Department of Human Resources: Employee Handbook
About The College
Ramapo College of New Jersey is a state-supported four-year coeducational public college of liberal arts, sciences, professional and graduate studies uniquely qualified to give students an exceptional education which will equip them to succeed in the global community that the world has become.
In 1969 the citizens of the State of New Jersey authorized the establishment of a new state college in northern New Jersey. In November 1970 ground was broken on the former Stephen Birch estate in Mahwah. The estate's two story Mansion, now the College's administration building, is more than 100 years old and has a rich and illustrious heritage. In 1890, wealthy entrepreneur Theodore Havemeyer built the $100,000 Victorian landmark as a wedding gift for his daughter. The property was sold to Stephen Birch in 1917 and remained in his family until 1970 when the State of New Jersey purchased the Mansion and 357 surrounding wooden acres at the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains as the site for Ramapo College.
The first academic building included classrooms, a library, and a cafeteria, and was to become the cornerstone of a $70 million award-winning, barrier-free educational complex. Completed in less than a year, the initial facilities were ready on September 16, 1971 when 1,200 pioneering students walked through the doors to be met by a faculty, recruited from across the nation and abroad, which has since been cited as among the finest in the Northeast.
The conception of Ramapo College was sparked by its founding President, George T. Potter, who visualized it as an innovative college offering traditional academic values in a non-traditional setting; a college that would be devoted to development of the individual student's talents through a dynamic interdisciplinary curriculum based in the liberal arts and sciences.
The innovative young college became an overnight success. Enrollment climbed steadily, and new academic programs were introduced. In June 1973 the college held its first commencement for 124 seniors who entered as upperclassmen in 1971. Ramapo was on its way.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as number one among public comprehensive colleges in the north, Ramapo College of New Jersey is sometimes mistaken for a private college. This is, in part, due to its unique interdisciplinary academic structure, its size of approximately 5,600 students, and its pastoral setting in the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains on the New Jersey/New York border.
In addition to Ramapo’s ranking in U.S. News, an article in the February 2006 issue of Kiplinger’s magazine named Ramapo College among the top 100 public colleges and universities. The article, “Best values in public colleges,” included the sub-head, “Yes, you can still get a first-class education at a reasonable price.” Ramapo College also is one of 224 select colleges and universities profiled by The Princeton Review in the 2006 edition of The Best Northeastern Colleges.
The College is large enough to offer a broad-based academic program, yet small enough to encourage intellectual encounters in an informal and friendly environment.
The Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE) gave the college full accreditation in 1975, reaccreditation in 1981, 1990 and 2000. In 2005, they reaffirmed our accreditation through 2010. This coveted approval is an expression of confidence in the institution's performance and its long-range ability to maintain and improve its record. Those goals are being met.
Ramapo College is a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a national alliance of leading liberal arts colleges in the public sector.
The College is constantly increasing and enhancing opportunities for students, maintaining its status as a prime intellectual resource, and providing quality education that relates traditional values to the demands of a changing world.
Please see Ramapo History and About Ramapo on our web page.
