YourCollegeProfile.com • Become a fan of YourCollegeProfile.com on Facebook

Access Security Profile!

Fairleigh Dickinson University Profile

Madison, New Jersey

The Basics

Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private liberal arts institution located in the northern suburban town of Madison New Jersey. The footprint of the site is large for a private school with approximately 178 acres of park like property, which extends throughout the town of Madison. The physical site of the university has a historic perspective because the property was once the summer home of the Vanderbilt Family.

The campus has approximately 33 buildings including lecture, sports, performing arts, and student housing facilities. The issue of student housing on campus is a challenge for FDU due to the relatively small amount of available student housing. The university only provides guaranteed housing for the freshman year only, after that its first come, first served according to school officials. The campus map provides visitors the ability to observe several large open fields within the campus footprint, which separates the academic buildings from the residence halls. The distance between the residence, and academic halls are substantial for a private school.

The internal campus setting provides students and employees with several types of student services including physical fitness, library services, and cultural meeting places and dining halls. Fairleigh Dickinson’s observed focal point of reference during my campus tour was the academic buildings and gymnasium, which is usually the main focus of student activities according to my student tour guide. The overall physical layout of the campus is typical of a college setting with wide sidewalks, grass field meeting places, and park like benches. The pedestrian flow of traffic within the facility was centered between residence and academic halls. The buildings and open spaces of the facility were very clean and well maintained during my observations.

Fairleigh Dickinson University at Florham Park Demographics: F.D.U is home to approximately 1060 male, and 1200 female full time undergrad students. The university also has approximately 410 male, and 700 female graduate students, and 170 male, and 230 female part time students enrolled. The average age of a freshman is 18 years old; all undergraduates are 20 years old. 86% of students are state residents with the rest coming from 27 other states, and 21 foreign countries. 73% of students are white, 11% are Hispanic, and 12% are African American, and 4% are Asian. The total number of students with on campus housing is 1530; the total population including full, part time, and graduate school students is 3,770 according to published handouts. The total number of students enrolled in the Fairleigh Dickinson University System is approximately 11,000 students on 2 campuses.

FDU offers a Liberal Arts and Sciences programs for undergraduate students. Below is a list of specific admission requirements for admission.

Student Housing

The purpose of student housing is to provide safe and reasonable accommodations for students living away from home. The issue of housing and dormitory life is a critical element of overall campus life because students spend a large amount of time in their rooms. Student housing units historically come in 3 different styles including traditional corridor, suite, and apartment style units. Unfortunately,

FDU only guarantees housing for freshman who have filed their intent to reside on campus by the stated deadline and who have continuously registered as full time students.

TCNJ has 12 residence halls including 2 10-story buildings for freshman housing. Upper classman live in the townhouses and future apartment buildings on the perimeter of the school. TCNJ guarantees housing for freshman and sophomores students who have filed their intent to reside on campus by the stated deadline and who have continuously registered as full time students. The housing is new accept for the resident towers. The school has started developing housing resources for upper classman through it’s capital improvement initiatives. The village apartments are new, and beautiful, but only upper classmen can rent them.

Off Campus Housing

The Township of Madison has been described as a small suburban community within driving, and commuter distance to New York City. The reason I have mentioned the overall community of Madison is to re-assert the point that FDU is situated in a suburban setting with a high number of homes that are privately owned. The college does provide off campus housing resources for students who request help. Information about services: http://view.fdu.edu/default.aspx?id=6523

Campus Life

Fairleigh Dickinson University is an active private college campus environment that provides students with an outstanding social, and educational atmosphere. The admissions demographics paint a picture of a local educational community with a mixed number of in state residents on campus as full, and part time students. The local community of Madison is a short distance away from the school and is very supportive of the schools mission to provide educational opportunities to local residents and on-campus students. The town itself has a main street feel to it due to the restaurants and shops along the main avenue.

The emotional climate and culture of the entire community is social due to it’s close relationship with community, and educational resources in my opinion. FDU is an attractive institution because it offers students natural beauty with the mountains of western New Jersey, while providing student activities for everyone including cultural, athletics, and performing arts to enjoy throughout the year. This issue of school culture is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community.

FDU has done a great job developing positive social systems with it’s students by providing a series of coordinated programs including workshops and seminars for freshman students. The universities new student experience program provides an excellent example of programs and services that help first year students by offering professional counselors that advise students on ways to explore their educational options to achieve personal academic goals. The residence assistants also do a great job motivating students to enjoy the college campus experience.

These types of programs help build a foundation for learning and personal growth by providing students with educational resources as well as informational resources to help bridge the gap from new student to an independent learner. The university has academic clubs, student organizations, and intramural sports activities to participate in. The campus also has a student recreation center that provides exercise, and indoor intramural sports within a state of the art facility. FDU also participates in 9 NCAA Division III Varsity Sports for Women and Men.

Public Transportation

Public transportation resources for FDU students are limited due to the suburban location of the campus. Students who attend the university usually drive to campus because parking is readily available and public transportation is limited. Another issue for public transportation is the students themselves. The university has a very large number of in-state students who know the streets and highways very well. Knowing the area is key because students who come from other states may not know the area as well and might opt to take a bus or train to their destination because they don’t want to risk getting lost on local roads.

The public transportation for the university is served by The New Jersey Transit Morris & Essex line, which serves the residents of Madison. This specific line connects with several other transit lines within the overall system including the Northeast Corridor, and it makes two stops near the university at Madison and Convent stations respectfully. New Jersey Transit has bus service called the Morris County Metro Line that travels past the university on Madison Avenue. Public transportation resources are directly linked to local resident commuter schedules for bus and train service, students should pick NJ Transit handouts or service information. New Jersey Transit Info: www.njtransit.com/

Community Profile

Madison New Jersey is a suburban town of approximately 4 square miles with 16,350 residents in the northwestern county of Morris. The town has been described as a gracious family centered residential community within striking distance to New York City. Madison also has an intellectual side due to its historical neighborhood architecture. Local residents also call the Town of Madison the Rose City because of it’s historical heritage. The town has a local pedestrian walkway on Main Street, which links local residents and FDU students to a large number of restaurants and local shops within the center of town. Local residents also take advantage of the Short Hills Mall which is located within a 10 minute drive on Route 24 in Short Hills N.J.

The town itself is located within a short distance to the school, which makes the area a student friendly destination throughout the year. New Jersey Transit also provides commuter rail service to local residents in the area with the Morris-Essex County Line”. This rail corridor links to New York City, Newark Airport, and N.J. Penn Station for Amtrack northeast rail service. The main airport to Drew is Newark International airport, which is also connected to N.J. Transit rail service.

This area has a real small town feel to it when you are driving around the neighborhood. The main street you will be using is Route 124, which is actually called Main Street. This road provides direct links to the community and Route 24, which is a feeder roadway to Route 278 as a main east/ west corridor, and the Garden State Parkway for driving north/south. The community also has several national chain hotels, and restaurants on Route 24, 278, and 80 along with the Short Hills Mall. Appendix #1 on the back page has a list of observed local neighborhood resources for students and visitors.

Community demographics

The following demographics for Madison New Jersey describe a culturally diverse community within a total population of 16,350 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey highlights several characteristics to describe the population including: 7,832 residents are male, 8,698 are female. 14,826 residents are white, 496 are African American, 987 are Hispanic or Latino, and 624 are Asian. The median age of population is 34.3 years old. 79.4% of residents are 18 years old, 68.6 of residents are over 21 and 13 % of city residents is over the age of 65.

The issue of housing in Madison is also interesting. 98.7 % of all housing units within the town are occupied. 33.0 % of housing units are renter-occupied, while 67.0 % of units are owner-occupied. Only 2.0 % of total available housing was vacant. Homeowners who rent property report an average cost is ($1,000-1,499) 45.9% and ($750-999) 31.2%. The Census Bureau reports 13 % of Madison N.J. is commercial property.

Local weather

Weather is also an issue to consider for students preparing for a college experience. New Jersey enjoys all four seasons of weather including rain and snow. Northeast weather patterns sometimes allow for temperatures to drop below 32 degrees for a considerable amount of time during the winter. New Jersey also gets it’s share of rain during the spring and summer months as well.

Fairleigh Dickinson University Hotel Quick Links

The Madison Hotel
One Convent Road
Morristown N.J. 07960
Hamilton Park Hotel
175 Park Ave
Florham Park N.J. 07932
Hyatt Summerfield Suites Morristown
194 Park Ave
Morristown N.J. 07960
Hilton Short Hills
41 John F. Kennedy Parkway
Short Hills N.J. 07078
Westin Governor Morris Hotel Morristown
2 Whippany Road
Morristown N.J. 07960
Westminister Hotel
550 West Mt. Pleasant Ave
Livingston N.J. 07039

Below is a sample list of local restaurants on Main Street (Route 124) in Madison N.J. Shopping resources can be found on Main Street in Madison along with the neighboring communities of Chatham, and the Short Hills Mall.

The Your College Profile web site also contains an “Everything in New York City” document for families who wish to explore the NYC while visiting FDU. This site contains a full list of hotels, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, and tourism resources for families enjoying the region.

FDU Quick Links Page

Comments!

Login to comment on this profile.


There are no comments to display.

Take action now!