From the President

Dear Friends:
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s I think back on all that the Monmouth University community achieved together during Academic Year 2021–2022, I can’t help but be filled with a sense of pride, as well as excitement for what the future holds.

Building on the momentum created by the endorsement of our strategic plan last year, we continued to make progress toward becoming a national leader at integrating excellence and access. This past year we welcomed our most academically prepared first-year class ever as measured by GPA. Equally important, given our commitment to cultivating a more inclusive community, this class was Monmouth’s second-most ethnically diverse and had the second-highest number of first-generation and Pell Grant–eligible students.

During the past year, our students and faculty pursued scholarship that addresses some persistent issues facing society today—bolstering coastal resiliency, combating cancer, and halting the spread of misinformation, to name but a few—while winning prestigious postgraduate scholarships and national research grants. I am proud that our efforts to further academic excellence and enhance the student experience are flourishing.

With generous support from private donors, we also advanced efforts to modernize and refresh our beautiful campus. One shining example of this can be seen in the Parton Broadcasting Center, a state-of-the-art facility that opened this past year, giving our students hands-on learning opportunities as they broadcast Monmouth’s Division I athletics competitions and other University events.

The biggest athletics story of the past year, of course, was our move to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The CAA is comprised of some of the finest academic institutions in the nation, and the move creates a wealth of opportunities for Monmouth—not the least of which is the ability to compete in major media markets along the East Coast. This, coupled with an exciting new partnership forged by our Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, will bring Monmouth increased and positive exposure at the regional and national levels.

For years, people have referred to Monmouth University as a “hidden gem.” Our accolades this past year convince me that the secret is starting to get out. During the past year, Monmouth was heralded by several third parties as among the best in a host of categories related to academic excellence and access. At the same time, a recent in-depth report by a New Jersey media outlet named Monmouth the state’s second-most financially strong private university, behind only Princeton. By these measures, Monmouth is a fine exemplar of how a private, student-centered university can commit to excellence and access in a fiscally responsible way.

As you read the stories in these pages about the people and programs behind this progress, I’m sure you’ll share my excitement for our future as we continue building on the great work being done here. Thank you to everyone in the Monmouth community for the role you played in these successes.

Patrick Leahy signature
Dr. Patrick F. Leahy
President