Stockton to Connect Trained Job Seekers and Tourism Industry Employers Through $200,000 Talent Network Grant from N.J. Department of Labor

President Herman Saatkamp

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey will become the lead agency in South Jersey for a Retail Hospitality and Tourism Talent Network, connecting job seekers with prospective employers in the region’s primary industries.

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development awarded a $200,000 Talent Network grant to Stockton on June 11. Talent Networks reach out to businesses, workforce organizations, training providers and other educational institutions to increase the quality of job placements for workers and to provide businesses with the trained staff they need. Prospective trainers will bid on contracts to be awarded by the Talent Network.

“Stockton College has long been a leader in educating students not only from southern New Jersey, but throughout the state and elsewhere, providing them with the tools they need for continued success in many fields, including the hospitality and tourism industries,” said President Herman Saatkamp.

“Stockton’s distinctive resources will enable The Talent Network for Retail, Hospitality and Tourism to connect prospective employees with employers in this vital sector of the New Jersey economy,” President Saatkamp said.

Stockton's resources include an undergraduate degree program in Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies (HTMS), an MBA program with a concentration in tourism and hospitality and the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism, which produces an annual survey on tourism issues and conducts research in support of that segment of the state's economy.

Tourism Performance Indicators Developed by Lloyd D. Levenson Institute at Stockton Show Atlantic City’s Recovery After Superstorm Sandy

Atlantic City’s tourism industry shows positive gains after Superstorm Sandy’s impact, according to Stockton’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism.

Atlantic City appears to have recovered from Sandy’s aftermath, according to the numbers released this month by the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism (LIGHT) at Stockton College in its first quarterly update to the Atlantic City Tourism Performance Indicators (AC-TPI) report.
 

“The negative impact that Sandy had on the Atlantic City luxury tax collections in the fourth quarter of 2012 appears to have abated. The first three months of 2013 show positive gains compared to the same period in 2012,” explained Dr. Brian Tyrrell, a Levenson Institute research fellow and associate professor of Business Studies.
 

The luxury tax, hotel tax and parking fee in Atlantic City are the three key metrics that LIGHT researchers analyze to make conclusions on tourism performance in Atlantic City.

Stockton’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute provides research and a forum for public policy discussions about southern New Jersey’s three largest industries.

President Herman Saatkamp continues to leverage Stockton's role as a force of economic growth in the Southern New Jersey region, through strong, positive relationships with fellow educators, elected officials, and civic and business leaders. A Stockton Economic Impact study shows the college provides more than $442 million in total economic benefit to the region.

Stockton Seaview Hosts World-Class Golf at ShopRite LPGA Classic

Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club hosted the $1.5 million ShopRite LPGA Classic, bringing more than 140 of the world's best female golfers to Southern New Jersey.

Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club hosted the 2013 ShopRite LPGA Classic, presented by Acer, from May 27-June 2, with Hall of Famer Karrie Webb besting more than 140 of the world’s best female golfers.
 

Webb won the $1.5 million, 54-hole tournament on Stockton Seaview’s famed Bay Course, shooting a 3-under-par 68 in her last round. The 38-year-old Australian won $225,000 for her total score of 209 for 54 holes, 4-under-par. She is the sixth Hall of Fame player to win the Seaview Classic.

“The Bay Course challenges professionals from the LPGA, while offering multi-season golfing with a beautiful view for residents and visitors alike,” President Herman Saatkamp said in his welcome statement at the tournament. 

“The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey has improved the course and renovated the property in recent years, continuing the College’s leadership role as a steward of natural resources and the region’s economy,” President Saatkamp noted.

“Students from Stockton’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies program can live and work here, an invaluable opportunity to be immersed in resort operations,” he added.

President Saatkamp Honored for Leadership by Synagogue, Interfaith Group

President Herman Saatkamp, right, receives the Father Thom Schiavo Leadership Award from Stockton Trustee Leo Schoffer, who was honored with the award last year, along with his father, Sam Schoffer.

President Herman Saatkamp was honored June 7 with the Father Thom Schiavo Leadership Award given by Beth El Synagogue of Margate, NJ and Bridge of Faith, an interfaith group.
 

“Your inspired leadership of Stockton has become a great source of pride in our area, state and nation,” said Rabbi Aaron Krauss of Beth El, in announcing the award. “The growth of Stockton has attracted favorable attention in the academic world and beyond in an unprecedented manner.”
 

“I am deeply honored to receive this year’s Father Thom Schiavo Award,” President Saatkamp said. “I know that I follow in the footsteps of many extraordinary individuals from our community who also have received this honor – such as last year’s recipients, for whom I have such tremendous respect and admiration: Sam and Leo Schoffer.”  Stockton’s Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center is named in honor of College Trustee Leo Schoffer’s parents, who survived the Holocaust.
 

“What makes this award so meaningful to me is that it recognizes and celebrates mutual respect, acceptance and understanding of what it means to live, work, and co-exist within an increasingly diverse society,” President Saatkamp continued. “Celebrating those common attributes as well as those which distinguish one from another.”
 

“With over 8,500 students and over 2,000 full- and part-time employees, Stockton is a city within itself,” President Saatkamp said, “a place where people from all backgrounds, races and nationalities, orientations, ages, social economic status, religious backgrounds, and various life experiences come together for a similar purpose…to learn, engage, and self-discover.” 

President Saatkamp was also honored to be made an honorary member of Beth El Synagogue.

The award is named for the late Father Thom Schiavo, who was assistant pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church in Margate at the time of his death at age 37 more than 20 years ago. Father Schiavo, who was of Italian and Jewish descent, had reached “across boundaries of religion and race to make the world a better place,” Rabbi Krauss explained. “The award was established to perpetuate his ideals.”

The Bachelor of Science in Health Science (BSHS) Program just completed its inaugural year. Under the direction of Dr. Margaret Slusser, program coordinator, the newest program in the School of Health Sciences enrolled 400 students, well beyond the projection of 80 students for the first year. This new program is already the fifth largest at the college. Courses were offered on all of Stockton’s campuses and three industrious students received their BSHS degree at spring graduation.

For more information on the program: http://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/page.cfm?siteID=168&pageID=40