Office of the President

Welcome to William Paterson University!

As a leading public university, William Paterson University has a crucial role in preparing students to become successful professionals and citizens. Our mission—to offer an outstanding and affordable education to both traditional and nontraditional students through baccalaureate, graduate, and continuing education programs—is embraced with passion by our entire campus community.

Our namesake, William Paterson, was an Irish immigrant who came from fairly modest means. He persevered to pursue a college education and went on to become a lawyer, a signer of the U.S. Constitution, a U.S. Senator, New Jersey’s second governor, and, finally, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a firm believer in the power of education, writing in his essay “On Education,” “The education of children is a matter of vast importance and highly deserving of our most serious attention. The prosperity of our country is intimately connected with it; for without morals, there can be no order, and without knowledge, no genuine liberty.”

William Paterson University is proud to bear the name of this New Jersey patriot and statesman who achieved distinction through hard work and his determination to succeed. Today, we provide a challenging, supportive, intellectual environment for more than 11,500 undergraduate and graduate students from 33 states and 38 countries. Students are taught by nearly 400 full- and part-time faculty and an additional 600 professionals in their fields. Our faculty is nationally known for their scholarship, research, and creative works, including 38 who have received prestigious Fulbright awards. The breadth of our more than 250 undergraduate and graduate academic programs that range from liberal arts and sciences to pre-professional and professional programs, offers students the opportunity to experiment with new interests while preparing for careers, advanced graduate education, and lifelong learning. At the same time, an active on-campus social program with residences for approximately 2,600 students provides an opportunity to meet new people and make lifelong friends.

Our new Strategic Plan 2012-22, adopted in March 2012 through a highly inclusive process that involved the broad campus community, will guide the University for the next decade. As we move forward, our core values—academic excellence, creating knowledge, student success, diversity, and citizenship—will define our path.  These fundamental beliefs live and breathe at William Paterson. The commitment to our students can be witnessed daily: in the mentoring relationships students have with faculty, the learning communities that enhance the academic experiences, the internships and extracurricular activities that support education outside the classroom, and the service our students provide to the community.

Located in suburban Wayne, New Jersey on a 370-acre hilly, wooded campus, the University offers the best of all worlds—bordering on High Mountain Preserve, nearly 1,200 acres of wetlands and woodlands, it is just three miles from the historic Great Falls in Paterson yet just 20 miles from the rich cultural, artistic and commercial life of New York City. William Paterson University has something for everyone!

I encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our excellent academic programs and thriving campus.

Kathleen Waldron

President