I recently posted about the growth Rowan has achieved over the years, and the way the school has grown from a simple state college into a thriving university. I also mentioned that Rowan’s President Ali Houshmand had announced plans to double the school’s enrollment over the next ten years. Today I was reading into the matter a bit further, and found out about some new information, which details some of what the expansion will mean for the future.

It started with the “New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act,” which Governor Christie signed into law last year. One effect of the act was that Rowan is taking over the School of Osteopathic Medicine, which is being renamed the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. The Dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine, Thomas A. Cavalieri, has made several announcements recently speaking about the integration, including how the Middle States Commission on Higher Education has approved the upcoming changes.

The integration, combined with the recent announcement that Rowan will receive $117 million in funding from the Building Our Future Bond Act, is helping Rowan expand into New Jersey’s second comprehensive public research university. Before this, Rutgers University was the only comprehensive research university in New Jersey. Rowan officially becomes a state research university on July 1, and the change will allow Rowan to begin offering new programs. According to the Rowan Today news article about the integration, it will lead to Rowan offering “its first Ph.D. (in cell and molecular biology) and a host of other biomedical degrees including a combined D.O./Ph.D.” As the expansion continues, there will surely be other Ph.D. programs to come in the future.

Rowan is also hiring more than 60 new professors to meet the needs of these expansions, and that’s just the beginning. As the expansion continues, there are sure to be a lot of new faces coming to Rowan, bringing with them new ideas for how to develop a stronger education program. Also, with more programs being offered at the school, Rowan students will have more options available to them in deciding their educational career path. This will allow New Jersey residents to get all of the education options they need right here in their local area, instead of having to search out of state for programs that previously weren’t offered here. For example, the Rowan Today article mentions that the combination of the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the new Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine makes Rowan one of only two universities in the entire country (including Michigan State) that offers both M.D.- and D.O.-granting medical programs. Being a school with such unique offerings makes Rowan a great choice for a variety of educational needs.

On top of all of that, the school is developing a stronger reputation for high quality education. The more the school continues to grow, the more impressive a degree from Rowan is going to be. One of my professors (who moved here from out of state) once told me that back when the school had first changed from Glassboro State College to Rowan College, no one outside the local area had heard of the school or had any idea what it was like. That’s changing over time, however; our school is already developing a far-reaching reputation, and it’s only going to get better from here.