Monroe College

Coordinates: 40°51′50″N 73°54′01″W / 40.863947°N 73.900408°W / 40.863947; -73.900408

Monroe College
Established	1933
Type	Private, proprietary school
President	Stephen J. Jerome
Students	7,700 total
Location	Bronx New Rochelle, New York, USA, St Lucia
Campus	City
Former names	Monroe Business Institute (1933–1990)
Colors	Blue and Gold
Mascot	Mustangs
Website	http://www.monroecollege.edu/

Monroe College is a proprietary college with campuses in the Bronx and New Rochelle in the U.S. state of New York and in the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia. The college is named after James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. Mildred King founded the "Monroe School of Business" in 1933 at 1940 Boston Post Road in the Bronx. The first class consisted of seven students in four classrooms. By 1936 after Henry Jerome joined the school had 145 students.^[1]

The college offers two-year, four-year, and graduate programs (through the King Graduate School of Business).

King Hall Building in the Bronx

Students

Monroe's Students represent diverse backgrounds, ages and experiences.

Most Monroe students come from the New York City and lower Westchester areas. There is also a significant and growing international population.

Campuses

Monroe College consist of three campuses: the Bronx, New Rochelle, and St. Lucia.

New Rochelle Campus

The college’s New Rochelle campus features dormitory living, an award-winning culinary arts teaching facility, other unique learning environments, and an athletic center.

In 2007, the college transformed a former industrial building into a culinary arts facility for the School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts. Designed by Doban Architecture of Brooklyn, NY, it won a McGraw-Hill Construction Best of 2007 Award and a 2008 American School & University Outstanding Design Award.

In 2010, the college transformed three adjoining storefronts into a state-of-the-art Academic Center. The space features a technology-rich system, study nooks and is situated in the middle of faculty offices to give students easy access to their professors and the Academic Dean. The project, also designed by Doban Architecture with its affiliated design studio Think Fabricate, received an Outstanding Design award in the 2011 American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase.

Nursing

In January 2007, The Monroe College School of Allied Health Sciences started offering a Practical Nursing (P.N.) program. The eleven-month, full-time New York State Education Department approved, college credit-bearing certificate program will provide eligibility for the State Board NCLEX P.N. Exam.

Academics

The college's business organization, Students In Free Enterprise, has consistently competed and won the national title for two year schools. The team now competes in the tradition 4 year division.^{[2][3][4][5][dead link]}

Accreditation

Monroe College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation.

Monroe College is authorized by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York to grant Certificates in Practical Nursing, the Associate in Science (A.S.), degree in Criminal Justice, Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Baking and Pastry, Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Information Technology, Medical Administration, Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, and Registered Nursing. Bachelor of Business Administration degrees (B.B.A.) in , Accounting, Business Management, General Business, Health Services Administration, Hospitality Management, and Information Technology, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, and Public Health, a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree in Business Management, and a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Criminal Justice. Its curricula are registered by the New York State Education Department.

Students

The first Monroe yearbook was published in 1983. The International Club has held a lively cultural festival annually. Drama, Criminal Justice, Environment Protection Club, a literary magazine, Hosptitality Students Associations, Cheerleaders, an Honor Society, National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), Students in Free Enterprise, Leadership Council are some of the clubs and activities available. Students at Monroe College are diverse, international, and of all ages. Europe, Asia and Africa. A significant number of international students come from St. Kitts, Dominica, Jamaica and other Caribbean locations.

History

The Monroe School of Business was founded in 1933 by Mildred King in the West Farms section of the Bronx. It started with seven women in four small classrooms. Tution was five dollars for one evening or ten dollars for a week of classes. It took students three or 6 month sessions to earn a certificate.

Monroe added an IBM division in the 1960s with keypunch machines. Monroe classes were held at the site of the former Starlight Ballroom where Marty was filmed.

Monroe officially went from a business school to an accredited junior college in 1972 when it earned the right to grant associated degrees (AOS). More classrooms were added on Morris Avenue and in 1977, the West Farms facilities were closed and all Monroe programs were consolidated in the Fordham Road Area.

In the 1980s, South Hall opened in the Bronx and Monroe celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and was authorized to grant a second associated degree (AAS)

The men's basketball team was established in 1989.

In 1990, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education granted Monroe accreditation. The name was changed from Monroe School of Business to its current name Monroe College. In this year, the college joined the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)

In 1996, the New York State Board of Regents authorized Monroe College to confer baccalaureate degrees (BBA) and so the college instituted Bachelor's programs in Accounting, Business Management and Information Systems.

Athletics

The Monroe College Athletic Department fields teams in thirteen sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's soccer, softball, and women's volleyball. All Monroe teams are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association and participate in NJCAA Region XV. Monroe Mustangs men's baseball and basketball are a Division I NJCAA programs. Lady Mustangs basketball and volleyball are Division II programs. All of the other Monroe sports play in Division III.

The men's basketball team have a .706 winning percentage since 1991 and have appeared in the NJCAA Tournament three times, becoming finalists in 1997-98. The Lady Mustnags winning percentage since 1998 is .748 and were NJCAA Division III Women's National Basketball Finalists in 2004-2005 and won the national championship in 2005-2006 with a perfect 36-0 record.

It took only two years for the women's volleyball team to make the playoffs for the first time and in 2004 they finished 21-4 and played all the way to the Region XV Championship game. The women's softball team made the Region XV Championship game in just their second year of varsity play. In men's soccer, the Mustangs have made two appearances in the Region Championship game.

References

1. ^ http://www.monroecollege.edu/aboutmonroe/monroeshistory
2. ^ Monroe SIFE Makes the Nationals!, Monroe College website, accessed August 11, 2011
3. ^ Monroe College 2005 2 Year National Champions
4. ^ SIFE Yearly Results
5. ^ Caribbean students lead New York college team to national academic victory

External links

• Monroe College Official Website
• Association of Proprietary Colleges web site
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Accreditation
• New York Times Article about the Monroe Lady Mustangs, January 2009
• Monroe College celebrates student appreciation as part of 75th anniversary