Excellence. Access. Ambition. Monmouth University has all three.

Building momentum

When Leahy arrived at Monmouth in 2019, he found a university with multiple advantages.

The university has a stunning coastal campus that combines old and new. Its main administrative building — built in 1929 as a private residence — is a National Historic Landmark. Recent additions to campus include state-of-the-art science and classroom facilities and a complete renovation of its football stadium. 

A university of about 5,000 students, Monmouth offers four doctoral programs and a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Located on the New Jersey shore, about a mile from the Atlantic Ocean and convenient to both New York City and Philadelphia, Monmouth is less than 15 minutes from Asbury Park, dubbed the "coolest place at the Jersey Shore."

The Hawks compete in NCAA Division I athletics. Its polling institute gives the university national exposure. And Monmouth is home to the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music.

This combination already has proven attractive to a diverse group of students. More than a quarter of Monmouth’s students are students of color. A third come from under-resourced communities and qualify for federal Pell Grants. Roughly 40% are first-generation students.

Monmouth’s continuous improvement, meanwhile, had propelled forward an institution that did not achieve university status until 1995. In U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges rankings for 2005, Monmouth was 76th among North regional universities. Less than 10 years later, it had cracked the top 30 before achieving its current No. 18 ranking.

Monmouth had proven that it was possible to be both excellent and accessible. Leahy thought the university could do even better.

“We have something special here,” Leahy said. “Monmouth has the opportunity to separate itself from many other fine private institutions out there. And if we’re intentional about it, Monmouth can become a national leader in excellence and access.”

Monmouth’s ambitions

Monmouth states its ambitions clearly in its current strategic plan:

Monmouth is pulling some traditional levers to enhance its excellence. The university is continuing to invest in campus facilities. It’s recruiting better-prepared students from all backgrounds. It’s improving academic and career development programs to ensure better outcomes for graduates. And in 2022 it moved to a new athletic conference — the Colonial Athletic Association — that matches Monmouth with other outstanding regional universities.

During Leahy’s tenure, Monmouth’s most significant investments have gone to increasing access — by reducing financial barriers and creating a more welcoming campus.

In March, Monmouth received a $21 million gift — the largest in its 90-year history — that should significantly increase access. Starting this fall, the endowed fund will provide annual $10,000 scholarships to 25 first-year students with outstanding high school records and significant financial need. Leahy said this new scholarship, combined with Pell Grants and state and university aid, should cover tuition and fees for these scholars. 

“We told our donor that if we could find a way to aid those students in particular, we might be able to tear down that last barrier to them coming,” Leahy said. “Because we’ll do this over four years, that’s 100 students we feel we can bring to Monmouth who might not otherwise have come because they couldn’t afford it. Now, they’ll be able to.”

To make the Monmouth community more accessible, the university in 2019 opened the Intercultural Center to serve students, faculty and staff who come from underserved backgrounds, identify as LGBTQIA+, are first-generation students, and others. 

In 2020, Monmouth removed Woodrow Wilson’s name from the university’s main administrative building because of Wilson’s racist and controversial views and acts as president. At the same time, Monmouth established a $3 million endowment to enhance campus diversity efforts. Wilson had no direct connection to the university, Leahy said, and the university’s actions signaled to current and prospective students that Monmouth is welcoming and inclusive. 

Longer term, Leahy said the university will work toward increasing diversity among faculty and staff. 

“We are viewed as an institution where an increasingly diverse student body can see themselves coming and feel comfortable while they are here,” Leahy said. “Students of color and students from different income levels and social backgrounds need to be able to see themselves here and feel that this is a place where they can flourish.”