Location

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is nestled in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains. The combination of quiet woodlands, mountain streams, and refreshing clean air has made the Poconos famous as a resort area for more than 100 years.

Because of the university’s location in the Poconos, students take advantage of the many scenic, historic, and recreational sites, including the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Bushkill Falls, and the Pocono ski areas. Others have found that the resorts and restaurants offer an excellent opportunity for employment. In addition, the area offers fine restaurants, high-quality entertainment, and excellent shopping. Situated on a hill facing Prospect Street in the community of East Stroudsburg, the university is characterized by large areas of grassy expanses comfortably shaded by a variety of towering trees.

The campus is located approximately 75 miles west of New York City and Newark, 85 miles northeast of Philadelphia, 40 miles southeast of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area, and 40 miles northeast of the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton area. Students and faculty alike enjoy the opportunities and advantages of visits to the metropolitan areas.

The university, which is located approximately one-quarter mile from the East Stroudsburg exit off Interstate 80, Exit 308, is within easy reach of major highway systems and commercial air services.

Accreditation

East Stroudsburg University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-662-5606. The Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Education.

Accreditations awarded to academic programs include:

• All eligible teacher education programs offered by East Stroudsburg University are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• The undergraduate Athletic Training Professional Practice degree program and the graduate Athletic Training degree program are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education.
• Th undergraduate Biochemistry degree program is accredited by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
• The undergraduate Computer Science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET (Board of Engineering and Technology). 
• The undergraduate Exercise Physiology, Sport and Exercise Conditioning, and graduate Exercise Science degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.  
• The undergraduate Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism degree program is accredited by Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.
• The undergraduate Nursing degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). In addition, the program is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
• The undergraduate and the graduate Public Health degree programs are  accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
• The undergraduate Recreation Services Management degree program is accredited by the Council on the Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COARPT).
• The undergraduate Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• The graduate Speech-Language Pathology degree program is accredited by the Council of Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Pennsylvania’s 14 public universities comprise the State System, with a combined enrollment of more than 100,000 making it the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth.

The 14 State System universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 500,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The 14 State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania.

History of the University

East Stroudsburg University, a comprehensive university in northeastern Pennsylvania offering 58 undergraduate, 21 graduate degree programs, and 2 doctoral programs is one of the 14 institutions in Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

It opened its doors on September 4, 1893, as East Stroudsburg Normal School. A faculty of 15 greeted a group of 320 students who entered two-year programs in elementary and science education.

Although the Normal School was originally privately owned, ownership was transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1920, and the name was changed to East Stroudsburg State Normal School.

In 1927, the right to confer the degrees of Bachelor of Science in education and Bachelor of Science in health education was granted, and the school became the State Teachers College at East Stroudsburg.

In 1960, the name was changed to East Stroudsburg State College, reflecting the addition of liberal arts and science curricula.

In November 1982, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education was authorized by Act 188 of 1982, and the college officially became East Stroudsburg University on July 1, 1983.

History of Graduate Studies

East Stroudsburg University inaugurated Graduate Studies in 1962 with three Master of Education (M.Ed.) programs: Biological Sciences, General Science, and Health and Physical Education. In 1969, the first Master of Arts (M.A.) programs, in History and Political Science, were approved.

Over the years, graduate programs in a variety of fields, including a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) have been approved and offered. In 2001, ESU entered into a memorandum of understanding with Indiana University of Pennsylvania to offer the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Administration and Leadership Studies on campus. In 2004, three new Master of Science (M.S.) programs were added: Exercise Science, Management and Leadership, and Sport Management. Also in 2004, the M.S., Cardiac Rehabilitation was revised to the M.S., Clinical Exercise Physiology. In 2007, our first distance education graduate program, M.S., Athletic Training, was approved. More recently, the university was approved to offer an M.A. in Professional and New Media Writing, an M.A. in Communication, a new Organizational Behavior concentration within the M.S. in Management and Leadership program and an M.S. in Accounting in 2019.  In 2016, the university was approved to offer its first doctoral degree, an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration and in 2019, a second doctoral degree, a D.H.Sc. in Health Sciences was approved.

In its first graduating class of 1964, the university awarded 10 graduate degrees. Today, the University offers over 30 degree, certification preparation and certificate programs.

Computing and Communication Services

The university Computing and Communications Center supports administrative computing, academic computing and telecommunications. Administrative computing is served by the Banner student information system, encompassing more than 30 online systems and providing services to the students, faculty and staff.

The academic computing network consists of 30 UNIX or Windows based servers that are connected to approximately 2,200 personal computers provided to support instruction, Internet access, campus network access, and email. They are located in 35 computer laboratories across campus. There is an open-access computer lab in each residence hall.

Additionally, many academic departments maintain discipline-specific computer laboratories for their curricula. Wireless computing zones are located throughout campus and outdoors. Students can connect to the Internet in these areas using a standard wireless device or smart phone. In addition, faculty and students use wireless for conducting specialized labs in a variety of courses. Helpful computing information can be found at esu.edu/ac.

Additionally, the Office of Computing and Communication Services supports faculty, administration, students, and affiliated businesses with services such as local and long distance telephone, voice mail, digital cable TV, and Internet.

The McGarry Communication Center is the campus base for the Instructional Resources Department, including the audiovisual, graphics, and television services units. The Communication Center houses two television studios and is the distribution center of campus cable television as well as the community-wide ESU television telecasts. WESS 90.3 FM radio is also located in the Center.

Kemp Library

Kemp Library provides all students, faculty and staff with numerous opportunities to acquire information in pursuit of their academic and career goals.  The library offers a wide variety of resources and services to help achieve these goals.  The collection includes not only physical items such as print books and journals, but also a large number of electronic resources, such as EBSCO databases, electronic journals and e-books.  The library strives to provide 24/7 access to electronic resources via the library website. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take advantage of the library’s services including Inter-Library Loan, Reference and Research Assistance and to contact faculty librarians to schedule individualized instructional sessions or personal assistance.  The library also provides quiet spaces for study as well as comfortable areas for group discussions.  For more information about Kemp Library, visit the website - www.esu.edu/library.

The Campus and Academic Buildings

The campus of East Stroudsburg University includes 63 buildings located on approximately 258 acres in East Stroudsburg Borough and Smithfield Township.

The majority of ESU’s facilities are located in East Stroudsburg, Pa.  These buildings include academic facilities, nine residence halls, a 1,000-seat dining hall, a student center, a 60,000 square-foot Recreation Center, athletic facilities, a library and more. 

• The 130,600-squarefoot Warren E. '55 and Sandra Hoeffner Science & Technology Center opened in August 2008. The facility includes a planetarium and observatory, as well as a wildlife museum of natural history as well as 17 teaching laboratories, nine research laboratories, a multi-use 200-seat auditorium, classrooms, and offices.  In addition to serving our students the museum, planetarium and observatory also provide an educational venue for school children who visit there throughout the year as well as public viewings/shows on weekends.
• Stroud Hall remains the primary academic building at ESU. This four-story classroom building contains lecture halls, computer and language laboratories, instructional spaces, and office areas.
• Beers Lecture Hall, which opened in 1997, seats 150 students and serves as a distance learning facility.
• The Fine and Performing Arts Center consists of two theaters, a gallery, concert hall, rehearsal areas, various art studios, and classrooms.
• The Koehler Fieldhouse and Natatorium serves as the primary physical education and intercollegiate athletics facility.
• Zimbar-Liljenstein Hall houses the Graduate & Extended Studies office, the Student Enrollment Center, a teaching gymnasium, and academic classrooms and office areas for physical education and sport management, as well as the Mekeel Child Care Center.
• The Moore Biology Building contains a large group lecture hall, a greenhouse and wildlife museum as well as classroom and lecture spaces.
• Gessner Science Hall is home to ESU’s Business and Management College and features a Bloomberg Lab facility which opened in 2018.
• DeNike Center for Human Services houses classrooms and has laboratory areas for the departments of health, nursing, and recreation services management
• Rosenkrans Hall, is where you’ll find academic facilities for digital media and technologies classrooms and labs.
• The renovated, 30,200-square foot Monroe Hall reopened in August 2012. Converted from a residence hall to instructional space, this facility contains two computer laboratories, four classrooms, a 68-seat stepped auditorium, three conference rooms, and offices. It also houses the ESU Communication Sciences & Disorders department along with the Communication department.

The nine residence halls include six traditional residence halls and the addition of three suite-style housing facilities, built since 2017.  In total, ESU provides its students with 3,248 beds in order to experience the on-campus lifestyle.  Nearby, on 46 acres of ESU’s property, resides University Ridge, a ten-building student apartment complex that provides an additional 541 beds to ESU students.

Each of the suite-style facilities houses a separate university function.  The University Police Station is housed on the ground floor of Hemlock Hall; an alternative recreation center and spin studio may be found on the ground floor of Hawthorn Hall; and a Health and Wellness Center for students will soon be established in the ground floor of Sycamore Suites.

Meals are served to students in Dansbury Commons, the main dining hall for campus.  In addition to the capability of feeding up to 1,000 students at a time, Dansbury Commons is also home to a Starbucks, a multi-purpose room for campus meetings and initiatives as well as a P.O.D. (Provisions on Demand) for students who need a quick grab-and-go snack or meal.

ESU’s current University Center includes a food court, commuter lounge, game room, student activities offices, and the University Store.  But change is on its way as we prepare to break ground for a new Keystone Commons.  This new state-of-the-art facility will include a career services center, a multicultural center, an international center, a student veterans center, an eSports gaming room, student senate and club offices, W.E.S.S. (the student radio station), The Stroud Courier (the student newspaper), a food court and the bookstore.

Across campus, the Mattioli Student Recreation Center is a full-service fitness center featuring high end exercise equipment, an elevated running track, 4 basketball courts, racquetball courts and more for the exercise enthusiasts.

Located on Smith Street, Kemp Library provides ESU students, faculty, staff and visitors with materials, services, equipment, spaces, and environments that support the University’s academic curricula, assists campus constituents with their study, research, and informational needs, and stimulates cultural development.

ESU also boasts the 6,430 square-foot Abeloff Center for the Performing Arts, an auditorium space that seats approximately 800 individuals and is home to many different meetings, musical and dance performances, concerts and guest speakers. 

Located in Smithfield Township, ESU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, built in 2010, is located on the corner of Brown Street and Route 447. This 51,000 sq. ft. facility is a driver of economic development support for Monroe County and home to innovators and entrepreneurs whether they be students, faculty, staff or community members.  The Innovation Center includes ESU's Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Division, Business Accelerator Program, Office of Sponsored Projects and Research, Office of Workforce Development, Wet Lab Facilities, Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, ESU's Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute, and Computer Training Labs.

Less than 10 miles from campus, ESU affiliate, The Student Activity Association, Inc. owns Stony Acres, a 119-acre off-campus student recreation area near Marshalls Creek, which includes a lodge and a small lake. Considered a wildlife sanctuary, Stony Acres is a 119 acre facility in Marshalls Creek, Pa., that serves as a recreational site and field campus for students, faculty and staff.  While providing outdoor recreational activity and social opportunities, the site also promotes co-curricular involvement and fosters leadership development. 

Lastly, ESU opened an additional location in Bethlehem, Pa. (the Lehigh Valley Center) in 2012 and also partners with Northampton Community College in Bethlehem to provide convenient educational experiences for students in the fields of nursing, public health and business management.  ESU’s Lehigh Valley Center offers opportunities for the adult learner as well as the traditional undergraduate student.  The Center offers undergraduate degree completion, continuing education, non-degree programs, certificate programs and accelerated graduate degree opportunities.

Graduate & Extended Studies Office

The Graduate professional and support staff provide essential services for all graduate faculty and students at ESU, from application through program completion. The Graduate office also offers special academic opportunities for graduate students, including research and travel support.

The Graduate Advisory Council provides guidance and recommendations to the graduate dean on policies and procedures for admission, assistantships, academic status, degree candidacy, and other matters related to graduate studies. Council membership includes the graduate coordinator from each academic department offering a graduate degree program. Graduate coordinators are appointed by the department chair. For a current list of graduate coordinators, contact the Graduate office at 570-422-3536.

All areas of graduate curricula, including the review and approval of new courses, programs, or methods of delivery are the role of the university curriculum process. Curriculum proposals are initiated by the academic departments for consideration by the University Wide Curriculum Committee (UWCC). Following approval by the committee, the Academic Council reviews all course and program proposals before recommending them to the provost, who acts on behalf of the president of the university for final curriculum approvals.

Each academic department identifies its graduate faculty according to established criteria. Faculty members hold high academic credentials and a long-standing commitment to teaching excellence; collectively, they are recipients of numerous grants and honors. ESU’s faculty are diverse and represent many prestigious institutions of higher education in the United States and internationally. The terminal degree is held by 88 percent of the instructional faculty.

The Graduate & Extended Studies office on the second floor of Reibman Administration Building, and can be contacted via telephone at 570-422-3536 or e-mail at grads@esu.edu.

The mailing address is:

Graduate & Extended Studies

East Stroudsburg University

200 Prospect St

East Stroudsburg, PA 18301