Upsala College, defunct private college in New Jersey
Upsala College was a private school in East Orange, New Jersey, founded in 1893 in Brooklyn and relocated to a 45-acre campus in 1924. The main campus grew with several buildings, dormitories, a library, and athletic facilities to support diverse studies in arts and sciences.
The school was founded in 1893 by the Augustana Synod, a Swedish Lutheran church group that wanted to provide education to immigrants, and quickly left Brooklyn to settle in New Jersey. Under leaders like Lars Herman Beck and later Carl Gustav Erickson, student enrollment grew from 16 in 1893 to over 1,500 by the 1930s.
Upsala College was closely tied to the Swedish-American community and served generations of immigrants as a place to learn and maintain their culture. The school quickly attracted students from many countries, including China, Korea, and Persia, becoming a center where people from different backgrounds and traditions could gather.
The campus was located in East Orange with good access for the local population, and the school provided dormitories for students who did not live nearby. The grounds with its various buildings and athletic facilities were large enough for visitors to explore different areas.
The school operated a radio station called WFMU that continued broadcasting even after the college closed in 1995. The station remains a legacy of the school's culture of free expression and music, later relocating to another city while continuing its mission.
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