Our History

The Rowan University Honors Program was founded in 1989 at Glassboro State College as an academic concentration providing academically outstanding students with course work that was qualitatively different from the traditional general education and major program curricula. It was housed in Arts & Sciences and served primarily liberal arts majors. Henry M. Rowan’s 1992 gift of $100 million to the institution created the College of Engineering in 1996 and transformed Glassboro State College into a university in 1997. As Rowan grew, so did the Concentration, and it soon spanned the university. In September 2004, Thomas N. Bantivoglio gave $1 million to Rowan with the specific goal of strengthening Honors. The Bantivoglio gift allowed the Concentration to grow in size, to become more active and more academically rigorous, and to offer more benefits to Honors students in the Concentration. 

Approved as of July 1, 2017, the transition from an Honors Concentration to an Honors College marked the next major change to Honors education at Rowan University. Honors is poised to assist Rowan in its strategic goal of increasing and improving quality and to lead the University in providing cutting-edge research opportunities for its students, rewarding teaching and research opportunities for its faculty, and serving as anchor in maintaining the rigor and value of a liberal arts education.

Our Present

Mission: Honors fosters a diverse community of citizen scholars by cultivating curiosity and integrity both in and outside the classroom. We develop socially and civic minded leaders active in participation and service within and beyond Honors. 

Think: our academic curriculum alongside extracurricular activities, foster an understanding and appreciation of cultures and the arts.

Thrive: Valuing the whole student, Honors takes a holistic approach to education that cultivates health, wellness, and curiosity.

Share: Students, faculty, staff, and administration collaborate to provide a framework for community service and civic engagement.

Vision: Honors aspires to grow and sustain a socially and intellectually diverse community that values depth and breadth in the life of the mind as well as the outward application of these efforts to better the community. Our innovative and interdisciplinary courses foster evidence-based thinking as well as understanding of cultures and an appreciation of the arts.

Honors Program Learning Goals 

1. Graduates will be both contributing members and leaders in their communities, who appreciate and engage diverse perspectives and promote collaboration
2. Graduates will be effective communicators both within and beyond their immediate communities
3. Graduates will be able to address complex, nuanced, and novel problems drawing from a variety of perspectives
4. Graduates will be curious, engaged, life-long learners who independently seek knowledge, culture, and community

 Updated February 27, 2018

About Mr. John H. Martinson

John H. Martinson has been a venture capitalist and software industry leader for 40 years. In 1986, he founded Edison Venture Fund, which has invested $2 billion in 230 East Coast companies. The company is primary investor in 42 emerging companies and 25 private equity partnerships, and has raised 10 partnerships in the financial technology, healthcare IT and interactive marketing sectors. Mr. Martinson served as chair of National Venture Capital Association and several entrepreneurial groups. His current Board of Director seats span technology, trade, education, and community organizations. The Martinson Family Foundation supports unique programs at 15 universities to improve K-12 STEM instruction. He has supported Rowan programs focusing on engineering and education since 2006. Mr. Martinson earned his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an M.S. in Astronautics from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University, and has received three honorary doctorates including a Doctor of Science degree from Rowan in 2011. Mr. Martinson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during the Vietnam War and flew more than 500 combat missions. A recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, he was inducted into the NJBIZ and New Jersey Technology Council Hall of Fames, received an NVCA Service Award for contributions to the venture capital industry on a national level, and was honored by Ernst & Young for N.J. Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement.

About Mr. Thomas N. Bantivoglio

Thomas N. Bantivoglio was a long-time partner in the law firm of Archer & Greiner, P.C., serving as counsel for Delaware Valley businesses and corporations for more than 50 years. In addition, as a trustee of the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation, Mr. Bantivoglio had helped to improve the economic and educational prosperity of southern New Jersey by providing support to Rowan University and other nonprofit organizations. In September 2004, Mr. Bantivoglio made a gift to Rowan that directly supports the University’s Honors program. Because of his generosity, the region’s most talented students will have access to challenging and mind-broadening educational experiences.