Montclair State’s 252-acre campus spans three townships in two counties and comprises 76 buildings, totaling 3.9 million gross square feet.
Under President Cole, Montclair State constructed some 3 million square feet of space, including new buildings to house its music, communications and business schools, and the College of Science and Mathematics, as well as two theaters and an art gallery, two parking decks, and a train station with direct service to midtown Manhattan. It also significantly modernized and renovated many academic spaces, and built the first and largest publicprivate student housing complex in the state, increasing residential capacity from 2,300 to 5,200 beds.
To support its growth and lay the groundwork for its future development, Montclair State completely rebuilt its energy infrastructure and became one of only a few universities in the nation, and the first in New Jersey, to achieve energy independence with its own microgrid.
College Hall – Montclair State’s iconic, original home – reopened in fall 2020 after a loving and thorough renovation, expansion and modernization that brings together all student services. While maintaining the original look, including mission-style red roof tiles and decorative tin ceilings, it has been redesigned with a soaring glass-walled atrium for student gathering. Discovered during the renovation, a message in a bottle left by bricklayers symbolized the muscle and sweat that brought higher education to life, and generated worldwide news headlines about Montclair State.
Dedicated to research and instruction in the environmental and pharmaceutical life sciences, the Center for Environmental and Life Sciences is home to the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies, Sokol Institute for Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology, electron microscopy and GIS suites, as well as classrooms and labs for active and collaborative research.
The School of Communication and Media is equipped with a multi-platform “newsroom of the future,” along with a 150-seat presentation hall, integrated media lab, film screening room, 4K broadcast studios, and acting and dance studios.