Drew University

Campus

Drew University is located in Madison, New Jersey, a borough approximately 25 miles west of New York City. Known as "the Rose City" because of its rose-cultivating industry in the nineteenth century, Madison is an affluent commuter town in New Jersey's Morris County. It is connected with the northern section of the state and midtown Manhattan through the New Jersey Transit's Morris & Essex Lines. The university hosts the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, an independent professional theatre company; the Charles A. Dana Research Center for Scientists Emeriti; and the archives of the United Methodist Church managed by its General Commission on Archives and History.

The university sits on the former estate of William Gibbons (1794–1852), a southern gentleman who owned the New York–New Jersey steamboat business that became famous from the Gibbons v. Ogden case, and who pieced together a 95-acre estate in Madison, New Jersey in 1832. He named his holdings "The Forest," which gives Drew its nickname of the "University in the Forest". The following year, Gibbons commissioned the design and construction of a Greek revival antebellum-style residence that was completed in 1836. In 1867, financier and railroad tycoon Daniel Drew (1797–1879) purchased Gibbons' estate from his descendants for $140,000. Drew, a devout Methodist, donated the estate to the church to establish a Methodist theological seminary. The estate's mansion would be renamed "Mead Hall" in honor of Drew's wife, Roxanna Mead.

Several motion pictures, TV productions, and music videos have used Drew University as a filming location. The campus has been featured in films such as So Fine (1981), Deconstructing Harry (1997), The Family Stone (2005), Spinning into Butter (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008); and in television programmes such as The Sopranos, and Friday Night Lights

Drew's academic buildings feature a mix of Greek Revival, Collegiate Gothic, and neoclassical architecture on a 186-acre (753,000 m²) campus that is a serene, wooded oasis in the middle of a bustling suburban town. The campus features the Drew Forest Preserve, an 80-acre expanse that was recently restored with the planting of 1,100 native trees and shrubs by the university community and volunteer assistance from pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer (a large, local employer), the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Jersey Audubon Society. The university's campus also features the Florence and Robert Zuck Arboretum, named for two botany faculty members, containing a mixture of native and non-native trees, plants and two small glacial ponds supporting populations of turtles, goldfish, catfish, and muskrats, and various species of birds including migratory fowl such as Canada geese, ducks, and herons. The preserve and arboretum both provide a natural laboratory for the instruction of students in the study of biology and life sciences and for research, but is also open to the public by appointment. According to the New Jersey chapter of the Audubon Society, the arboretum and forest preserve is "important for groundwater recharge and runoff reduction within the Passaic River watershed and the Buried Valley Aquifer System."

From estate to seminary (1832–1928)

In 1866, Daniel Drew approached church leaders during the Methodist Centenary Celebration with an offer to build, equip, and endow a theological seminary near New York City. Drew asked that his pastor, John McClintock (1814–1870), be appointed lead the seminary as its first president. Instruction began under the direction of McClintock as both president and professor of practical theology after the first students were admitted in 1867. Drew is the third-oldest of thirteen Methodist seminaries affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

Drew offered professional training for candidates to the ministry augmented by "an opportunity for a broad culture through the study of the humanities." The seminary attracted a faculty that made influential contributions to Methodist theology and biblical scholarship, including James Strong (1822–1894), a professor of exegetical theology, collaborated with McClintock on the ten-volume Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (1867–1881), and researched, compiled, and published Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890) during his tenure at the seminary. Writings on early church theology and Christian practice were translated into Chinese for use by foreign missions.

As a liberal arts college (1928–1990)

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Drew Theological Seminary educated and trained hundreds of Methodist ministers. It began to expand its role with the addition of a course of study for women in 1920 when it established a "College of Missions." This course would be renamed the "College of Religious Education and Missions" in 1929 but was short-lived.

In 1928, Drew Theological Seminary accepted a gift of $1.5 million from brothers Arthur J. Baldwin (1868–1939) and Leonard D. Baldwin (1866–1933) to establish an undergraduate liberal arts college. The Baldwins were successful attorneys who were raised on a farm in Cortland, New York. Both brothers attended Cornell University. They established a law firm with former New Jersey governor John Griggs spanning "varied interests in lumbering, manufacturing, transportation, and other enterprises that ranged from owning the Grosvenor Hotel in New York City to Arthur's legal counseling for the rising McGraw-Hill publishing empire." The Baldwins became acquainted with the seminary's president, Ezra Squier Tipple, who "welcomed the brothers to his prominent New York City Methodist Church when they came to Manhattan." Leonard Baldwin eventually became a trustee of the seminary in 1919. The donation originally consisted of $500,000 to build a college building, and $1,000,000 in the form of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) stock. However, the Baldwins exchanged the stock with a gift of cash in October 1928.

In their modesty and in recognition of their sibling affection, the Baldwins asked that it be named "Brothers College." The theological seminary then changed its name to "Drew University" to reflect its expanded role. Brothers College, later renamed as the "College of Liberal Arts", opened in September 1928 with its first class of 12 students. Brothers College would incorporate the women's program and become coeducational in 1942 during World War II when school officials recognized that the military draft and war effort would reduce the all-male student body. Drew offered admission to United States Navy personnel through the V-12 Navy College Training Program. Drew was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the program which offered students a path to a naval officers' commission.

Drew began offering graduate-level education in 1912. The university expanded its graduate education programs focusing in religious studies in 1955 with the establishment of the Graduate School, the third of Drew's degree-granting entities. Four years later, it would expand the curriculum into other areas of the humanities. The Graduate School was renamed as the "Caspersen School of Graduate Studies" after a pledge of $5,000,000 in 1999 by financier Finn M. W. Caspersen (1941–2009) and his wife (and Drew alumna) Dr. Barbara Morris Caspersen.

During the 1970s, the College also established, with generous assistance from the Mellon Foundation, a now widely imitated freshman seminar program. It allows first-year students to participate, with faculty who also serve as their academic advisers, in intensive study of a topic of hopefully mutual interest. Interdisciplinary study became a focus of the curriculum as well, with the creation of majors in behavioral studies, neuroscience and Russian Studies, and minors in such fields as American studies, arts administration and museology, business management, dance, public health and writing.

In 1984, psychology professors Philip Jensen and Richard Detweiler led an effort to provide a personal computer and application software to all incoming freshman, a program referred to as the "Computer Initiative". Drew was the first liberal arts college to have such a requirement. The Computer Initiative differentiates Drew from other liberal arts colleges, and continues to this day. As a result, Drew has considerably fewer public computing labs than comparable schools its size, utilizing the centrally-managed student laptops for instructional and general-purpose computing use.

Drew University today (1990–present)

After serving two-terms as New Jersey's 48th governor, Thomas Kean (b. 1935) was appointed as Drew's tenth president. He would serve for 15 years before retiring in 2005. During his tenure, Kean continued his work in public service on several commissions, and was appointed as chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States by George W. Bush in the wake of the September 11th attacks. However, as president, Kean raised Drew's profile, overseeing fundraising efforts that tripled the size of the university's endowment, adding new faculty in African, Asian, Russian, and Middle Eastern Studies, significantly increased opportunities for students to study abroad, increased applications from prospective students, and committed more than $60 million to construction of new buildings and renovation of older buildings—principally student residence halls.

After Kean's retirement, the trustees selected Robert Weisbuch, former president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, as Drew's eleventh president in 2005. He served for seven years, and stepped down in June 2012. Under Weisbuch's direction, Drew became SAT-optional. From 2006 to 2013, applicants were allowed to submit a graded high school essay instead of SAT or ACT scores. In 2013, the university reinstated the SAT (or ACT) as an admission requirement.

Dr. MaryAnn Baenninger became the President of Drew University in July 2014, after serving 10 years as the President of the College of Saint Benedict. She succeeds Dr. Vivian A. Bull, a former economics professor and associate dean of the College at Drew and former President of Linfield College, who served as Drew's interim president from 2012 to 2014.

For the 2012–2013 year, Drew University's undergraduate costs were $54,200 (excluding books, personal expenditures, and health insurance), making Drew the most expensive school in the state of New Jersey. Drew University offers both academic scholarships and need-based financial aid.

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared by Dr. William Campbell, a research fellow at Drew University, for his work developing a drug that treats parasitic diseases.

Accreditation and affiliations

Drew University is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools with approval granted to offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs and professional or post-graduate certificates. Drew was first accredited in 1932 and its accreditation was reaffirmed after a recent review concluded in 2011. Since 1938, the theological seminary at Drew has been accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

All of the university's programs are approved and accredited by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. Drew is one of 119 institutions that are members of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of The United Methodist Church (NASCUMC). Drew is also a member of the American Council on Education, Council of Graduate Schools, Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Undergraduate programs

Drew University offers programs leading to the traditional undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) through its College of Liberal Arts. Traditional core liberal arts courses are required of Drew students within a general education curriculum that allows them to shape an individual academic program. Drew's programs emphasize depth, independent research, experiential learning and collaborative teaming. A declared minor is required in the general education program, and students choose from structured disciplinary and interdisciplinary offerings, or may design a minor course of study, subject to faculty approval.

The College of Liberal Arts provides major concentrations in 30 academic areas, including: anthropology, art, art history, biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, business, chemistry, Chinese, classics, comparative religion, computer science, economics, environmental studies & sustainability, English, French, German, history, mathematics, music, neurosciences, Pan-African studies, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, sociology, Spanish, theater arts, and women's & gender studies.

Minor concentrations are available in 20 additional areas, including: american studies, archeology, arts administration & museology, Asian studies, business, society & culture, dance, European studies, Holocaust studies, humanities, Italian, Jewish studies, Latin American studies, linguistic studies, Middle East studies, public health, Russian, western heritage, women's & gender studies, and writing.

Below is a list of key programs available to undergraduate students

Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (RISE): selected students engage in research under the supervision of retired industrial scientists.

New York Semester on Contemporary Art: an 8-credit program where students meet weekly to discuss timely issues, and then visit New York City art museums two days a week.

Drew Summer Science Institute: an on-campus summer program that pairs approximately 15 Drew students with faculty mentors for an intensive experience working full-time on a research project.

Semester on Wall Street: an 8-credit program where 20 students attend classes twice a week in New York City at St. John's University, located in the Financial District. Students have guest lecturers from the various banks, organizations, and financial agencies.

Semester on The United Nations: an 8-credit program where 20 students attend classes twice a week in New York City in the Church Center, directly across from UN Headquarters. Students have guest lecturers from the UN Secretariat and NGOs, and attend meetings of the UN General Assembly.

London Semester: a 16-credit program where students explore political and social change in Great Britain.

Graduate programs

Graduate education has taken place at Drew University since 1912. Initially, graduate education was limited to theology, and was conducted through the Theological School. In 1955, the Graduate School was established to take responsibility for the academic study (i.e., non-ministerial) of religion at the graduate level, and allow for the development of new graduate programs. In 1999, to honor the generous gift made by Barbara and Finn Caspersen, the school was renamed the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies.

In 2006, the Graduate Division of Religion (GDR), which includes programs in biblical studies and early Christianity, historical studies, religion & society, and theological & philosophical studies, was moved from the Graduate School to the Theological School. The transition was made to reflect current trends in the academic study of religion. In 2006, the school created a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program, and in 2009, a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Poetry program was established by Anne Marie Macari.

The Graduate School currently offers the following 9 degrees:

Master of Arts in Teaching: 1-year program that trains individuals to be teachers, and grants provisional teacher certification in biology, chemistry, English, French, Italian, mathematics, physics, Spanish, social studies, or theater arts.

Master of Fine Arts in Poetry: 2-year low-residency program for poets and poet translators. Students are trained to develop their talent, gain knowledge of poetics, and work side-by-side with well-known poets.

Master of Letters: an interdisciplinary study of the humanities involving 9 courses, and a masters thesis or 11 courses without a thesis. Master of Letters (M.Litt.) candidates may concentrate in specific area of study if they choose.

Doctor of Letters: an interdisciplinary study of the humanities involving 12 courses, and a doctoral dissertation (with an oral defense). Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) candidates must concentrate in one of seven areas—literary studies, global studies, studies in spirituality, writing, fine arts & media studies, Irish/Irish-American studies, or teaching in the two-year college.

Certificate in Medical Humanities: a 5-course study of medical humanities. Applicants to the C.M.H. program are generally required to have a masters and doctoral degree in a medical-related field. The program includes the study of biomedical ethics, the taking of a medical narrative, and the performance of a clinical practicum at Raritan Bay Medical Center.

Masters of Medical Humanities: a 10-course study of the medical humanities. In addition to C.M.H. requirements, the M.M.H. program includes a masters thesis.

Doctor of Medical Humanities: a 10-course study of the medical humanities. In addition to C.M.H. requirements, the D.M.H. program includes a doctoral dissertation (with an oral defense).

Master of Arts: an interdisciplinary graduate program in modern intellectual and cultural history, involving 9 courses, and a master thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy: an interdisciplinary graduate program in modern intellectual and cultural history, involving 12 courses, a student portfolio, proficiency in a modern foreign language, and a doctoral dissertation (with an oral defense).

Theological degree programs

Drew Theological School admitted its first students in 1867. Until the 1950s, the school was known as the Drew Theological Seminary, and most students sought a Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) degree, which was considered the standard for becoming a minister in an established church. Occasionally, the seminary did issue other degrees, such a Master of Arts or a Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) to students engaged in the graduate study of religion. Starting in 1920 women were admitted as students, and most notably Olive Winchester was issued a Doctor of Theology in 1925, and became the first female ordained minister in Great Britain.

The school is often noted for its strong ties to Korean Methodism. The Rev. Henry Appenzeller, a graduate of the Theological School, became the first Christian missionary to Korea. He worked to establish the Korean Methodist Church, schools and universities, and he translated the Bible into Korean. As a result of his work and his connection to Drew, the Theological School's matriculating class includes many students from South Korea.

One of the 13 official seminaries of the United Methodist Church, the Theological School prepares those pursuing ministry in the United Methodist Church. The student body also includes students preparing for ministry in other Christian denominations, and those from other faith communities.

Six different degrees are currently offered:

Master of Arts: a program designed for the academic study (i.e., non-ministerial) of religion at the graduate level. The Master of Arts (M.A.) requires 14 courses and a master's thesis, or 16 courses without a thesis.

Master of Arts in Ministry: a program for individuals wishing to be ordained as deacons, or who are seeking a non-traditional ministry. The Master of Arts in Ministry (M.A.M.) is a 2-year program requiring 15 courses.

Master of Divinity: the most widely recognized and accepted degree for religious professionals. The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) is a 3-year program requiring 28 courses.

Master of Sacred Theology: a 1-year, 6-course, program for current ministers who wish to deepen their scholarly understanding of an area.

Doctor of Ministry: an advanced degree for current ministers involving 6 courses, and a doctoral thesis.

Doctor of Philosophy: a degree designed for academic research in religion. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) requires 12 courses, proficiency in a modern foreign language, comprehensive exams, and a doctoral dissertation (with an oral defense).

Rose Memorial Library and Methodist Archives

Built in 1938 with funds donated by Lenox S. Rose, the Rose Memorial Library houses the university's library collections offering 558,000 bound volumes, more than 378,000 microforms, 10,000 periodical titles in electronic database subscriptions, and about 2,700 periodical subscriptions in paper form. The facility also includes a media resource center and learning center. The library has been designated a selective depository for U.S. government publications in accordance with the Federal Depository Library Program. Drew also maintains collections of official documents from the United Nations and the state of New Jersey. There are over 400,000 documents in the collection.

Drew University houses the United Methodist Archives and History Center administered by the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. This collection is among the most comprehensive collections of Methodist books, documents and artifacts in the world offering insight into eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English and American religious and cultural history.

The library's special collections include a collection of books, manuscripts, artifacts and papers of Nebraska-born author Willa Cather (1873–1947). This collection, which is regarded as the best collection of Cather's papers assembled in the United States, was given to the university by several donors, including Frederick B. Adams, former director of the Pierpont Morgan Library; Earl and Achsah Brewster, longtime friends of Cather; violinist Yehudi Menuhin; and by Finn and Barbara Caspersen.

Student life

Drew University offers a wide range of extracurricular activities. Key activities are listed below.

A cappella

Drew has three a cappella groups: 36 Madison Avenue (all male), All of the Above (co-ed), and On a Different Note (all female). Concerts are held regularly throughout the year, with major concerts occurring at the beginning and end of each semester.

Theater

The Princeton Review ranks Drew as having the number one theatre program in the United States for any liberal arts college. Drew has two theatres, the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, home to the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and the Thomas Kean Blackbox Theatre, located in the Dorothy Young Center.

Drew's theatre program was ranked as the #1 theatre program for any liberal arts college in the United States, and #2 overall.

Theme houses

Drew offers an alternative living community called "theme houses". The theme houses produce many of the major campus wide events that take place every year, and also hold many theme parties that occur throughout the semester. The six theme houses on campus are

WoCo: A Feminist House – a house for those interested in women's, LGBT and gender issues Spirituality House – a multi-faith house for those interested in topics related to spirituality and lawful and spiritually enhancing means of encouraging spiritual enlightenment through self-stimulation.

International House – a diverse house created to join people together from around the globe

Residence halls

Drew University has a total of 15 Residence halls for those who wish to live on their campus. These halls are used by Graduate Theological and Undergraduate students. There are 12 halls used exclusively by undergraduate students which are: Asbury, Baldwin, Brown, Foster, Haselton, Hoyt, Hurst, McClintock, McLendon, Riker, Tolley and Welch. The Halls used only by Graduate or Theological students are Tipple and Wendel. All students have the ability to live in Eberhardt which is home to three theme houses.

Athletics

Originally known as "The Circuit Riders" in honor of their Methodist origins, Drew's sports teams are known as the Rangers and compete in the NCAA's Division III. The Rangers field teams in 18 varsity sports (10 female, 8 male). Drew is a member of the Landmark Conference for men's and women's basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and baseball, field hockey, softball. The Rangers compete as an independent in men's and women's fencing, which compete in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association (MACFA), and women's equestrian, which competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). Drew offers many club teams including ultimate frisbee and Drew's women's and men's rugby teams, which are part of the collegiate division of the Metropolitan New York Rugby Football Union. Drew has several intramural sports programs.

Media

The Acorn: Student-run weekly newspaper that has been operating on-campus since November 1928.

WMNJ: Student-run radio station at Drew University.

Insanity's Horse: Student-run literary and arts journal.

Notable people

In the university's 146-year history, Drew's faculty and alumni have taken leading roles in the ministry and missions of the United Methodist Church and other Christian denominations, in academia, in public service, and in the professional world. Drew's faculty, starting with John McClintock and James Strong—especially with his magnum opus, Strong's Concordance—to recent faculty members including philosopher Robert S. Corrington, the founder of "ecstatic naturalism"; ethics professor Thomas C. Oden, the founder of paleo-orthodoxy, and Leonard Sweet, a leader in the emerging church movement, have continued to impact Christian theology and spiritual scholarship. Other faculty have included lexicographer Robert L. Chapman, editor of the fourth and fifth editions of Roget's Thesaurus; Ira Progoff, a psychotherapist, developed the Intensive Journal Method, and researcher of depth psychology; and Irish history scholar Christine Kinealy.

According to the UMC, Drew's seminary now has more than 3,500 alumni and alumnae "in 45 states and 18 foreign countries, including 21 bishops of The United Methodist Church." Among these alumni: Henry G. Appenzeller (B.D. 1885) was the first Methodist missionary to Korea and fostered a relationship between Korea, the church, and Drew that endures to this day; and Olive Winchester (Th.D. 1925), a Church of the Nazarene theologian, was the first female ordained minister in Great Britain.

Alumni include popular historian and journalist John T. Cunningham (B.A. 1938); Craig Stanford (B.A. 1978), a biology and anthropology professor and director of the Jane Goodall Research Center at the University of Southern California; and Jeff Smith (M.Div. 1965), minister, cookbook author, host of The Frugal Gourmet a television program that aired from 1973 to 1997. Several Drew alumni have had careers in public service, including Nathaniel Raymond (B.A. 1999), human rights advocate involved in investigations into the Dasht-i-Leili massacre; Holly Bakke (B.A. 1973), an attorney who served as New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance (2002–05); Peter Verniero (B.A. 1981), a former New Jersey Attorney General and New Jersey Supreme Court justice; and Thomas J. Aquilino, Jr. (B.A. 1962), a federal judge on the United States Court of International Trade.