Montclair State University history

1910 The school’s first graduating class numbers just 45.

The first dormitory was then built five years later, in 1915, and is known as Russ Hall.

1918 As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair has graduated a total of 1,464 teachers, more than 1,200 of whom teach in New Jersey.

1919 The school’s yearbook, then called The Palatine, is printed for the first time.

1926 The school’s first student-run newspaper, The Montclairion, is launched. It’s named for “that highest pinnacle of Rome, from whose height could be seen the panorama of the ancient world of learning.” 1920 Charles S. Chapin, the school’s first principal, expresses his concern about flapper influences on campus.

In 1924, Doctor Harry Sprague was the first president of Montclair, and shortly afterwards the school began being more inclusive of extracurricular activities such as athletics.

1926 The school’s first student-run newspaper, The Montclairion, is launched.

The first school in the country to offer a four-year program in educational instruction, it adopted the name of Montclair State Teachers College in 1927.

1928 A second dorm, Chapin Hall, opens.

1929 The school’s first fraternity, called The Senate, is formed.

1937 Sprague Field is dedicated during a football game against Hofstra University.

In 1943, during World War II, several students, with permission from the president, Harry Sprague, joined the US Navy as volunteers to train for the war.

1947 Coach Chet Pittser leads the football team to its first undefeated season.

1949 The New Jersey School of Conservation is established.

1952 The nation’s first educational television programs are broadcast from the Montclair State campus.

29, 1956, Elizabeth, N.J., United States), American basketball player and sports executive whose playing career featured a number of records and firsts.

In 1958 the school merged with the Panzer College of Physical Education and Hygiene to become Montclair State College.

The school became a comprehensive multi-purpose institution in 1966.

1969 The college’s first women’s basketball team ends its debut season with an impressive 9-3 record.

1973 Doctor David W.D. Dickson is named president, becoming the first African American to lead a four-year college in New Jersey.

Blazejowski grew up in Cranford, N.J., and began playing basketball on a school team in her senior year of high school in 1974.

1976 The men’s wrestling team wins the national championship in 1976.

In 1979 Blazejowski was on the first United States women’s basketball team to win a gold medal at the World University Games (WUG) in Mexico City.

In 1980–81 she played for the New Jersey Gems in the Women’s Basketball League (WBL) until the WBL went bankrupt.

Montclair has notable programs in the fine and performing arts, and in 1986 the School of Arts received a major grant from the state, which has been used to expand the school’s arts curriculum and cultural programs.

1987 Montclair State’s baseball team captures its first NCAA crown.

The school acquired university status and was designated a teaching university in 1994.

1995 Montclair State dedicates the Center of Pedagogy, the first of its kind in the nation.

While working for the NBA, she became involved in the development of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Before the WNBA’s debut in the summer of 1997, she signed on as vice president and general manager of the New York Liberty professional team.

In 1998 the school won approval to offer the nation’s first doctoral degree in pedagogy.

1999 Science Halls opens with 11 labs, three greenhouses and a student annex.

In 2004, NJ Transit opened the Montclair State University station, which links the university to New York City.

2006 The John J. Cali School of Music is established.

2008 With much fanfare, Montclair State University celebrates its centennial.

2011 The Heights, a state-of-the-art, 2,000-bed residential facility, opens at the north end of campus.

2012 Nation’s first Guy Fieri on Campus restaurant opens in Blanton Hall food court.

2013 Women’s Basketball is NJAC Champion and go onto the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in the history of the University, and set the school record for most wins in one season finishing the season 26-0.

2014 Montclair State becomes the first public university in New Jersey to adopt an SAT/ACT Optional policy for undergraduate admissions.

2015 The University receives a $20 million anonymous gift – the largest in its history – in support of the School of Business.

2016 For the first time, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education recognizes Montclair State as a Research Doctoral University.

2017 Montclair State is designated a Public Research Institution 2017 University opens new School of Communication and Media building, one of the nation’s most technologically advanced university media production facilities.

2018 Mallory Hall was transformed into the new Center for Computing and Information Science, with a dynamic mix of rooms designed specifically to support research, teaching labs and instruction.

The undergraduate program began in fall 2020.