Rowan University increases support to Glassboro

At its Sept. 11 meeting, the Rowan University Board of Trustees approved the funding of an additional Glassboro police officer and firefighter. Starting this fall, Rowan will directly support the salaries of four Glassboro police officers and three firefighters. Rowan began to support the municipal police department in 2012 and the fire department in 2023. In 2006, Rowan purchased a firetruck for Glassboro to better navigate campus roadways. 

Combined with its support of Glassboro’s police and firefighting departments, Rowan pays more than $3 million in taxes and payments to the borough annually. 

The Rowan University Police Department includes 25 police officers and 28 full- and part-time security personnel to serve the approximately 18,000 students who attend classes weekly and the approximately 3,500 employees who work on its Glassboro campus. The borough and university police departments work together year-round to address needs in neighborhoods surrounding the campus.

“We recognize that our growth impacts Glassboro in ways that may not be so obvious. We are proud to continue collaborating with our borough neighbors and leadership to support vital services for our combined community,” said Rowan University President Ali Houshmand.

An oversized economic impact
A recent economic impact study conducted by Econsult Solutions calculated the revenue generated by Rowan’s operations in Glassboro to be about $225 million each year. This takes into consideration the buying power of students, employees and visitors who live in and visit Glassboro every day and the additional jobs that have been created and are sustained beyond the university because of Rowan’s activities.

Construction invites investment
In 1992, Glassboro School District constructed a new elementary school, putting its 100-year-old Academy Street School up for sale. Located just off High Street near its once-vibrant downtown, Rowan purchased the historic school building in 2001 and refurbished it for $4.3 million. The goal was to lease the building to local businesses which, in turn, would create the employee density needed to attract new investors to the then-vacant High Street storefronts. While the project did not generate lasting new businesses, it led to the Rowan Boulevard project.

The mixed-use corridor is a model public-private partnership between private investors, Glassboro and the university. What was once 26 acres of mostly rental housing previously generated approximately $225,000 in taxes annually for Glassboro. Today, Rowan Boulevard generates more than $4 million annually.

Rowan again invested in the borough in 2022 with the purchase of the Glassboro Intermediate School for $3.2 million, which provided much-needed funds to Glassboro School District. The nearly 95-year-old building will require an estimated $20 million to renovate. 

“Rowan University has grown from a well-respected regional college to a top 100 public national research university in little more than a decade,” said Houshmand. “Our transformation would not have been possible without Glassboro’s partnership and the vision of its leadership.”