Imagine Your Future U at Centenary University

The Skylands Region of Northwestern New Jersey is a special place, with rich history and beautiful scenery. The educational and cultural heart of this remarkable area is Centenary University. Centenary’s enduring traditions span more than 154 years, and the University continues helping students gain the skills and connections they need to prosper in today’s world.

“Centenary University offers unparalleled educational opportunities, providing students with experiential learning they wouldn’t get at larger universities,” said President Bruce Murphy, Ed.D. “In the last year alone, Centenary and our students received our first patent, won an international science competition — besting students from Harvard, Yale, and other leading research institutions — won a statewide history award, as well as a Director’s Choice Award, earned impressive internships, and took part in important Covid-19 masking research with the CDC. Centenary has truly emerged as a small university with a national reach.”

The University offers more than 56 associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as career advancement programs for working professionals. Its close-knit community and small class sizes are conducive to student success. Centenary awards robust scholarships and works with students to help finance their educations.

Centenary also helps adult learners with accelerated paths to graduation. Through Prior Learning Assessments, students work 1:1 with faculty on portfolios showing individual competencies based on their personal and work experience, earning credits toward graduation.

The opportunity to conduct meaningful research is an integral part of the academic experience at Centenary. Last fall, the research and development team from Mars Wrigley worked with nine Centenary seniors in Analytical Chemistry to demonstrate how scientific research provides practical solutions for global companies. The project — to analyze the sugar content of a single M&M — gave students the opportunity to work on real-life problems while gaining professional lab experience.

Centenary’s competitive business team, ENACTUS, earned the University its first patent for a fatigue alert device designed by students. Called Shieldz Wearable Technologies, the product can be worn on the wrist to detect drowsiness in truck drivers and other motorists.

“We were ecstatic when we heard that the patent had been approved,” recalls Linda Poisseroux, Ph.D., assistant professor of business and director of ENACTUS.

In the field of Sports and Entertainment Management, Centenary students get hands-on experience with major league sports franchises in the metropolitan area as early as freshman year. The students shadow professionals in the industry and run events, including a major annual Sports and Entertainment Management Symposium. Centenary graduates go on to work at a host of major and minor league organizations, from the New York Jets and New York Red Bulls, to the Philadelphia Eagles, Portland Trailblazers, New York Yankees, and New York Mets.

At the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Washington Township, the University offers a nationally recognized Equine Studies Program, with outstanding opportunities for students to pursue careers in equine-related fields and graduate degree programs. The University has achieved a near-perfect record in the past several years for placing students in competitive veterinary schools through its excellent Equine Studies and Animal Health majors.

While the pandemic has presented educational challenges to universities across the nation and closed many campuses to in-person learning, Centenary has offered on-campus learning since the fall 2020 semester. One important initiative was the launch of Cyclone Flex, which allows students to attend courses in person, online, or in a HyFlex format combining the two. Dr. Murphy said, “At a time when students need more support than ever to continue their studies, Centenary has stepped up with enhanced academic programs and personalized support systems.”

Today, Centenary University is building on its rich history to prepare the next generation of students for emerging careers, with new programs of study in Certified Financial Planning (CFP®), computer science, project and supply chain management, as well as in healthcare with medical laboratory science, health science, exercise science, and NEW, for fall 2022, an RN to BSN in nursing. In addition, the University is strengthening partnerships with community colleges to increase educational access, as well as with area businesses and national educational organizations to bring a broader array of professional opportunities to the Skylands Region. Dr. Murphy said, “We’re taking a long-term, institutionalized approach to ensure that Centenary moves forward in a very deliberate way to serve our students while meeting the needs of businesses for well-trained professionals in the work-force.”