10 Things We Loved About 2024 - Monmouth Magazine

10. Climbing Higher

Monmouth soared to No. 15 on U.S. News’ Best Colleges, Regional Universities North list—its highest-ever ranking—while also being named to the publication’s Best Value Schools, Top Performers in Social Mobility, and Best Colleges for Veterans lists.

9. Firsts That Left Us Cheering

The football team earned the program’s first-ever win against an FBS opponent, the women’s rowing team won the program’s first-ever gold medal, and business students took home the top prize at the 2024 Student Managed Investment Fund Competition in their first time competing at the event.

Five women's rowers pose with gold medals

8. Welcoming New Hawks

The Class of 2028 set the bar high: record diversity, top SAT scores, and a 3.62 incoming GPA. Plus, half of the class are first-generation college students and/or come from low-income backgrounds. That’s excellence and access in action.

7. Two Celebrations, One Big Success

Thanks to the Hawk Family, Monmouth’s first-ever combined Homecoming and Reunion Weekend was a hit: 1,000-plus attendees enjoyed a weekend of epic events and a thrilling football win over Bryant.

A family in Monmouth gear posing by Kessler Stadium during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend

6. Monmouth on the World Stage

Allie Wilson ’18, ’19M represented Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris last August. Be sure to catch her story in the upcoming issue of Monmouth magazine.

5. A Healthy New Partnership

Monmouth’s partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), announced last summer, promises to be a game changer, enhancing student healthcare access, expanding educational opportunities, and bringing a new HMH-sponsored student wellness center to OceanFirst Bank Center.

4. A New Campus Hotspot

Firepit? Check. Ample, cozy seating? Check. Nagy Common, which opened last fall, is the new go-to spot for students, faculty, staff, alumni looking to connect and unwind.

Students roast marshmallows over the fire pit in Nagy Common

3. A New Role for a Familiar Face

Richard F. Veit, a fixture at Monmouth for nearly three decades, officially became provost and senior vice president for academic affairs last spring.

2. Witnessing the Rising

Construction began last fall on the new home for the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music—a project that will expand educational opportunities and elevate Monmouth’s national reputation.

A rendering of the exterior of the forthcoming Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music building

1. Big Goals, Bigger Vision

Last month, President Leahy announced Excellence. Access. Ambition., a $175 million comprehensive campaign—the largest in Monmouth’s history—that will elevate academic quality, expand educational opportunities, and transform campus. Your generosity during Giving Days in March can help us reach our goal and secure Monmouth’s future.