hen Monmouth University opened its doors in 1933 as a two-year junior college offering night classes to local students, no one could have fully anticipated what this institution would become. Nearly a century later, I am proud to report that Monmouth has earned designation as a National University—recognition that reflects not a single moment, but the results of sustained, purposeful work across every corner of this campus. The pages that follow document that progress and highlight milestones from a year of exciting momentum here at Monmouth.

In 2025, we enrolled the most academically prepared class in our history—and simultaneously enrolled the highest-ever percentage of first-generation and/or low-income students. More than 40% qualified for Pell Grant support. And, this same class posted record-high GPAs, record SAT scores, and our largest-ever Honors School enrollment. This first-year class profile underscored the idea that excellence and access are not competing values—something Monmouth continues to prove year after year.

Our Carnegie Research College and University designation—placing us among the top 14% of American institutions for research activity—reflects a parallel story. We did not simply declare ourselves a research university. We built one, through faculty scholarship, student-faculty collaboration, and applied inquiry that serves our local and regional communities well beyond our campus. The Urban Coast Institute, now entering its third decade, exemplifies that commitment: translating rigorous science into policy and generating innovative research opportunities for students along the way.

ason Adolf, Ph.D., endowed professor of marine science, and senior marine and environmental biology and policy student Diederik Boonman Morales confirmed the first documented presence of an invasive species—the beadlet anemone (Actinia equina)—along North American shores.

Boonman Morales first encountered the anemones while cataloging intertidal life near campus in Adolf’s marine biology class. The species typically inhabits the rocky coastlines of the British Isles and northern Europe, making its appearance on New Jersey’s human-made groins (aka jetties) both unexpected and surprising given its usual range. After the initial sighting, the team located additional anemones across jetty systems from Long Branch to Manasquan.

he University annually reviews the Council of Independent Colleges’ Financial Indicators Tool (FIT) to assess the University’s financial health over time as well as compared to similar institutions. The FIT score presents a complete picture of an institution’s financial strengths and weaknesses and is a useful strategic indicator for institutions at various levels of financial health. The University’s FIT score is a measure of its overall financial strength based on the sufficiency and flexibility of resources, the management of debt, the performance of assets, and the results of operations. The FIT score falls along a scale of -4.0 to 10.0, and a score of 3.0 is the threshold of institutional financial health. For the past five years, the University has continued to exceed the 3.0 threshold with an average score of 6.4.