About Rowan University at Camden

In the fall of 1969, Glassboro State College opened the Camden Urban Center at 534 Cooper Street. Under the supervision of a half-time coordinator, the Urban Center provided space for practicum classes in teacher preparation, meetings for community groups and organizations, as well as a base of operation for faculty and staff working with Camden City schools and other agencies. Regular college courses were first offered in 1970 on a limited scale in response to the city’s teacher certification needs. In 1972, course offerings were expanded and 55 EOF students were admitted as full-time students at the Urban Center. Most of these students were Hispanic, and courses were taught both in English and Spanish as an interim measure until the students’ English speaking and writing skills were developed to the point where they could reasonably carry a full load of course work entirely in English. In the fall 1974, the first English-speaking freshmen were admitted for study at the Urban Center. At that time, Hispanic and African American students, in nearly equal proportions, comprised almost the entire group admitted for study in Camden. In 1975, with the end of the War in Vietnam, a new group of students arrived to study English as a Second Language, an immigrant population from all over Southeast Asia that continues today.

With the advent of a full-time day program in the fall 1980, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education (DHE) and the Budget Bureau recognized the unique nature and contribution of the Urban Center and provided a separate appropriation. At the same time, the EOF administrators in DHE recognized the unique nature of the program at the Urban Center , and in 1980 agreed to provide separate funding for Camden 's E.O.F. students. Such funding continues even today with support for two full-time staff lines and an extensive summer program.

In 1984, in recognition of Glassboro’s continuing commitment to serve the educational needs of Camden’s inner city residents, the Chancellor of Higher Education conferred branch campus status of the Urban Center. Thereafter, the college’s presence in the city would be known as Glassboro’s Camden campus and was located in the Commence Building at Broadway and Federal Street. Enrollment grew to the current size of 500 students.

In 1991, the Camden campus of Glassboro State College was united with Camden County College in a newly constructed facility at Broadway and Cooper Street. Shortly thereafter, with the momentous gift from Henry and Betty Rowan, both the main campus at Glassboro and the urban campus in Camden were renamed as Rowan College of New Jersey. In March 1997, we became Rowan University.

Facilities

Rowan's Camden Campus is located in a five-story facility at Broadway and Cooper Street. It features 40 classrooms, a community room, child care facilities, student and faculty lounges and computer labs. The University shares the building with Camden County College in a collaborative education effort. In addition, students have full library privileges and recreation center use at Rutgers University/Camden.

For More Information

Please contact an Admissions counselor to arrange a visit or appointment for more information about attending the University's Camden Campus. Camden Campus offices are open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The Rowan at Camden telephone number is (856) 756-5400.