More Than 700 Receive Degrees at Stockton’s Fall Commencement

Troy Speller, of Somers Point, graduated Sunday, Dec. 15, with a Criminal Justice degree.

Over 700 students were awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees at Stockton College’s Fall Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013 on the college’s Galloway campus.

Provost and Executive Vice President Harvey Kesselman presented the candidates while President Herman Saatkamp conferred their degrees in front of family and friends, as well as members of the Board of Trustees, college administration, faculty and staff.

President Saatkamp told the gathering, “Our students are promises we make to a future we will not see, and at this graduation, with these fine students, you can see that we are delivering on our promises.” 

He went on to say, “Each Stockton student is now an international student, connected to a global community and economy as never before.” 

“Here is an important message to our graduates:  Having a college degree is not enough,” President Saatkamp said. “Having a college degree gets you a long way because you have the ability to continue to learn and the likelihood of living well.” 

“Even so, there are no guarantees,” he said. “What is ahead of you is the delight of moving forward into a new life but it also includes persistence, diligence, hard work, and the task of getting along with others who may be different from you in a cosmopolitan world.”

 “Our future depends on you continuing to work on building communities of respect and honor,” President Saatkamp said.

Earlier in the day, the family of Lindsey Sickler, who died tragically in a car accident on Dec. 11, accepted her master’s degree in Communications Disorders on her behalf at the Master’s and Doctoral Hooding Ceremony in the Performing Arts Center.

Sickler, a 26-year-old speech therapist at the Rieck Avenue School in Millville and a Hammonton resident, “was an advocate for all those who needed a voice,” said President Saatkamp. “She was also a champion for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She touched many ...in a way that will be her legacy.”

A moment of silence was observed in Sickler’s honor at both the 10 a.m. Hooding and 1 p.m. Commencement ceremonies. Lauren Stopa, a Communications Disorders graduate from Manasquan, Monmouth County, spoke at the Hooding Ceremony at 10 a.m., calling it “a very bittersweet day” for their class, who wore memorial pins with Sickler’s face on them.

“We truly are the pioneers. We are more than just classmates, we are family,” Stopa said.

Dr. Robert Helsabeck, a charter member of the Stockton faculty who retired and was named Professor Emeritus of Sociology earlier this year, gave the Commencement address in the afternoon in the Sports Center.

Click here for photos from the morning Hooding Ceremony and the afternoon Commencement ceremonies at Stockton College.

The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton College Opens in Atlantic City

Michael Cagno, executive director of the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton College, Don Guardian, Atlantic City's mayor-elect, James Kehoe, chairman of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), Stockton President Herman Saatkamp, John Palmieri, executive director of the CRDA, Assemblyman Chris Brown, Ralph Hunter, founder of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey, and Alex Marino, assistant to the provost for Atlantic City instructional sites and freeholder, cut a ribbon Nov. 25 to officially open the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton College in Atlantic City.

The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton College opened in Atlantic City on Nov. 25, with 18 spaces including a gallery, artists’ studios and retail spaces showcasing regional artists and photographers, locally handmade fine crafts, the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey and the work of Fair Trade artisans from around the world.

The $1.6 million Arts Garage is managed by Stockton’s Noyes Museum of Art, which operates a museum store and a 1,200-square-foot satellite art gallery at the site, on the first floor of The Wave parking garage at Mississippi and Fairmount avenues.

The African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey is the largest tenant, with 2,000 square feet of artifacts depicting African Americans in a historical context.

The Noyes Arts Garage totals 16,000 square feet leased by the college at no cost from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). The facility will generate revenue through subleases on retail and gallery space to cover operational expenses.

The college has partnered with the CRDA and other groups to help bring to fruition the resort’s Arts and Cultural District, a key part of the Atlantic City Tourism Master Plan.
“Stockton is pleased to play a leadership role in Atlantic City’s continued resurgence,” said President Herman Saatkamp. “The Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton College will join our Carnegie Center and Dante Hall Theater in providing lively cultural events for residents and visitors alike.”

The Noyes Arts Garage is open to the public Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

For more information, visit: www.artsgarageac.com. 

College Signs Pact with Atlantic City Historical Waterfront Foundation

Jack Keith, executive director of the Atlantic City Historical Waterfront Foundation, and Stockton President Herman Saatkamp signed an agreement at the Atlantic City Aquarium in the Historic Gardner’s Basin Waterfront Park in Atlantic City on Nov. 12.

Stockton College and the Atlantic City Historical Waterfront Foundation joined forces on Nov. 12 to expand educational programs for the public, increase internships and teacher training, and promote awareness of the coastal environment and eco-tourism.

President Herman Saatkamp and Jack Keith, executive director of the ACHWF, signed an agreement at the Atlantic City Aquarium in the Historic Gardner’s Basin Waterfront Park, Atlantic City.

"Stockton welcomes the opportunity to expand its educational programs in Atlantic City and to support the Atlantic City Historic Waterfront Foundation," said President Saatkamp. "The college and the foundation are both vitally concerned with preparing our nation's young people to compete in the global fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). We also share the goal of protecting and preserving our marine environment."

The foundation, established in 1976, operates the aquarium at 800 N. New Hampshire Ave. in cooperation with the City of Atlantic City.

Under the agreement, the college will hold classes and programs at the aquarium and the foundation will be able to conduct programs at Stockton’s facilities throughout the region.

The agreement lays the groundwork for Stockton and the foundation to work together to meet regional, state and national needs in STEM, with an eye toward global competitiveness. One aim is to attract more young people to science fields and to Stockton’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NAMS.)

College internships in marine science and the business of eco-tourism will be offered at the aquarium. The college and foundation will provide the public, especially K-12 students in area schools, with information about the region’s beaches and coastal environments. The aquarium’s community outreach programs will be expanded through Stockton’s Center for Community Schools (SCCS).

Stockton Receives Diversity Legacy Award from American Conference on Diversity’s Atlantic County Chapter

President Herman Saatkamp accepts the Diversity Legacy Award on behalf of the college’s Holocaust & Genocide Studies, the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage and the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center. With him are Dr. Laurie Shanderson, assistant dean of the School of Health Sciences, who co-chaired the event, and Kaleem Shabazz, vice-chair of the American Conference on Diversity.

The Diversity Legacy Award from the American Conference on Diversity Atlantic County Chapter was awarded to Stockton's Holocaust and Genocide Studies program, The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage and The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center.

President Saatkamp accepted the award at a ceremony on Dec. 5 at the Atlantic City Country Club and acknowledged the efforts of many who contributed to the college receiving this recognition.

Stockton’s Master of Arts Program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, established in 1998, was the first of its kind in the U.S. and attracts students from across the country. The Minor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies provides a broad interdisciplinary study of the Holocaust and other genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Stockton’s Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage is located in Woodbine, NJ, a town purchased by German philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch to assist Russian Jews fleeing persecution and coming to America in the 1880s. The museum, a synagogue built by the settlers and consecrated in 1896, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property was restored to its original integrity by Michael Azeez, president of Unitel Wireless, and donated to Stockton in 2012. The museum is named for his father, who grew up in Woodbine. The museum is the official Teaching Center for the New Jersey Commission of Holocaust and Genocide Education in Cape May County.

The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center is named for Sara and Sam Schoffer, survivors of the Holocaust who settled in southern New Jersey. The center’s mission includes educating the public as well as holding local and national programs for teachers of the Holocaust and other genocides, combating anti-Semitism, racism, hatred and oppression, and memorializing victims of the Holocaust, including publishing the memoirs of Holocaust survivors. The center fosters academic research and serves as a repository for Holocaust materials.

Stockton College Named as ‘Best for Vets’ by Military Times

 

Stockton has been named to the “Best for Vets: Colleges 2014” listing by Military Times, an organization comprised of the Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times. Stockton is ranked #15 on the list of four-year schools. Military Times also rated two-year and non-traditional/online schools, for a total of 120 schools ranked out of the 600 competing for consideration.

“Best for Vets: Colleges 2014” utilizes a 150-question analysis of a school’s complete offerings for veterans. Military Times said a school’s academic rigor was highly valued this year in scoring its fourth annual survey. Academic rigor involves a school’s culture of high expectations and support for students to achieve at high levels.

Six Hundred Attend Forum on Affordable Care Act at College

Dr. Jaime Torres, regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was the keynote speaker at the Affordable Care Act Forum at Stockton College Nov. 12.

About 600 area residents and members of the Stockton College community turned out on Nov. 12 for a forum on the Affordable Care Act, with a panel answering questions from the audience and counselors present to help with enrollment.

President Herman Saatkamp welcomed the audience and termed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) “the most important healthcare policy initiative since Medicare.”

Dr. Jaime Torres, Health and Human Services regional director for the New Jersey area, gave a 45-minute presentation outlining the problems the ACA was designed to solve and explaining its benefits.

Dr. Torres said the ACA, signed by President Obama in 2010 and ratified by the Supreme Court last year, will protect Americans from abuses by insurers and improve access and quality of healthcare.

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy and the School of Health Sciences co-sponsored the forum in the Campus Center Event Room.

In addition to Dr. Torres, the panel included State Sen. Jim Whelan, D-2nd, Steven Blumberg, senior vice president and executive director of AtlantiCare Health Solutions, and Justine Ceserano, New Jersey state director for Enroll America, a non-partisan nonprofit organization whose mission is to maximize the number of uninsured Americans who enroll in health coverage under the ACA.

Fall Season Full of Highlights for Stockton Athletics

President Herman Saatkamp, Assistant Coach Greg Langan (center), Head Coach Allison Walker (center right) and Assistant Coach Maureen DuVall (far right) and members of the Stockton Volleyball Team in the Sports Center after winning their sixth consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship on Nov. 9.

The seven intercollegiate teams that wore the Stockton black and white during the fall season provided numerous highlights for their supporters and the college this semester. Championships were won, accolades were earned and milestones were achieved as the latest chapter in the proud history of Stockton Athletics was written.

The Osprey volleyball team once again led the charge, winning its sixth consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Along the way, Stockton amassed a 26-match winning streak and finished with 31 wins, which is the second-highest victory total in program history and just one short of the school record.

Head coach Allison Walker earned her 200th career victory on Oct. 17 and later was named NJAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in her eight seasons on the bench.

The Stockton field hockey team produced its best season yet as the Ospreys set a school record with 12 victories and reached both the NJAC playoffs and ECAC tournament for the first time ever. Head coach Michelle Andre was rewarded with the NJAC Coach of the Year honor for guiding her squad, which featured a nucleus of seven seniors who comprised her first recruiting class after she was hired at Stockton five years ago.

The Osprey men’s soccer team finished on a high note by winning the program’s third ECAC Metro championship. With 15 victories, Stockton compiled its highest win total since 2008 and helped head coach Jeff Haines move within one triumph of the 250-win plateau. The Stockton women’s soccer team won 17 games for the second year in a row. Head coach Nick Juengert collected his 150th career win on Sept. 11.

The Stockton cross country teams performed well throughout the season. Second-year head coach Jayson Resch ’99 led the Osprey women to their best finish at the NCAA Regionals since 2006 (17th out of 42 teams) and also guided a young men’s squad that featured seven freshmen and just two seniors to a solid campaign. The Osprey women’s tennis team continued their run of success with an 8-3 record and christened their new home courts at the North Athletic Complex with a victory on Oct. 2 in the first match at the new site.

Representatives of Dalian University for Foreign Languages Tour College During International Education Week

 

Zhenwan Liu, chairman of the University Council from Dalian University of Foreign Languages, presents a Chinese watercolor painting to President Herman Saatkamp.

Two representatives of China’s Dalian University of Foreign Languages met with President Saatkamp and Dr. Harvey Kesselman, provost and executive vice president of the college, and other members of the Stockton community on Nov. 19, to explore the possibilities of future partnerships between the two institutions.

Zhenwan Liu, chairman of the University Council, and Dr. Junyue Chang, dean of the School of English Studies, also met with Dr. Ai Zhang, assistant professor of Communications; Dr. Sharon Musher, associate professor of History; and India Karavackas, director of the Office of International Services. The two were interested in finding out more about Stockton’s American Studies program.

Liu and Chang had a luncheon meeting with Dean Janet Wagner of the School of Business, to discuss the college’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies Program, and with Interim Dean Lisa Honaker, to learn more about the School of Arts and Humanities. They also toured the campus with an Admissions ambassador.

Dr. Xiangping Kong, director of Institutional Research at Stockton and a former employee of Dalian, assisted with translations and helped provide an understanding of the U.S. and Chinese educational systems involved. Further discussions about possible partnerships between Stockton and Dalian are planned.

The two arrived during International Education Week, which featured dozens of events including a performance of “Amazing China” in the Campus Center Theater. The production, by members of the Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera at Binghamton University - State University of New York, featured different elements of Chinese drama such as acrobatics, martial arts, instrumental music, opera and vocals.

Other highlights of the week included speakers from the United Nations and State Department.

Stockton’s total student enrollment headcount for the Fall 2013 semester has increased slightly to 8,458, compared with 8,400 for Fall 2012.  There are 1,069 new freshmen—7 percent more than the previous fall, 1,087 undergraduate transfer/re-admits and 298 new graduate students. Total full-time enrollment (FTE) increased by 3 percent to 7,926 from the previous fall’s 7,723.

For more information on the Preliminary Enrollment Report, click here.