Monroe College

King Hall Building in the Bronx

Monroe College was founded in 1933 by Mildred King as the Monroe School of Business, a women's business school, in the West Farms section of the Bronx.[5][6] The school's classes were held at the site of the former Starlight Ballroom.[7]

Monroe officially transitioned from a business school to an accredited junior college in 1972 when it earned the right to grant associate degrees (AOS),[6] and the college was renamed to Monroe Business Institute.[8] 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.[9]

In 1990, the name of the school was changed from The Monroe Business Institute to Monroe College after receiving accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[1][6] In the same year, the college joined the National Junior College Athletic Association.

On-campus student housing was constructed at its New Rochelle, New York location in 2003. That same year it introduced new degree programs in hospitality, criminal justice, and culinary arts.[6] It also built Milavec Hall, a building for math, English and arts classes and began construction of a 200-bed student housing building at its Main Street location in New York.[6]

Online course options for business management and administration were introduced in 2004[10] and an MBA program was added in 2005.[5]

In January 2017, Marc M. Jerome, who had worked at Monroe College for more than 22 years, became its fourth president.[11]

Ustin Hall

Monroe has more than 250 full-time faculty members and adjunct faculty members, and the undergraduate student-faculty ratio is 15:1.[12] Monroe College has three academic semesters during the 12-month calendar year. Each semester is a standard 15-week course of study.

The School of Allied Health Professions was founded in 2000 and has clinical and non-clinical programs. The School of Nursing has programs such as the certificate in practical nursing program (LPN), an associate's in applied science degree program (AAS), and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) that qualifies graduates to obtain their license as a registered nurse.

Monroe College has an associate degree program for accounting and business administration, and bachelor's degrees in accounting, public accounting, general business and business management. The school is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for its MBA, associate and bachelor programs as of June 2014. Monroe also has associate and bachelor's degree programs in Information Technology.

Started in 2009, Monroe College's School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts has associate degree programs in baking and pastry, culinary arts, and hospitality management, as well as bachelor's degrees in hospitality management. Monroe students in the culinary program prepare each item and are responsible for the restaurant's daily operations which is open. Monroe College's culinary arts program has been awarded the Marc Sarrazin Cup at the Salon of Culinary Art competition for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014.[13]

Founded in the fall of 2011, Monroe's School of Education has a bachelor's degree program in early childhood education. Students receive training working with children at local nursery schools, daycare facilities, and special needs schools. Monroe's School of Education is also partnered with the Americorp Jumpstart Program, an early education organization that trains college students to serve preschool children in low-income neighborhoods.

Jerome Hall Bronx Campus

Gaddy Hall at Monroe College - New Rochelle Campus

Monroe College has three main campuses:

• The Bronx - The campus has been located in Fordham, Bronx neighborhood since 1967. It has seven buildings that are located near the Fordham shopping district, which consists of about 80 buildings that house nearly 300 businesses.[20][21]
• New Rochelle, New York - This campus is only a 30-minute train ride from Grand Central Station.[21] It has six academic buildings including a Culinary Arts Center, which opened in 2006, and houses a critically-acclaimed student-run restaurant called The Dining Lab.[22][23][24] In January 2011, the college completed a renovation of the former ice rink at New Roc City naming it the Monroe Athletic Complex (MAC). The Monroe Mustangs basketball and volleyball teams play on a 94-foot, wood-floor basketball court in the 45,000 square-foot arena.[25] The complex also houses a track, locker rooms, a trainer's room, and seating for fans.[26] Residential buildings include Locust Hall, a six-story, 94-unit building, and Gaddy Hall, a six-story, mixed-use building.[27][28] Locust Hall features a landscaped terrace, a ground-floor common area, and a parking garage at the ground level which serves the college community.[27] Gaddy Hall houses 300 students and is also home to the School of Business and Accounting.[28]
• Saint Lucia - The campus is located near Castries, the capital and largest city on the Caribbean island. In 2018, it opened the International Hospitality Training Institute, which offers certification programs to local residents training for entry-level hospitality and tourism jobs.[29]

Students at Monroe College are 64 percent female and 36 percent male; about 48 percent are of black or African-American ethnicity and about 44 percent of Hispanic or South American origin.[2] Undergraduate enrollment is 6,794 students, with approximately 958 international students.[2][30] Amongst its student organizations, one of the college’s most notable is the Monroe Mustangs Marching Band, which marches in the annual New Rochelle Thanksgiving Day parade.[31]

Monroe College competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association and participates in NJCAA Division I with twelve sports: baseball,[32] men's basketball,[33] women's basketball,[34] softball,[35] men’s soccer,[36] women’s soccer,[37] football,[38] women’s volleyball,[39] men’s track and field,[40] women’s track and field,[41] men’s cross country,[42] and women’s cross country.[43]

In 2014, Monroe’s women’s soccer team won the NJCAA Division 1 National Championships.[44] Monroe launched its Rugby program in 2017, with World Rugby Hall-of-Fame inductee Phaidra Knight as coach.[45][46] In 2018, the women’s soccer team also won their same NJCAA Championship title,[47] and the baseball team made it to JUCO World Series.[48] That same year, their football team made its first NJCAA bowl appearance at the Graphic Edge Bowl.[49] In 2019, the Monroe Mustangs men's soccer team won its first NJCAA Championship with an undefeated 18–0 record.[50]

Notable alumni who went on to pursue professional sports careers include: Orlando Sánchez,[51] Maurice Ndour,[51] Tuzar Skipper,[52] Anthony Stubbs,[53] Francisco Justo,[54] Christopher Belcher,[55] Kathellen Sousa,[56] Carol Rodrigues,[57] and Sandra Žigić.[58]

• Maria Baez[59] - New York City Council, District 14[60]
• Hector John[61] - politician[62]
• Maurice Ndour[59] - basketball player
• Annabel Palma[63] - New York City Council, District 18[64]
• Rafael Salamanca[65] - New York City Council, District 17[66]
• Amina Warsuma[67] - model and filmmaker[68]
• Sandra Žigić[69] - soccer player[70]

• Official website
• Official athletics website