In 5 years, N.J. college goes from Irene casualty to urban success

Pillar College emerged from the devastating storm with a new strategy.

NEWARK -- On August 28, 2011 the future of what was then known as Somerset Christian College was up in the air. The school's staff had spent a few days moving everything they could carry from the first floors of the four buildings on its Franklin Township campus to upper floors, where they might be saved from a storm forecast to hit that weekend.

Five years ago, Hurricane Irene decimated the campus, with floodwaters filling the buildings. Furniture and other items were destroyed. When the flooding finally subsided, it left six-foot tall water stains and mold in its wake.

Though the college was only renting space in the building, it was condemned after the storm, leaving the school homeless a week before classes for the Fall 2011 semester were set to begin.  

"It couldn't have happened at a worse time," said David Schroeder, the school's president.

"But, we didn't have time to let it paralyze us."

Irene: Recalling a fierce storm 5 years later

In the immediate, the college used space at a nearby church to hold classes. But, school leaders took the storm damage as a nudge toward a new future.

Since 2008, the school had envisioned becoming an urban college, with small satellite campuses in cities throughout New Jersey. By the time Irene hit, it already had a small satellite location in Newark, where it offered nighttime adult education classes. Eventually, the plan was to find a location in the city that could serve as the school's main campus.

"The hurricane fast-forwarded our plans by a few years," Schroeder said.

The college had already been renting some space in the Military Park Building on Park Place in Newark. School leaders decided it would become the school's main campus. It planned to open a permanent satellite in Somerset County, and look for additional locations in other cities across New Jersey.

In 2013, Somerset Christian rebranded to reflect its new identity, and became known as Pillar College. It has led to new locations in Paterson and Somerset. There is a new program starting up in Irvington this semester, and the school is looking to open new mini-campuses in Jersey City and elsewhere.

In addition to night and adult education, the school focuses on helping subsidize tuition for city students who cannot pay, programs geared toward teaching non-English speakers, and remedial classes geared toward bolstering students' reading and writing abilities.

Pillar College President David Schroeder.
 

"We have a very strong desire to serve the underserved," Schroeder said. "That's why we're here."

The shift in focus has led to expansion.

According to Amy Huber, the assistant vice president of academics who tracks student enrollment, the school has nearly doubled in size since Hurricane Irene.

During the 2009-10 school year, Somerset Christian has 346 students. Now, Pillar has 638 enrolled, with aggressive plans to double that number by 2020, she said.

"Relocating helped open doors of opportunity," Huber said. After overcoming Irene, she said, "we were more determined than ever to grow."

The storm was responsible for some losses, the staff said. Though the loss of property was minimized, the move cost the school almost a third of its staff. Space restrictions caused the school to convert its library to one that is mostly digital, so it donated about 16,000 books from its previous collection.

But, staff members say the costs are dwarfed by the strides it has made.

And, they said, the college has remained true to its core values. Pillar is still a Christian college that requires students take theology-based courses, and that weaves religious values into its philosophies. But, it also targets needy populations of learners and offers to them degree programs in professional fields varying from psychology to elementary education.

Pillar is one of only a handful of private colleges in the state in which enrollment has consistently grown. The future, Schroeder said, looks even brighter.

"We are theologically conservative, but socially progressive," he said of the school's mission.

"We want to be open and available to students of all different cultures, faiths, and backgrounds. ... This is our home."