Stockton Community Responds to Aid those Affected by Superstorm Sandy

Students help coordinate the large number of donations of food, clothing and essentials to those affected by Hurricane Sandy

Stockton’s campus and facilities were spared from significant damage during the recent Superstorm Sandy. Unfortunately many students, faculty and staff members did not fare as well. Widespread destruction of property, power outages and impassable roadways created significant hardships for hundreds of Stockton community members.

In true Stockton fashion, it did not take long for a positive response. In the days immediately following the storm, the College responded to more than 650 storm-related calls and electronic inquiries from students. The challenges ranged from providing loans covering textbook purchases to finding long-range housing solutions for displaced students. The Office of Development immediately launched an Employee Relief Fund that raised $11,800 in gifts and pledges to date. A Student Relief Fund totaling $100,000 was established by the College.

In addition to helping provide housing needs for students, faculty and staff, Stockton housed more than 160 workers from Atlantic City Electric and out-of-state utilities.

Through the combined efforts of the Dean of Students, Office of Student Development and the various campus clubs and organizations, more than 5,000 food, clothing and toiletry items were collected to aid victims. Dr. Christina Morus, Assistant Professor of Comparative Genocide and Communication Studies, initiated an additional drive to gather various items for local animal shelters, which collected more than 1,000 items.

In addition to its counseling services, the Wellness Center hosted an event, “Hurricane Sandy: Sharing Our Experiences,” to bring students together to share and listen to each other’s personal stories.

Ocean County, home to many Stockton students, faculty and staff, was one of the hardest hit areas of the state. Stockton’s Manahawkin Instructional Site in Ocean County announced it would offer free computer use and electricity for charging phones, laptops and other electronic devices to affected residents.

To keep the College’s efforts going strong over the long run, the Office of Service Learning created and maintains a website where students can go to find opportunities to volunteer throughout the region.

Presidential Campaign and the Media Examined by Hughes Center

Presidential campaign experts (from left) Mac Avery, Steve Di Micco and Charles Stiles with moderator Sharon Schulman.

The recent presidential campaign was hard-fought, and as usual, the media played a large role in the process. Earlier this month, Stockton’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy hosted an informative panel discussion which took an in-depth look at the media and the political process.

Panelists included Dr. Mac Avery, Professor of Political Science at Stockton; Steve DiMicco, Chairman, Message and Media; and Charles Stiles, columnist for the Bergen Record. The panel was moderated by Sharon Schulman, Chief Executive Officer of External Affairs and Institutional Research at Stockton.

According to the panel, this year’s campaign was impacted more than any previous ones by the power of social media.

“YouTube doesn’t lie,” DiMicco said, in reference to some of the awkward moments of both candidates caught on video and made available worldwide. “YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the blogs have turned the 24-hour news cycle upside down,” he said.

Stiles, a representative of traditional media, acknowledged that newspapers and traditional electronic media have had to adapt to the new genre of digital reporting. When hit counts rise on YouTube videos and social media posts, the game changes.

“When large numbers of people start talking about things, we certainly have to address it,” he said.

Avery lamented the segmentation that has happened in the audiences of traditional electronic media outlets.

“The fact that MSNBC is widely viewed as a liberal voice and Fox News is seen as conservative does not do a service to their respective viewers,” he said. Avery said that networks sometimes try to deliver what they think their audience wants, instead of reporting facts and allowing viewers or listeners to filter the material and form their own opinions.

DiMicco said he sometimes prefers print media because “print can cover things in-depth and from different angles,” he said. “And nobody is shouting at you or calling people names.”

Stockton coach Gerry Matthews Sets New Jersey Record for Most College Victories

Stockton men’s basketball head coach Gerry Matthews urges on the Ospreys during a recent game

With its 78-58 defeat of Farmingdale State last week, the Stockton men’s basketball team earned head coach Gerry Matthews his 515th career victory.

The win, in the title game of the Stockton Tip-Off Tournament, pushed Matthews’ career win total past that of legendary former Princeton coach Pete Carrill’s all-time record for coaching victories in New Jersey men’s college basketball.

After the win, Matthews’ career record stood at 515-217. Several nights later, the Ospreys defeated Kean University to improve to 3-0 on the season. Now in his 27th year at the Ospreys’ helm, he has guided Stockton to two NJAC championships apiece in three different decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s) and his Osprey teams have never had a losing season.

Currently, Matthews ranks among the top 20 active Division III coaches in winning percentage (.704) and victories (515). The dean of the NJAC, he has led Stockton to 13 NCAA Tournament berths, highlighted by two Final Four appearances (1987, 2009), and 14 20-win seasons.

Dr. Sonia Gonsalves to Lead Stockton’s Academic Assessment

Dr. Sonia V. Gonsalves

Dr. Sonia Gonsalves will assume the role of Stockton’s Director of Academic Assessment, effective January 1, 2013.

Throughout her career at Stockton, Dr. Gonsalves has played a central role in guiding and supporting the assessment of student learning. “We are delighted to have Dr. Gonsalves’ talents leading our assessment efforts,” Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said. “Measurable academic outcomes are important to students, parents and the community.  As we strive to keep Stockton accessible and affordable,  we find that assessment of outcomes demonstrate we are providing a quality education at the lowest possible cost. Dr. Gonsalves will play a critical role in the articulation of these outcomes.”

A nationally-recognized leader in the study of teaching and learning, Dr. Gonsalves served as Director of the Institute for the Study of College Teaching (ISCT) from 1999 – 2002 and as Director of the Institute for Faculty Development from 2006– 2009.

As director of the ISCT, Dr. Gonsalves launched and edited the assessment newsletter and developed the instruments that are now used for soliciting mid-session feedback from students and for rating faculty workshops. During the College’s recent Middle States reaccreditation, Dr. Gonsalves co-chaired the Committee for Assessment and served on the Planning Committee.

Over the years, Dr. Gonsalves has chaired the College-wide Assessment Committee and the Educational Programs and Curricula Committee for a previous Middle States review. Externally, she is active in the dissemination of assessment research at local, regional and national conferences.

Dr. Gonsalves co-chairs Stockton’s 2020 Strategic Planning Initiative Team for Learning, is a member of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and facilitates the Essential Learning
Outcomes (ELO) Team.

The Richard Stockton College Foundation’s assets and endowed funds continue to grow at a significant rate.  This year, total assets stood at $21.3 million as compared to $14.8 million in 2011 and $8 million as recently at 2009.  Endowed funds grew to $17.98 million this year from $11.6 million in 2011. At the start of President Herman J. Saatkamp's administration in 2003, assets were approximately $2.5 million.

Sources: The President’s 2012 Annual Report, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs