Centenary University President Selected as NJ Lieutenant Governor Candidate

The stakes were high during last year’s November election as the nation voted for its 47th president. Polls were tight right up till Election Day when, despite our polls here at Centenary, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, won.

This year, the stakes are not as high for the nation as only two states–Virginia and New Jersey–are voting for governors on November 4. But the stakes are high for Centenary University as our University President, Dr. Dale Caldwell, was chosen by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, to be her running mate and serve as Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey. 

And like last year’s election, the polls are tight.

Dr. Caldwell has served as president of Centenary University since 2023 and is the University's first African-American president. He is also the pastor of the Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, NJ and served as the executive director of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Caldwell previously served as Deputy Commissioner of the Jersey Department of Community Affairs and as the president of the Board of Education for New Brunswick, NJ.

“I am proud to select Dale Caldwell as my Lieutenant Governor running mate because we share a commitment to public service and challenging the status quo,” Sherrill said in a release Friday, July 25. Since that time, Dr. Caldwell has joined Sherrill on the campaign trail, heading to the November election.

The Lieutenant Governor serves second in command to the governor, taking their place in event of absence or vacancy. Tahesha Way, the current Lieutenant Governor under Governor Phil Murphy, “oversees the state government offices supporting New Jersey’s vibrant arts, culture, history, and business communities,” according to the Official Site of the State of New Jersey. Way also serves as Secretary of State and oversees the state Division of Elections.

Dr. Caldwell participated in the gubernatorial debate against James Gannon, Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor under Jack Ciattarelli, on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at Kean University in Union, NJ, where he announced plans for the Sherrill-Caldwell Administration. 

The elephant-in-the-room question is this: if Mikie Sherrill is elected as governor of New Jersey and therefore Dr. Caldwell becomes the Lieutenant Governor – a role within the public sector– what happens to Dr. Caldwell’s position as President at Centenary University, a private university?

Recent news articles on the Centenary University website feature stories about the appointment of a new Vice President for Academic Affairs and Athletic Director, along with scholarship awards and a pollinator garden. However the official university website offers no information on Dr. Caldwell’s political campaigning and what’s the plan for after the election.

The Cyclone Chronicle editorial staff requested an interview about the New Jersey gubernatorial campaign with Dr. Caldwell. He asked to do the interview after the election.

Get ready to vote on November 4 at your local polling location.