Welcome to William Paterson University, one of New Jersey’s great public institutions of higher education. Founded in Paterson in 1855 as a teacher training school, WP today is a comprehensive university educating nearly 10,000 students in the arts and communication, business, education, humanities and social sciences, and science and health at our 380-acre campus in Wayne, with its view of the Manhattan skyline, and via WP Online. 

I am proud to serve as the eighth President of this dynamic institution, where our students reflect the diversity and spirit of New Jersey and bring to our campus an unmistakable energy. No matter where they come from, what they’re studying, or where they want to go in life, our students all share a grit and determination that we call “Will. Power.”

That resolve is on display in classrooms, labs, performance spaces, club offices, and on fields of play across our beautiful campus. It extends to our highly distinguished and diverse faculty of scholars and teachers, including 35 Fulbright scholars, and to more than 80,000 alumni, who are making a positive difference in their professional fields and in their communities, throughout New Jersey and across the country.

As a first-generation college student myself, like so many William Paterson students, and an alumnus of public universities, I am particularly proud of the significant role the University plays in the lives of our students and the region we call home. Through model financial aid initiatives, like Pledge 4 Success, and academic and student support programs, like Will. Power. 101, WP is expanding access and increasing retention and graduation rates to ensure that more New Jersey students realize the lifechanging power of a college degree. William Paterson is determined to be the institution of choice for the students who are changing the social fabric of our state, region, and the country.  

Thank you for your interest in William Paterson, and I encourage you to take advantage of some of the many opportunities to become a part of and engage with this exciting and welcoming University community.

Richard J. Helldobler, Ph.D.
President