Rowan College at Burlington County
{{Short description|Community college in New Jersey, US}}
{{distinguish|Rowan College of South Jersey|Rowan University|Burlington College}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox university
| name = Rowan College
at Burlington County
| image = Rowan at burlington seal.png
| image_size = 150
| caption =
| former_names = Burlington County College (1966–2015)
| type = Public community college
| established = 1966
| academic_affiliations = Sea-grant
| city = Mount Laurel, New Jersey
| country = U.S.
| campus = Suburban
| colors = {{color box|#AB162B}} {{color box|black}} Red and black
| athletics_affiliations = NJCAA Region XIX, Garden State Athletic Conference
| mascot = Baron
| website = {{URL|https://rcbc.edu/| rcbc.edu }}
| logo = Rowan College at Burlington County.png
| logo_size = 200
}}
Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) is a public community college in Burlington County, New Jersey. Main facilities are located in Mount Laurel, with other campuses in Mount Holly, McGuire AFB/Joint Base, and formerly Pemberton and Willingboro.
History
Founded as "Burlington County College" in 1966, the college opened to 1,051 students in 1969 at Lenape High School. The Pemberton campus opened a few years later in 1971. In 1972, the college received accreditation by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, as well as the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Throughout the next several years, the college underwent a series of changes, including increased enrollment, the opening of new campuses, the addition of more degree programs, and several leadership changes (see below).
In 2015, Burlington County College was renamed to Rowan College at Burlington County in recognition of its historic partnership with Rowan University.
In 2016, RCBC became the first community college in New Jersey authorized to offer junior-year courses in its "3+1" option to Rowan University.
= Leadership =
class="wikitable" | |
1967 | N. Dean Evans |
1979 | Harmon Pierce |
1987 | Robert Messina, Jr. |
2012 | David C. Hespe |
2014 | David I. Spang |
2015 | Paul Drayton |
2018 | Michael A. Cioce |
Locations
= Mount Laurel Campus =
file:Rowan College at Burlington County front.jpg
RCBC's main campus is located in the Hartford section of Mount Laurel, opened in 1995. It houses the Student Success Center and campus quad to cater to students working toward advanced degrees. A Health Sciences Center is located off of Briggs Road.
=== Mount Holly Campus ===
Located on High and Mill Street in Mount Holly, this campus houses RCBC's culinary arts program. This location also includes a student art gallery, as well as a student-run restaurant named Vaulted Cuisine. All of RCBC's art programs are located on this campus.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
=== Willingboro Campus ===
RCBC held a full-time presence in Willingboro from 1974 to 2022, having offered a more accessible location for residents of towns along the Route 130 corridor. This campus featured classrooms, computer labs, a student lounge, college offices, and student services.
= McGuire AFB/Joint Base Campus =
RCBC's McGuire AFB/Joint Base campus serves the needs of adult learners who are seeking to achieve a promotion in their current career or credentials they need to embark on a new career. Located in the northern part of Burlington County.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
Former locations
=Pemberton Campus=
The Pemberton Campus in Pemberton Township, New Jersey opened in 1971 as the first standalone campus of the college. It sat on a {{convert|225|acre|ha|adj=on}} site off County Route 530.{{cite web |url=https://www.asumag.com/facilities-management/article/21266265/6-years-after-new-jersey-community-college-moves-to-new-campus-its-former-home-sits-mostly-abandoned |title=6 years after New Jersey community college moves to new campus, its former home sits mostly abandoned. |date=May 19, 2023 |author=Kennedy, Mike |website=American School & University |access-date=January 4, 2025}} Buildings included the Lewis M. Parker Center, a classroom and lab building, and the Physical Education Center, a building with a gymnasium, pool, and locker rooms. After the purchase of the county college by Rowan in 2015, classes and operations began to move to the Mount Laurel Campus. The last class was held there in 2017 and the property was available for sale the next year. The pool continued to be used by locals until 2019. The site now largely sits abandoned and vandalized.
Athletics
File:Rowen rcbc barons logo.png
Rowan College at Burlington County athletics teams were nicknamed the Barons. RCBC was affiliated to the Garden State Athletic Conference of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The college discontinued its athletics programs in June 2021, as well as it erased all sports information from its website.[https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/sports/2021/05/05/athletics-programs-shut-down-rowan-college-burlington-county/4963861001/ Athletics programs to shut down at Rowan College at Burlington County] by Tom McGurk at the Courier Post, 5 May 2021
List of sports programs fielded by the Barons fielded seven programs which were baseball, basketball (men's/women's), soccer (m/w), golf, and softball. At its peak, the programs combined for around 150 athletes, which made up less than 2 percent of the student body. The college had an annual budget for athletics of $850,000. Rowan stated that closure was decided "after a comprehensive review of costs and benefits to students, as well as the results of student survey that revealed little engagement with this program beyond the athletes."
Notable alumni
- Zach Braddock (born 1987), former professional baseball player{{cite web|url=https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/54740/metrics/|title=Zach Braddock - Stats|website=The Baseball Cube|access-date=August 28, 2023}}
- Mario Cerrito (born 1984), film director and producer{{cite web|url=https://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2003-04/div2/teams/RowanCollegeatBurlingtonCounty/leaders.html|title=Rowan College at Burlington County - NJCAA Stats|website=NJCAA|access-date=August 28, 2023}}
- Ant Clemons (born 1991), singer{{cite web|last=Kuperinsky|first=Amy|url=https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2019/12/njs-ant-clemons-went-from-waiting-tables-to-working-with-kanye-west-next-up-the-grammys.html|title=N.J.'s Ant Clemons went from waiting tables to working with Kanye West. Next up: The Grammys|website=NJ.com|date=December 17, 2019|access-date=August 28, 2023}}
- Denver Riggleman (born 1970), businessman and former politician who served one term as the United States representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district{{cite web|url=https://millercenter.rutgers.edu/staff/denver-l-riggleman-iii/|title=Denver L. Riggleman III|website=The Miller Center|publisher=Eagleton Institute of Politics|access-date=August 28, 2023|quote=Denver earned an A.A. from Burlington County College in 1996, an A.A.S. degree in Avionics Systems from the Community College of the Air force in 1996, a BA (with Distinction) in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia in 1998 and a Masters Certificate in Program Management from Villanova in 2007.}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{ccat}}
- {{Oweb}}
- {{coord|39.972|-74.893|region:US-NJ_type:edu|display=inline}} - Mt. Laurel campus
- {{coord|39.965|-74.648|region:US-NJ_type:edu|display=inline}} - Former Pemberton campus
{{navboxes
| title = Articles related to Rowan College at Burlington County
| titlestyle = background:#AB162B; color:white; border:2px solid black
| list =
{{Education in Burlington County, New Jersey}}
{{Colleges and universities in New Jersey}}
{{Colleges and universities in metropolitan Philadelphia}}
{{Rowan University}}
{{Garden State Athletic Conference}}
}}
{{authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Philadelphia|New Jersey}}
Category:Garden State Athletic Conference
Category:Universities and colleges in Burlington County, New Jersey
Category:New Jersey County Colleges
Category:Universities and colleges established in 1966
Category:Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Category:Pemberton Township, New Jersey