The funds will go to many areas throughout the university, however, a majority will go to building and reconstructing campus facilities and historic sites.
Among the most notable objectives of the campaign, there will be a new site and complex for the University’s
Whitehead School of Diplomacy. The University Center is also being planned to be rebuilt in a
neo-gothic style to match other university buildings. Most recently, the rebuilding of the University’s Science and Technology Center has already taken place as of 2005. It is expect to be completed in the summer of 2007.
In fall 2007, the university opened a new $35 million Science and Technology Center, completing one of the major campaign priorities ahead of schedule. On
17 December 2007, the university announced that the campaign's fund raising goals had been met and exceeded over two weeks ahead of the campaign's scheduled closing date.
The Xavier Hall Incident
On
February 11,
2008, at about 8:32 pm, a young man who wasn't a Seton Hall student had reportedly shot himself and then came to
Xavier Hall looking for a friend who attended the University. The individual was taken to
University Hospital in
Newark, and the campus was placed on lock down while the
South Orange Police Department obtained a search warrant to open the trunk of the individual's car to look for the gun.
Police dogs had tracked the scent to the trunk, which led them to believe the gun was located in the trunk, and which provided probable cause for the warrant. The lock down was then lifted at approximately 11:00 pm that night and the campus returned to a normal operating state.
Structure
The university, legally incorporated as “Seton Hall University, an educational corporation of New Jersey,” is governed by a 16-member Board of Trustees. Eleven members of the board serve on it as a virtue of their positions within the University or
Archdiocese of Newark. The
Archbishop of Newark, who serves as the President of the Board, retains the power to appoint the remaining five members of the body. Appointed members of the board serve three-year terms, until their respective successor is appointed. The Board of Trustees exclusively maintains the property rights of the university and provides selection of title, scope, and location of the schools and colleges of the university.
The governance of the university includes a Board of Regents, which is charged with the management of the university. The Board has a membership of between 25 and 39 members. Six of the members are ex-officio; the Board of Trustees maintains the right to elect up to thirty more. regents maintain the exclusive hiring authority over the President of the university, who, by virtue of the by-laws of the university, must always be a
Roman Catholic priest and who is explicitly named the
chief executive officer of the organization.
Campus
Main campus
The main campus of Seton Hall University is situated on 58 acres (23 ha) of suburban land on South Orange Avenue. It is home to seven of the eight schools and colleges of the University. The
South Orange Village center is just ½ mile (0.8 km) south of the main campus. Directly across from the main campus to the west are scenic Montrose Park and the Montrose Park Historic District, which is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. The village itself dates back to 1666 preceding the establishment of Seton Hall College. Since the beginning of the College, the
South Orange Rail Station has served as an integral means to campus commuters. The main campus combines architectural styles including
Roman,
neo-gothic and
modern. The South Orange campus became a gated community during the University’s Modernization Period.
Newark Campus
A satellite of the main campus, the Newark Campus is home to the University’s
School of Law. Located at One Newark Center, the Law School and several academic centers of the University are housed in a modern 22-story
skyscraper building. It is at the corner of Raymond Boulevard and McCarter Highway in
Newark, New Jersey and was completed in 1991. The Newark Campus building provides and an additional of library to the University.
The Seton Hall University School of Law was founded in 1951. It is accredited by the
American Bar Association (ABA) since 1951 and is also a member of the
Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Seton Hall is one of three law schools in the state of New Jersey.
For 2009, the
U.S. News and World Report ranked the school
66th among the top 100 law schools in the nation. Its
Health Law program, which also offers an
L.L.M. degree, is ranked
fourth in the nation. The school was also ranked as having one of the highest rates of employment at graduation placing
19th with 92.1% (and 97% after nine months).
Buildings
The original centerpieces of the campus were made up of three buildings built in the 19th century. The President’s, Stafford and Marshall Hall were built when the College moved from
Madison, New Jersey to
South Orange. Some of the more notable buildings on campus are:
- Presidents Hall – One of the oldest buildings on campus and a flagship of the University, President’s Hall was completed in 1867. Located at the epicenter of the main campus, President’s Hall is a neo-gothic structure dressed in brownstone. It originally served as a seminary but now houses the University’s administration including the Office of the University President. The halls are lined with portraits of past University presidents and include a large stained glass depicting Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, which was commissioned in 1866 by President Bayley.
McQuaid Hall – Built around 1900, it was named for Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid, Seton Hall’s first President from 1856–1857 and 1859–1867. As one of the newer additions to the main campus, it was built in 1997. Jubilee Hall houses the W. Paul Stillman School of Business in addition to the largest auditorium at the University. There are several computer labs, state-of-the-art classrooms and a Stock Exchange research room.
Walsh Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena for University Sports. The arena opened in 1939 and can seat 2,600 people. The school was founded in 1997 in alliance with the United Nations Association of the United States of America. Its internationally renown diplomacy program has a notable faculty consisting of U.S. ambassadors, world-famous lecturers, and student body made up individuals from across the United States and world. Internships and class simulations are a part of the curriculum. The school has a European Union Seminar in Luxembourg, and a United Nations Summer Intensive Study Program.
Traditions
University seal
The University seal as it's today is symbolic of hundreds of years of history. The seal combines attributes from the Bayley Coat of Arms and the Seton family crest. The Seton crest dates back as early as 1216 and symbolizes Scottish nobility. Renowned crest-maker, William F. J. Ryan designed the current form of the Seton Hall crest, which is notable for its three crescents and three torteau.
The motto on the seal Hazard Zet Forward (Hazard Zit Forward on some versions) is a combination of Norman French and archaic English meaning at whatever risk, yet go forward. Part custom and part superstition, students avoid stepping on an engraving of the seal in the middle of the university green. It is said that students who step on the seal won't graduate.
Alma Mater
The Seton Hall University Alma Mater was adopted as the official song of Seton Hall University. Charles A. Byrne of the class of 1937 wrote the original lyrics in 1936 and the university adopted the alma mater during the 1937 school year when the dean first read it to the student body. Some students participate in the tradition of yelling "blue and white" more loudly than the rest of the alma mater.
Fight Song
"Onward Setonia" is Seton Hall's fight song and it's played by the University Pep Band at all home Men's and Women's basketball games, usually as the team comes onto the court and at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. The lyrics are as follows:
"Onward Setonia,
We are bound for victory.
Hazard Zet Forward,
We will honor that decree.
Onward Setonia,
Stand up proud and stand up tall.
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
For the Blue and White,
and the glory of Seton Hall."
Student life
Athletics
The school's sports teams are called the Pirates. They participate in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big East Conference. The college established its first basketball squad in 1903. Seton Hall canceled football (which was played in Division III) in 1982.
Seton Hall athletics is best known for its men's basketball program, which won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1953, and lost in the finals of the 1989 NCAA Tournament to Michigan, 80–79 in overtime. Seton Hall currently participates at the Division I level in Baseball, Basketball, Women's Basketball, Cross country running, Men's Golf, Soccer, Women's Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Diving, Women's Tennis, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, and Volleyball sports.
Seton Hall also has club sports in Ice Hockey, Rugby union, and Men's Volleyball. All Seton Hall sports have their home field on the South Orange campus, except for Men's Basketball, who play at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Student media
The school's principal newspaper is The Setonian. The paper has national news, school news, editorials, letters, a "life" section (entitled "Pirate's Life"), and an athletics section. The staff consists of undergraduates and publishes weekly on Thursday.
Other newspapers have also sprung up over time on campus. The Stillman Exchange is the Stillman Business school's own newspaper. Its stories cover a wide scope, including ethical issues, business and athletics. The Whitehead Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations is a bi-annually published journal composed of writings by international leaders in government, the private sector, academia, and nongovernmental organizations. A more recent addition to Seton Hall's growing number of publications is the Liberty Bell. The only political newspaper on campus, the Liberty Bell, is published by the Seton Hall University Students for Individual Liberty and features news and op-ed articles about issues dealing with individual liberty.
WSOU is a non-commercial, college radio station, broadcasting at 89.5 MHz FM. The station broadcasts from the campus of Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. It is a student run station with General Manager Mark Maben at helm as a full-time faculty member. WSOU currently broadcasts in HD-RADIO. In 2007, the Princeton Review rated WSOU as the eighth-best college radio station in the nation.. Industry magazine also ranked WSOU to be the top Metal format station in the nation in 2007, and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked WSOU to be one of the top 5 rock stations in the nation in 2008.
Greek life
Twenty-five recognized fraternity and sorority chapters are at Seton Hall. About 10 percent of the student body is a member of a Greek-letter organization. Fraternities at Seton Hall include the likes of Alpha Phi Delta, Alpha Kappa Psi, Lambda Theta Phi, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Kappa Sigma, Phi Kappa Theta, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Pi, Zeta Beta Tau,and Zeta Psi. Sororities include Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Tau, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Lambda Psi Delta, Lambda Theta Alpha, Mu Sigma Upsilon, Omega Phi Beta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta
In fall 2005, a group of students purporting to be an unrecognized chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon recently made headlines when it was discovered that a pledge had been kidnapped and beaten for alerting university administration of the group's existence.
People
Notable alumni
For a comprehensive list of alumni, see the list of Seton Hall University alumni.
Seton Hall has over 85,000 graduates worldwide. Besides numerous members of the United States Congress and the New Jersey State Legislature, two former Governors of New Jersey, Donald DiFrancesco and John O. Bennett are alumni. Other notable alumni in government include former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, United States Attorney Christopher J. Christie and former US Deputy Attorney General George J. Terwilliger.
Seton Hall graduates have also served as the head of major businesses and institutions such as Tyco, American International Group, and the Archdiocese of Newark. Many alumni have become prominent players in professional sports such as two-time Olympic Gold Medalist sprinter Andy Stanfield, and numerous players of the National Basketball Association like Andre Barrett, Adrian Griffin, Eddie Griffin and Samuel Dalembert. Major League Baseball player alumni include Mo Vaughn, Craig Biggio, John Valentin and Matt Morris. Other highlights include a Medal of Honor recipient, a two-time Emmy-winning journalist, Chuck Connors, and T.V. personalities such as Max Weinberg.
Notable faculty
Over the years Seton Hall has had many notable people as members of its faculty. Many of the University's most notable professors have received awards and international recognition for work in their respective fields. Former faculty include, Samuel Alito, current United States Supreme Court Justice, Clay Constantinou, U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg and former dean of the Whitehead School of Diplomacy, Will Durant, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Patrick E. Hobbs, seventh Dean of Seton Hall University School of Law, Andrew Napolitano, former judge and current correspondent for Fox News Channel, anchor on Fox Business Channel Cody Willard, Scott Rothbort noted financial analyst with lakeview asset management, Peter W. Rodino, former chairman of House Judiciary Committee and chair of impeachment hearings for President Richard Nixon, Eliakim P. Scammon, brigadier general during the American Civil War, Sister Rose Thering, missionary whose life’s work was documented in an Academy Award-nominated film Sister Rose’s Passion, and Stanley Jaki, philosopher of science and Templeton Prize recipient.
Notes and references
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