Go For What You Love. Go FDU!

The future is happening at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). From the development of innovative new programs to the creation of more online academic options; from the establishment of academic centers of excellence to the alignment of programs across FDU’s two New Jersey campuses; plus a major tuition reduction, a rise in national rankings and the addition of new facilities — the momentum is building.

FDU’s central focus is on improving student retention and student success, as well as creating greater access and affordability in higher education. These were important priorities before the pandemic began, and now, with increasing financial strain taking a toll on students and families, they have gained new urgency, and prompted the University to reduce its full-time undergraduate tuition to make its education more affordable and accessible to students and their families.

Academic Highlights

FDU continues to develop new and innovative programs that respond to real-world developments and that provide students an important edge for career success. Take, for example, the revamped Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Tourism Innovation and Excellence.

The four-year hospitality and tourism degree is based fully onsite at luxury resorts, in which admitted students will combine structured work experience at luxurious resorts with predominately online courses. By working with selected resort partners, the immersion program teaches students real-life management skills, as well as a world-class hospitality and tourism management education.

Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Wroxton College and the Royal Shakespeare Company recently announced an exclusive partnership that will offer students studying at the University’s Wroxton College in Oxfordshire, England an academic semester-long experience around the works of Shakespeare.

The University will collaborate with RSC Learning to develop a unique and immersive residential program that aims to make Shakespeare vivid, accessible and enjoyable to students at both Wroxton College and onsite at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. The program will launch in Fall Semester 2022.

Campus Improvements

FDU’s School of the Arts recently completed an extensive renovation of the animation lab in Dreyfuss Building. The new modern furniture and optimized room design provide a high-tech learning environment that incorporates a glass-enclosed 3D printing booth, dual high-resolution teaching monitors, upgraded computers with dual drawing tablet/monitors on movable arms and mounted on sit/stand desks. The workspace reflects the latest in industry standards.

Among the major changes on the Florham Campus include the addition of two new athletics fields.

The Elizabeth Ruth Hennessy Field includes a synthetic multipurpose field that serves the Division III field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s soccer teams. The field is surrounded by a 400-meter, NCAA-compliant, eight-lane track with areas for throwing and jumping events and a state-of-the-art video scoreboard. The new track has made possible the addition of men’s and women’s track and field teams.

The Vincent J. and Lenda F. Naimoli Ballpark, which opened for play in the spring of 2021, features permanent bleachers, a state-of-the-art press box with storage, fencing, ball-stopper netting, batting tunnels and a modern scoreboard.

At the Metropolitan Campus, the renovated and redesigned pedestrian footbridge has become a gathering space and a focal point that connects the Hackensack and Teaneck sides of campus. New decks, railings, lights, study tables, chairs, bench seating, sunshades and landscaping have made the bridge, which spans 200 feet across the Hackensack River, into a destination.

Rising Rankings

FDU recently reached number 44 for regional universities in the north in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. The University also was ranked number 21 for best value — regional universities, number 57 for social mobility — regional universities, and number 45 for best for vets — regional universities. In addition, FDU’s undergraduate business, computer science, engineering and nursing programs were named among the best nationwide.

To learn more about academics, athletics, campus life and all the rest at Fairleigh Dickinson University, visit fdu.edu.