Type: Exhibition case

Name: New Jersey College for Women

Detail: New Jersey College for Women (NJC, later Douglass College) opened in September 1918 and provided New Jersey women with an in-state establishment to obtain a higher education. Curricula in home economics and liberal arts were offered to the 54 students of NJC’s first graduating class. Mabel Smith Douglass was the dean of NJC from 1918 to 1933. During the school’s first month, Douglass decided that music should be included in the college curriculum and purchased a grand piano. One year later, music theory and harmony courses were offered as well as an Appreciation of Music course that met the fine arts requirement necessary for graduation. As time went on, NJC acquired a music faculty (including pianist Mary Schenck and bassist Homer Mowe) and offered accredited instrumental and vocal classes. An official music department formed in 1922 and was chaired by John Earle Newton―NJC’s first full-time music professor. Music also played a pivotal role in NJC’s campus life. Students sang during chapel services and at traditional ceremonies including Sacred Path, Yule Log, and Campus Night. Additionally, they joined ensembles including the Drum and Bugle Corps, Weeping Willows, NJC Glee Club, NJC Choir, and the Voorhees Chapel Choir. It is no surprise that NJC was commonly referred to as the “singing college.”

Type: Exhibition caption

Detail: On October 3, 1928, the Music Building was dedicated and opened at NJC. It was a gift from the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs and built to further music instruction at NJC.

Before the music building was constructed, NJC benefactor James Neilson provided a music studio in a house near campus. However, this space was only temporary and Mabel Smith Douglass soon asked the Federation of Women’s Clubs to help raise money for a music building.

The Federation raised $100,000 and NJC assumed responsibility for an additional $95,000. When completed, the Music Building, home to the NJC Department of Music, was equipped with sound proof studios and practice rooms, a recital hall, and a music library. Floor plans can be viewed on the monitor near the entrance of this gallery.