Stockton’s Presence Helping to Revitalize Downtown Hammonton

A large audience gathered outside Hammonton’s Kramer Hall recently to celebrate its opening. Town officials are pleased with the Stockton satellite’s presence and its contribution to downtown revitalization.

The Town of Hammonton, on the western edge of Atlantic County, has a new vibrancy these days with the opening of Stockton's new instructional site.

Already considered to have one of the region’s resurgent downtown areas, Kramer Hall’s opening is pumping new energy into Hammonton. Traditional and adult learners can now be seen around town availing themselves of local business and increasing the utilization of the neighborhood’s New Jersey Transit train station.

“We are very excited Stockton is here,” said Cassie Iacovelli, executive director of Main Street Hammonton.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to partner with Stockton on events and programs. It is a beautiful building.”

Kramer Hall is one of the centerpieces in Hammonton’s downtown revitalization efforts. The site, located at 30 Front Street, is a 13,620-square-foot former garment factory just steps from Bellevue Avenue, the downtown’s main street, and its many shops, restaurants, cafés, and art gallery. Aside from the building itself, Kramer Hall is bringing people into Hammonton who might otherwise not have discovered the town.

During the current Spring semester approximately 120 students are taking 12 classes. Enrollment and class schedules for the building are expected to rise significantly in the upcoming fall semester. Kramer Hall features a 24-station computer lab, two 30-seat multipurpose classrooms, three 43-seat classrooms, a 16-seat seminar room, four 12-seat seminar rooms, administrative and support offices, and an art gallery.

In addition to regular classes, continuing education programs will be offered and community groups may book spaces at Kramer Hall for meetings and functions. "The Chamber of Commerce met there recently and they were very impressed with the facility," Iacovelli said.

Hammonton Mayor Steve DiDonato termed the site a “tremendous reuse of an anchor facility” for downtown Hammonton.
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Entertainment Headliner to be Revealed April 27 at 33rd Annual Stockton College Scholarship Benefit Gala

Atlantic City’s Revel, site of the 33rd Annual Richard Stockton College Scholarship Benefit Gala. 

Everyone likes a good “cliff-hanger,” and there will be a great one at the 33rd Annual Stockton College Scholarship Benefit Gala on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at Revel in Atlantic City.

Each year, the most-asked question in anticipation of the Gala centers around the announcement of the artist or artists who will perform at the event, which also includes a cocktail hour, gourmet dining, silent auction and dancing.

For this year’s Gala, the big-name artist’s identity will remain a secret until the night of the event.

 “The Stockton Gala is one of the biggest social events in the region each spring, and this year we expect our guests will have a lot of fun speculating as to which artist will take the stage on April 27,” Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said. “It promises to be one of our best Galas ever.”

In addition to the “mystery artist” whose services are being provided by Revel, the high-energy dance band “Don’t Call Me Francis,” also provided by Revel, will perform following the dinner. During the cocktail hour and dinner, the talented and popular Stockton Faculty Band will perform.

A fun evening will have a serious theme, as proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for deserving students, the need for which has never been greater.

“Over the past 10 years, the Gala has raised more than $5 million for scholarships, benefiting hundreds of students during that time,” said Dr. Phillip Ellmore, executive director of the College Foundation of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. “The Gala provides a wonderful way for Stockton’s alumni and friends to make a difference in the lives of our students. Please join us for what promises to be a great evening.”

Tickets, priced at $225, per person may be purchased online by visiting www.stockton.edu/gala. Additional information may be obtained by calling Dawn Hans at 609-652-4830.

The Gala’s honorary chairman is Dirk Schavemaker, Senior Vice President of Operations at Revel. Co-chairs are John Schultz and Gary Hill, co-founders of the Schultz-Hill Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting southern New Jersey arts, history and education. Lisa Johnson, president of Lisa Johnson Communications, chairs the auction.

Top sponsors to date for the event include Avalon Carpet, Tile and Flooring, IBEW Local 351, The Press of Atlantic City, Revel Entertainment, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Chartwells, Follett Higher Education Group, Horizon Eye Care, NBC 40, Dr. Jo Frances Stow, Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), Azeez Foundation, Caesars Entertainment, Cape Resorts Group, Ciccone, Gotthold & Koseff CPAs, Tony and Fran Coppola, Just Four Wheels, H. Paxson & Michelle Keates, Kramer Beverage Company, Liberty Mutual, Marathon Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc., Metropolitan Business & Citizens Association, Nelbud Services Group, Inc., Dean and Zoe Pappas, Pennoni Associates, Inc., Pepsi Beverage Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Quantum Capital Management, L.L.C, South Jersey Industries, Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club, Tropicana Casino and Resort, Trump Entertainment Resorts, U.A. Local Union 322 and the Yoh Foundation.

Day of Reflection Looks Back on 40 years of General Studies at Stockton

Dean Jan Colijn.

Stockton’s General Studies Curriculum is one of the more distinctive traits of New Jersey’s distinctive public college.

The program dates back to 1971, the earliest days of the College. Then, as now, Stockton students have the opportunity to select one fourth of their curriculum as interdisciplinary. This affords students the ability to design a flexible path toward their Stockton degree while they pursue areas of special interest and explore new ones.

Dean of General Studies Jan Colijn said the program includes curriculum possibilities which are not simply across disciplines but also experimental. This promotes critical thinking, original thought and imagination, he said. Such skills are sought by employers searching for well-rounded and flexible learners. The General Studies Liberal Studies (B.A.) degree allows students, with the guidance of the Dean and two faculty members, to shape an interdisciplinary course of study that meets their career aspirations and interests.

The School of General Studies will host a “Day of Reflection on General Studies at Stockton” on Thursday, May 9, to reflect on the challenges and successes of Stockton’s approach to General Studies. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in rooms F-119, F120 and F121 on the Galloway Twp. Campus. The program will reflect on General Studies as it related to the original vision of the college. It will also look forward as participants imagine the place of Stockton General Studies in the 21st Century.

"Given the College’s expansion and growth in faculty, our unique approach to general education needs constant nurturing,” Colijn said. “This is a fine opportunity to examine the sound foundations of General Studies and to chart those areas where innovation and improvement are opportune.”

Tentative plans call for perspectives from founding faculty members, a General Studies conversation on the past, present and future, course reviews and a discussion on the importance of assessment.

The event is free and open to everyone.

Grant Helps Adult Learners Re-Enroll by Sweeping Away Barriers

          Senior Communications major Sam Cary is advised by Peter Hagen.

A new grant-funded program at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey is re-enrolling adult learners by lifting the financial and academic barriers that have prevented students from obtaining degrees.

The R.E.A.L. program, which stands for ReEnrolling Adult Learners, was established at Stockton College with funds from a one-year, $65,000 grant. The grant was awarded to the College by the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education through the Disengaged Adults Returning to College (DARC) Grant program.

Those who are eligible for the program must be age 20 or older, have been out of school for between one and 10 years, have at least a 2.0 GPA and at least 64 credits from any accredited New Jersey institution.

Peter Hagen, director of the Center for Academic Advising and Planning, said, “Degree completion and alleviating student debt are at the forefront of our latest initiative. The R.E.A.L. program is our response to the call by President Obama to help students leave college with degrees, which puts them in a better position to pay off their student loans.”

The program works by identifying qualified students and then sweeping away academic and financial limitations that have kept them from graduating. This semester 50 students have re-enrolled in courses at Stockton and are now receiving benefits from the program.

New online courses and online versions of existing courses are being created to make coursework more accessible to students. A new version of the Liberal Studies major has been developed to accommodate students wishing to customize a major to graduate as soon as possible.

To ease financial barriers, the program can help to cover certain outstanding fees that have been unpaid and have prohibited students from taking additional courses. Instructional materials and textbooks are also provided to students in need. The R.E.A.L. program has 10 iPads that can be lent to students without access to a computer. This semester, five of the iPads are on loan.

Three information sessions are scheduled for students who have completed half of their degree at a New Jersey institution and are interested in returning to finish their degrees:
• Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 5-7 p.m., Manahawkin Instructional Site, 712 East Bay Avenue
• Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 5-7 p.m., Kramer Hall, 30 Front Street, Hammonton
• Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 5-7 p.m., Main campus, Galloway

Stockton College’s 42,632 alumni reside in all 50 states, with 80 percent of the alumni population residing in New Jersey. Of those, more than 25,000 live in the southern New Jersey region. The highest Stockton College alumni populations, in descending order, are in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, the Washington, DC metropolitan area, New York and California.
For additional alumni information, please visit www.stockton.edu/alumni

Source: Stockton Alumni Association