Ramapo Presidents

President Mercer is the current president of the school.

These are the previous presidents of the school.

Presidents of the College

George T. Potter was the first president of Ramapo College. He was the president until 1985. He was born in England. The library in campus is named after him. He is the only president who did not have a doctorate. When he retired from being president he when back to teaching in the business school. He helped design how Ramapo was going to be constructed. He has had much influence in how the college looks today.

The second president of the school was Dr. Robert A Scott. He was the president from 1985 to 2000. The Ramapo College Student Center is named after him. He helped establish the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. This created Ramapo to be a liberal arts college.He is the only president that was born in America.

The third president was Dr. Rodney David Smith. He was president from 2001 to 2004. He is originally from the Bahamas. He accomplished, even though he was the president for the shortest amount of time in office. For two years in a row he successfully handled state budget cuts. Dr. Smith did a campus-wide strategic plan, it was a first completed one. He got started the Offices of the Provost and Chief Information Officer.

The fourth president is also the current president as of 2017. Dr. Peter Philip Mercer started his position in 2005 and he is originally from Canada. He helped Ramapo get by “US News and World Report  as among the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” and by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine as one of the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.”” This president has been very busy keeping the update in modern times. He had constructed Anisfield School of Business, the Bill Bradley Center Sports and Recreation Center. Overlook, and Laurel residence halls, Sharp Sustainability Education Center, Salameno Spiritual Center, and the Adler Center. As more presidents come and go they will all leave their mark in the Ramapo College.

It all began with a mountainside farm and one family, but they have left their mark in the Mahwah area. When the Birch family purchased the Havemeyer estate they helped affect the area as well. Their history is Mahwah history.