Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is a public university in Trenton, New Jersey. The university is one of New Jersey's 11 senior public institutions of higher education. Thomas Edison State University offers degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level.

History

Thomas Edison State College was approved by the New Jersey Board of Education in December 1971, and established on July 1, 1972. In 2015, the college was awarded university status. The school is named in honor of Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor who lived in New Jersey for the bulk of his adult life and gained encyclopedic knowledge of many subject areas through self-directed learning.

Campus

Thomas Edison State University moved into downtown Trenton in September 1979, at a time when other institutions were leaving cities. The 7-year-old university, which had spent three years at the Forrestal Center outside of Princeton, needed room for growth. At the same time, the state was looking for an appropriate tenant for the landmark Kelsey Building located adjacent to New Jersey's State House complex and the State House historic district, while the city sought to preserve the building's historic use as a school. Behind the Kelsey Building and the adjoining five restored mid-19th-century brick Townhouses is Petty's Run, which flows to the Delaware River. In the early 1730s, Petty's Run powered a plating mill, and by midcentury drove a steel furnace. Built in 1911 by A. Henry Cooper Kelsey, the Kelsey Building is one of the architectural landmarks of the city. It housed three other schools before serving as the headquarters for Thomas Edison State University. The architecture of the Kelsey Building is modeled after a Florentine palace, the Palazzo Strozzi. The main structure was designed in 1910 by world-renowned architect Cass Gilbert (designer of New York City's Woolworth Building). In 2011, the Kelsey Building celebrated its 100th anniversary. The university's campus has grown over the years and currently includes the Kelsey Building, the Townhouse Complex, the Center for Learning and Technology, and Kuser Mansion, all on West State Street. The Academic Center and Canal Banks Building are located on West Hanover Street. Thomas Edison State University has been active in restoring several historic buildings of downtown Trenton, preserving the essence of the city's past and stimulating economic development. In 2013, TESU announced the completion of a new nursing simulation lab (funded by Bristol Myers Squibb). In 2016, the university celebrated the opening of the 34,360-square-foot Nursing Education Center at the site of the former Glen Cairn Arms apartment complex at West State and Calhoun streets.

Artwork on campus

TESU houses a number of pieces of art including a N. C. Wyeth painting titled Reception to Washington on April 21, 1789, at Trenton on his way to New York to Assume the Duties of the Presidency of the United States, the Quantum Ring sculpture, a bronze map of Trenton, and plaques in tribute to Thomas Edison, along with two collections. Inside the Kelsey Building, a lavishly decorated room was built as a special tribute to Prudence Townsend Kelsey. The Prudence Townsend Kelsey Memorial Room is a permanent exhibit space for the porcelain and art she and her husband, Henry Cooper Kelsey, collected on their annual trips to Europe." Paintings, porcelains and bronzes on display in the Memorial Room. The majority of the collections consists of souvenirs and mementos purchased by the Kelsey's on their annual trips abroad. Some of the items housed in the room include an asparagus shaped porcelain vial, a jewel Demitasse cup and saucer by Coalport, charms, vases and several pieces of porcelain and crystal from Austria, England, Germany, France and Ireland. The Bradshaw Collection by George A. Bradshaw is displayed in the Kelsey Building's Prudence Hall. The university often hosts tours of these collections which are also viewable by appointment. In addition to being displayed at Thomas Edison State University, Bradshaw's etchings are in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Vanderpoel Gallery in Chicago, Newark Museum, the University of Nebraska and many private collections. In 2019, Wells Fargo donated the painting by Wyeth portraying George Washington's reception at Trenton to TESU, the largest gift ever given to the university.

Academics

Thomas Edison State University offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in more than 100 areas of study. The university also offers undergraduate, graduate and noncredit certificates. Academic programs at the institution are housed in five schools:

Accreditation

The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE); it has been accredited by MSCHE or its predecessor organization since 1977. Several programs are also accredited:

Student media

Invention is the magazine of Thomas Edison State University. It keeps alumni, supporters, students and friends informed of news from the university, including new programs and services, special events and alumni profiles and updates.

Reviews and achievements

In 2013, The New York Times called Thomas Edison State University the "college that paved the way for flexibility." In 2011, Thomas Edison State University was selected by the National University Technology Network (NUTN) to receive its Distance Education Innovation Award for the development of the FlashTrack course delivery system, which delivers entire courses to students via a flash drive and does not require a constant internet connection. In 2013, TESU graduates had among the highest pass rate on the exam for certified public accountants in New Jersey, in the national accounting-boards report and the school was named a top school for military students and veterans. It was also announced by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez that Thomas Edison State University received a $320,000 grant from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to create a regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for 19 densely populated municipalities in North and Central New Jersey.

Notable people

Alumni

The university has more than 60,000 alumni worldwide.

Faculty