Seton Hall University

Early history Founder Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley Like many Catholic universities in the United States, Seton Hall arose out of the Council of Baltimore , held in Maryland in 1844, with the goal of bringing Catholicism to higher education in order to help propagate the faith. [ 10 ] The Diocese of Newark had been established by Pope Pius IX in 1853, just three years before the founding of the college, and it necessitated an institution for higher learning. [ 10 ] Seton Hall College was formally founded on September 1, 1856, by Newark Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley , a first cousin of James Roosevelt I , father of president Franklin Roosevelt . Bishop Bayley named the institution after his aunt, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton , who was later named the first American-born Catholic saint . The main campus was originally in Madison, New Jersey . Reverend Bernard J. McQuaid served as the first college president (1856–1857, 1859–1868) and directed a staff of four diocesan clergy including Reverend Alfred Young, vice-president; Reverend Daniel Fisher (the second college president, 1857–1859) and five lay instructors. Initially, Seton Hall had only five students – Leo G. Thebaud, Louis and Alfred Boisaubin, Peter Meehan, and John Moore. By the end of the first year, the student body had grown more than tenfold to 60. The college moved to its current location in 1860. [ 10 ] Postcard showing Stafford Hall, one of the first dormitories, in the late 19th century By the 1860s, Seton Hall College was continuing its rapid growth and began to enroll more and more students each year. However, among other difficulties, several fires on campus slowed down the growth process. The first of several strange fires in the university's history occurred in 1867 which destroyed the college's first building. Two decades later on March 9, 1886, another fire destroyed the university's main building.

[ 11 ] In the 20th century, another campus fire burned down a classroom as well as several dormitory buildings in 1909. During the 19th century, despite setbacks, financially tight times, and the American Civil War , the college continued to expand. Seton Hall opened a military science department (forerunner to the ROTC program) during the summer of 1893, but this program was ultimately disbanded during the Spanish–American War . [ 11 ] Perhaps one of the most pivotal events in the history of Seton Hall came in 1897 when Seton Hall's preparatory (high school) and college (undergraduate) divisions were permanently separated. [ 11 ] James F. Kelley , then 33 years old, was appointed by Thomas J. Walsh of the Archdiocese of Newark to serve as president of Seton Hall College in July 1936, making him the nation's youngest college president. [ 12 ] When he took office, Kelley led a liberal arts school that had an enrollment of 300. By 1937, Seton Hall established a University College. This marked the first matriculation of women at Seton Hall. Seton Hall became fully coeducational in 1968. In 1948, Seton Hall was given a license by the FCC for WSOU-FM . The construction of the Walsh Gymnasium began as part of a project initiated in 1939 that would cost $600,000 (equivalent to $ 13.6 million in 2024 ). [ 13 ] Kelley stepped down from office at Seton Hall in March 1949 in the wake of an investigation into the by the school by the federal government that looked into potential improper sales of war surplus equipment that had been given for the school's use. He was succeeded by John L. McNulty . Enrollment at the school had grown to 6,000 by the time Kelley left office. [ 14 ] Presidents Hall, one of the university's oldest buildings The college was organized into a university in 1950 following the unprecedented growth in enrollment.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of business, nursing, and education comprised the university; the School of Law opened its doors in 1951, with Miriam Rooney as the first woman dean of law in the United States. [ 10 ]

The Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry was established in 1954 as the first medical school and dental school in New Jersey. It was located in Jersey City , adjacent to the Jersey City Medical Center , which was used for clinical education. Although the college, set up under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Newark , was a separate legal entity from the university, it had an interlocking board of trustees. The first class was enrolled in 1956 and graduated in 1960. The dental school also awarded its first degrees in 1960. From 1960 to 1964, 348 individuals received an M.D. degree. The college was sold to the state of New Jersey in 1965 for $4 million after the archdiocese could not support mounting school debt [ 15 ] and renamed the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (which became the New Jersey Medical School , part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey ). [ 16 ] That entity became part of the Rutgers University system in 2013 and now exists as the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Seton Hall established a new School of Medicine in partnership with Hackensack University Health Network in 2015; however, in 2020, the medical school formally separated from Seton Hall becoming the independent Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine . [ 17 ]