Newly-inaugurated Centenary University President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., announces capital campaign to raise scholarship funding and shift the national dialogue on college value

Centenary University President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., announced the Campaign for College, a two-year, $8 million capital campaign to shift the national dialogue on college value and raise significant funding for scholarships, with an emphasis on first-generation students and those forced to leave college due to fiscal challenges. The announcement was the centerpiece of Dr. Caldwell’s inaugural address during a ceremony formally installing him as the University’s 15th president.

Attended by dignitaries from across the state, nation, and internationally, the inauguration marked a historic moment for Centenary and Dr. Caldwell: He is the University’s first African-American president and grew up in a family dedicated to racial and economic justice. His father, a Methodist minister, marched with and personally knew Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Caldwell followed his father into the ministry, serving as pastor of Covenant United Methodist Church in New Brunswick, NJ. Today, Dr. Caldwell is one of the most influential voices in New Jersey higher education.

In his inaugural address, Dr. Caldwell highlighted the disconnect between public perceptions of higher education and the financial benefits of earning a college degree. Studies show that college graduates have 57 percent more employment opportunities than college graduates, have received 72.4 percent of all jobs offered since 2010, and have an average salary of $84,000, compared to $49,000 for those without a degree, he said. Yet, public confidence in the value of a college degree has fallen to historically low levels.

“One of the challenges that universities are facing is a very public campaign against college,” Dr. Caldwell said. “There are people, even celebrities, who are trying to convince students that college tuition is not worth it. However, these statistics make it clear that a college education is significantly more valuable than a high school education.”