Unified Science Center Officially Opens

President Saatkamp is joined by the Board of Trustees, Dr. Dennis Weiss, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and trustees, faculty and staff to cut the ribbon and officially open the new Unified Science Center.

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey dedicated its $39.5 million Unified Science Center in ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the main Galloway campus on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

The 66,350-square-foot, three-story facility expands Stockton’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NAMS), which graduates 20 percent of all the math and science majors in the public colleges and universities in New Jersey.

“Stockton’s distinctive Natural Sciences and Mathematics programs attract many more very qualified prospective students than the college has been able to admit,” President Saatkamp noted.

“With the Unified Science Center providing eight new classrooms, 28 teaching and research labs and state-of-the-art scientific instruments and equipment, the college will be even more of a choice institution as well as a launching pad for future scientists and mathematicians,” said President Saatkamp.

The building was designed by EYP, a global research and design firm known for its sustainable design and research in energy efficiency. Sustainable construction methods and materials were incorporated in the Unified Science Center’s design, which utilizes the college’s existing Geothermal system of heating and cooling on campus.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included remarks by President Saatkamp, Curtis Bashaw, president of the college Board of Trustees, Dr. Harvey Kesselman, provost and executive vice president of the college, Dean Dennis Weiss of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove and Assemblyman Brian Rumpf of the 9th District, Deputy Secretary Gregg Edwards, of the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, Dr. Rodger Jackson, president of the Stockton Faculty Senate and associate professor of Philosophy, and Maribeth Capelli, president of the Stockton Student Senate.

The Unified Science Building is located adjacent to the college’s new Campus Center and the Sports Center. A $28.6 million planned addition to the Unified Science Center has been approved by the New Jersey Legislature for funding, as recommended by the state Department of Education. Voters approved the “Building Our Future” bond act to allow public and private colleges and universities to upgrade academic and research facilities last November.

Trustees Approve Agreement with Stockton Aviation Research and Technology Park

Dr. Edward H. Salmon, president of the Aviation Research Technology Park Board of Trustees, and President Saatkamp shake hands after signing an agreement making the ARTP an auxiliary organization of Stockton at the college’s Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 18.

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Board of Trustees authorized an agreement on Wednesday, Sept. 18 making the Aviation Research and Technology Park in Egg Harbor Township an auxiliary organization of the college, an important step in developing a facility expected to generate research and more than 2,000 high-paying jobs related to FAA projects.

The Stockton ARTP is a non-profit charged with developing a facility on 58 acres owned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The college will be the lead agency in developing the park for aviation-related educational programs and research and would assign development and management responsibilities to the Stockton ARTP.

“The college’s backing provides the Aviation Research and Technology Park with a sense of stability that will enable this important project to move forward,” said President Herman Saatkamp. “With Stockton’s support, the park can advance the aviation sciences as Stockton develops aviation-related educational programs and research.”

Dr. Edward H. Salmon, board president of the Stockton Aviation Research & Technology Park, Inc., and President Saatkamp signed the agreement after its approval by the college trustees. The goal is for the Stockton ARTP to develop 400,000 square feet of office space and to attract various commercial, governmental and academic organizations to pursue research and development regarding aviation issues. Development at the site is subject to FAA approval.

The Stockton ARTP received an initial grant from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) for $930,000 for operating expenses and a $3 million commitment from CRDA for a loan/grant for construction of the federal laboratory in the first office building in the research park.
 

Stockton has supported the ARTP since its inception, with President Saatkamp serving on its board as the first president.

President Joins Eight Other New Jersey Colleges in Asking Congressional Delegation to Reform Immigration

 

President Saatkamp has added his signature to a letter to the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, urging legislators to fix the current immigration system, due to its effects on scientific growth at New Jersey universities and economic growth in the state.

Along with the other eight institutions in the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (NJASCU), President Saatkamp expressed his concerns regarding the current immigration system. A majority of students in Master’s and Ph.D. programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields are temporary residents, with no clear path to stay in the United States after graduation. Stockton College graduates 20 percent of all math and science majors in New Jersey.

“Foreign-born students create jobs for New Jersey and often provide the technological innovations that drive economic growth in the state,” the letter reads. “A recent study by the Partnership for a New American Economy and the American Enterprise Institute found that for every 100 foreign-born graduates of a U.S. Master’s or Ph.D. program who stay in America working in a STEM field, 262 jobs are created for American workers.”

“New Jersey cannot afford to wait to fix our immigration system. With last fall’s passage of major capital investments for our state’s colleges and universities, New Jersey demonstrated what can happen when business, labor, higher education, and political leaders of all stripes work together to keep our state competitive for the future,” the letter states. “We ask you to work together to develop a comprehensive, bipartisan solution because all parts of our economy – from education to agriculture to housing to business – need it.”

College Again in Top Tier of ‘America’s Best Colleges’ Ranked by U.S. News and World Report

Stockton College is again in the top tier of Best Regional Colleges and Universities of the North, rated at 60 out of 139 public and private Northern schools in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual edition of “America’s Best Colleges.”

New Jersey’s Distinctive College is also ranked as one of the top 15 public schools in the North, at No. 14 by U.S. News, one of the nation’s top independent college and university rankings. Only the top 15 public colleges and universities in a region are rated in the report.

This is the sixth consecutive year in which Stockton has placed in the first tier. Stockton is ranked with schools offering both undergraduate and master’s programs in the northern region of the U.S. Another 42 colleges and universities in the North were in the second tier.

The annual report considers factors including graduation and retention rates, assessment by peers, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.

“It is truly gratifying that Stockton is again recognized as a top-tier institution for the sixth consecutive year,” said Stockton President Herman Saatkamp.

“Stockton’s reputation for small classes - taught by more full-time faculty than you’ll find at any other public college in New Jersey - has attracted an increasing number of full-time undergraduates,” said President Saatkamp. “The college’s flat-rate tuition enables students to take more courses for the money and graduate more quickly, saving thousands of dollars and ultimately improving graduation rates.”

“Best of all, in a move that U.S. News and World Report could not have anticipated, Stockton has held the line on costs this year, with no increases in tuition or fees,” President Saatkamp noted.

African American Heritage Museum to Open in Noyes Museum Arts Garage Stockton College

The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey will open in The Noyes Museum Arts Garage Stockton College in Atlantic City this fall, part of the resort’s developing Arts District.

The African American Heritage Museum (AAHM), founded by Ralph Hunter Sr., will occupy 2,000 square feet of the Arts Retail space located on the first floor of The Wave parking garage along Mississippi Avenue.
 

The museum brings to life the African American experience of the 20th Century as it documents the struggle of one group of Americans to carve their own place in the wider cultural landscape.
 

The African American Heritage Museum has access to more than 11,000 items such as graphics, drawings, paintings, advertisements, household and decorative items, all depicting blacks in a historical context.
 

“Stockton is pleased to contribute to Atlantic City’s cultural renaissance by creating a new art gallery and retail space that will also include the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey,” said President Herman Saatkamp. “We are working with the community to create an Arts District worthy of Atlantic City in all its diversity.”
 

The Noyes Museum of Stockton, which manages the site leased by the college, will have a 900-square-foot exhibition space of primarily New Jersey artists’ work and a 550-square-foot gift shop selling the work of local artists and crafts people.
 

The Noyes Museum Arts Garage Stockton College will also feature individual studios where local artisans will be able to create works of art and offer them for sale.

President and Mrs. Saatkamp Receive Thomas J. Kuhar Founder’s Award at United Way Event

President Herman Saatkamp and his wife, Dot Saatkamp

The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey honored President Herman Saatkamp and his wife, Dot, with the Thomas J. Kuhar Founder’s Award at a lunch program during the Energenic 18th Annual Golf & Sporting Clays Invitational fundraiser on Monday, Sept. 30.
 

The Thomas J. Kuhar Founder’s Award is given annually to an individual or group which demonstrates advocacy for the entire community, including organizations, places and the people who live, work and raise their families in Southern New Jersey.

“The Saatkamps are tireless community advocates who give back to and improve the community through a number of organizations and leadership roles. We are honored to recognize their contributions to Southern New Jersey and celebrate how their efforts have spurred others into action to benefit our region,” said Thomas J. Kuhar, event founder and chair.

As the fourth president of the college, President Saatkamp has helped Stockton to expand immensely, including the new Unified Science Center, an expanded Campus Center, three new instructional sites in Cape May, Ocean and Atlantic counties, and a two-story art gallery, along with the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center and the Carnegie Center in Atlantic City. Academic programs have also expanded, including changing academic divisions to schools, and creating the School of Business, the School of Health Sciences, the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, the Small Business Development Center, and the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism.

Dot Saatkamp is a longtime member of the United Way Women’s Leadership Initiative and serves on the planning committee of the annual financial workshop, “Power of the Purse.” Now retired, Mrs. Saatkamp’s profession was in special education with a focus on learning disabilities.

The new $39.5 million Unified Science Center features $6 million in state-of-the-art scientific equipment and instruments. The 66,350-square-foot building also utilizes the campus’ geothermal system to reduce energy costs. For example, primary cooling for the building is provided by a water-cooled chiller that uses a campus-wide geothermal loop for condenser water. This provides energy savings by lowering the condensing temperature at the chiller, according to EYP, a global design firm and the building's architect. Similarly, the primary heating source for the building is a water-to-water heat pump which also uses the geothermal loop as a heat sink. High-efficiency restroom fixtures were integrated into the design, resulting in a 30 percent water reduction from the baseline standard.

For more information on the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, click NAMS.