Rider U. changes plans for location of Westminster Choir College

Over the past few years, Rider University has been contemplating the physical location status of its renowned Westminster Choir College (WCC), and now has new plans.

Although last year Rider announced that it had hired a non-profit

to keep WCC in Princeton, and that it would assume operations of WCC since this past July, that is no longer the case.

Instead, Rider is planning to move WCC to its Lawrenceville campus next fall, and has now established a Campus Transition Team to help with this effort, states Rider University President Gregory G. Dell’Omo.

Dr. DonnaJean Fredeen, provost and vice president of academic affairs chairs the Campus Transition Team, and has many working groups, including Kaiwen Collaboration that was originally considered to save WCC before the change of plans.

In the meantime, WCC will remain in Princeton for the 2019-20 academic year.

With these change of plans, Rider hopes to rebrand the University with “a new vision for Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts,” writes Dell’Omo.

“The move from one campus to another is not just simply a logistical change in geography, but rather a starting point for something new and very exciting,” he said.

The administration and Campus Transition Team have acknowledged the complexity of the move, but are looking forward to a rewarding venture.

“We would be naïve to think this transition will be simple, or not without problems and challenges both big and small that we must overcome together,” Dell’Omo admitted.

However, he also believes that “together we can make Rider University stronger and positioned for long term success not just in the arts, but university-wide.”

For more information about Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts and the Campus Transition Team updates, please visit www.rider.edu/wccupdate.