We are Caldwell University

July 1 Marks Milestone for Caldwell

Caldwell College is now Caldwell University. The university officially rolled out its new name and logo on July 1.

After 75 years operating as Caldwell College, the institution is now Caldwell University.

“It is a new day and thrilling for all of us, especially for everyone who worked on the rigorous process to get us to this point,”said President Nancy Blattner, Ph.D. Blattner received official notification from the New Jersey secretary of higher education on Dec. 9 that the college’s petition to change its official name to Caldwell University had been approved. The institution chose to wait to officially roll out its new status at the start of the 2014-15 fiscal year to have time to prepare the marketing and signage materials.

The new branding campaign, which focuses on “a defining moment,”is featured in radio, newspaper and online advertising, said Joseph Posillico, vice president of enrollment management and communications, who led the creation of the university logo and marketing materials.

“This is certainly a defining moment in many ways for Caldwell,”said Blattner. “We are celebrating our 75^th anniversary; we have added two  new doctoral programs in educational leadership, and our strong master’s programs are graduating students who are doing outstanding work in their fields. In the fall we will be greeting our largest freshman class in our history and we will have the most students we have ever had living on campus.”

There are a number of  benefits to the name change, said Blattner, including that for “students who want to go on to graduate school or who graduate from one of our master’s or doctoral programs, there is  prestige in graduating from a university.”

Most important, she said, “is that the university is still committed to its Catholic identity and Dominican heritage and its core values of respect, integrity, community and excellence.”

Caldwell recently announced the addition of  the new doctoral programs, an Ed.D. and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. The program, which was approved by the New Jersey Office of Higher Education, is designed to meet the needs of school leaders, teachers or those in organizational leadership. The initial cohort will begin in the fall of 2014. The doctoral students will choose from one of the three concentrations for an Ed.D. or a Ph.D.: K-12 Leadership, Special Education Leadership or Higher Education Leadership.

Celebrations for university status and the 75^th anniversary will be held on Homecoming Weekend  Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19 and 20, and throughout the academic year.