Kean University

Kean University is a public institution based in Union, New Jersey, with roots in the Newark Normal School. Kean records the first day of classes as April 14, 1855, when the predecessor school opened as a teacher-training institution and the first public post-secondary institution in New Jersey. The institution became New Jersey State Teachers College in 1937, moved to Union in 1958, became Kean College in 1973 and received university status in 1997. [1] [2]

The university describes itself as New Jersey’s urban research university. Its current academic scope extends beyond its teacher-education origins to business, the sciences, education, the arts and humanities, and professional fields, while its stated mission emphasizes access, affordability, research and service to local communities. Kean reports a diverse enrollment of more than 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. [1] [3]

Kean’s principal campus is in Union, and the university identifies additional New Jersey locations in Jersey City and Ocean County, alongside Kean Online. Its locations page also describes Wenzhou-Kean University as the only public American university campus in China and says that students from Kean in the United States and from across China study there in a fully English-speaking environment. [1] [5]

Wenzhou-Kean University is a Chinese-American jointly established higher-education institution operated by Wenzhou University and Kean University. China’s Ministry of Education approved preparation of the institution in November 2011 and approved its establishment in March 2014; the university says it has independent legal-person status and a board composed of Chinese and American representatives. WKU reports accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in 2013, qualification to confer bachelor’s degrees in 2018 and approval to offer 11 graduate-level programs in 2019. This cross-border institution is the principal reason Kean is represented in this database. [4]