Monmouth University history

Monmouth Junior College opened to students on November 21, 1933.

Monmouth Junior College acquired its own campus in 1955 when it relocated from Long Branch to the estate of Shadow Lawn in West Long Branch.

In 1956, then Monmouth Junior College received authorization from the New Jersey Department of Education to initiate four-year baccalaureate curricula and confer the degrees of bachelor of arts and bachelor of science, including business administration.

Monmouth's first commencement was held at Shadow Lawn the same year that Schlaefer assumed the presidency and the first bachelor's degrees were awarded the year after, in 1958.

Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale ’46(opens in a new tab) was a POW in Vietnam in 1965 and later president of the Naval War College and candidate for vice president of the United States.

Amid the campus expansion, Monmouth College received authorization from the state to offer graduate programs and award master degrees in 1967.

Additional property was acquired by the college in 1969 when Monmouth was granted ownership of Maurice Pollak's home, the site of what would become Pollak Theatre.

In 1981, the Department of Business Administration was reorganized into the School of Business Administration under the leadership of John “Jack” Bolton as the first step toward achieving accreditation by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The Department of Business Administration, and subsequently the School of Business Administration, was located in Withey Hall, the original guest house for the Shadow Lawn mansion, until 1991 when the school moved to its present location in Bey Hall.

The Real Estate Institute was established in 1992 with the creation of the Harry and Rita Greenberger Chair in Real Estate.

In 1995, Monmouth College was granted university status and changed its name to Monmouth University.

They may also pursue a Master of Business Administration with a Concentration in Healthcare Management, established in 1998.

The institute was renamed the Kislak Real Estate Institute in 2006 in honor of Julius Kislak, a prominent figure in the New Jersey and national real estate industries.

In addition, a joint Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Business was established in the fall of 2007.

The Center for Entrepreneurship was established in 2008 to serve the nascent businesses of the local community and further tie business education at the school with existing and emerging businesses.

In 2009, the School of Business Administration received a naming gift and changed its name to the Leon Hess Business School.