Among the candidate towns, Glassboro became the location due in no small part to its easy access to passenger rail as well as its offer to donate 25 acres (0.039 square miles) of land to the state to build the Normal school.

[12] In 1923, the Glassboro Normal School opened with a class of 236 students, 226 women and 10 men, arriving at the train station in front of Bunce Hall.

[14] The Cold War Glassboro Summit Conference between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin took place from June 23–25, 1967, in Hollybush Mansion on the campus of then-Glassboro State College.

The event led to Glassboro State College's ranking as the #28 Party School in the nation in the January 1987 issue of Playboy magazine.

[20] Though the alcohol-fueled Spring Weekend was canceled by then-President Herman James, a non-alcoholic version continued for several years, Glassboro State College remained known for its hard-partying culture.

This prompted Morton Downey Jr., who was based in Secaucus, New Jersey, and very popular at the time, to do an untelevised show focusing on the drinking age and the classic argument that an eighteen-year-old can go off to war and die for their country although they cannot legally buy and consume beer.

[citation needed] In 1992, president Herman James oversaw the development of Glassboro State College into what would eventually become Rowan University.

[22] Following James' retirement as president in 1998, Donald J. Farish was chosen to succeed him and began further expansion on the Glassboro campus, opening a modern Science Hall in 2003 and a building to house the College of Education in 2005.

[23] In 2006, two Rowan University students were found guilty for serving alcohol to minors at an off-campus party that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old male.

When plan fell through, the stadium project was relocated to nearby Chester, Pennsylvania where the MLS's Philadelphia Union now play their home matches.

[27] On a vast site, adjacent to the West Campus athletic fields, the Inspira Medical Center complex opened in late 2019.

[27] In December 1972, Stephen Setrin was stabbed while on the grounds of Glassboro State College [32] On August 12, 1996, 22-year-old Cindy Nannay was fatally shot outside Bozorth Hall by her estranged boyfriend, who then killed himself.

Nannay was so afraid of Scott Lonabaugh, 27, that when he arrived on the campus to see her, she asked friends to accompany her to the parking lot, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's office said.

[35] In an effort to find Farrell's assailants, television stations in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City aired reports on the murder, and America's Most Wanted twice featured segments on the incident.

The plan included hiring additional security staff, adding more fully trained police officers, starting a student patrol program, an expansion of the Safe Walk and Ride program, improving lighting in and around campus, installation of CCTV cameras, and changing security and police coverage from an 8-hour to a 12-hour shift.

[37] It was announced on June 26, 2009, that Rowan would be partnering with Cooper University Hospital to create a new four-year medical school to reside on Broadway in Camden.

[44][45][46] Legislation passed in June 2012 rejected the idea of a merger, though it did include provisions for a loose collaboration between Rowan and Rutgers-Camden limited to research and teaching in the health sciences.

Rowan's teams are known as the Profs (short for Professors, a nod to the university's 1923 opening as a school to train educators), and the mascot is named Whoo RU.

[66] A member of the NCAA in Division III, competing in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), the sports teams at Rowan University have had some success on a national level.

Rowan hosted the Division III National Championship Tournament Final Four for men's soccer in 2000, women's lacrosse in 2002, and field hockey in 2022.

Dining options include the Owl's Nest restaurant, Peet's Coffee, Grill Nation, Jersey Mike's Subs, Freshens, Sono, Crust, Chef Jet, Smoked, Breakfast & Co., Bowl Life, Pop Up, and the Marketplace convenience store.

RTN currently consists of 11 student-produced television shows, various sports related programming, and coverage of topical events occurring on campus.

[71] Another mainstay campus publication is Avant, a student-led literary magazine that compiles undergraduate poetry, short stories, photos, and artwork in annual fall and spring issues.

[74] Other campus publications include Halftone, an online magazine focusing on entertainment and pop culture,[75] and At My Whit's End, a zine published by the Writing Arts Club.

[78][79][80] Rowan Boulevard connects 322 to downtown Glassboro, forming a bustling urban area that fuses businesses, bookstores, restaurants, a primary care facility, academic buildings, and student housing.