News from the President's Office
January 2014
Stockton Home | President's Office Home
 

College Volunteers Work on 40 Projects Throughout Region on MLK Day of Service

Dr. Carol Ritner

Stockton faculty, staff and students volunteered in more than 40 community projects during the college’s 10th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Daniel Tomé, assistant director of Service-Learning, estimated that more than 800 volunteers participated in the day’s events.

“We were excited to work with the greater South Jersey community as Stockton College celebrated its 10th year of service and engagement in hosting this national service initiative,” Tomé said.

During the opening ceremony, Dr. Robert Barney, assistant professor of Social Work, and Tracy Stuart, sergeant Campus Police, were given the MLK Community Engagement Award.

Dr. Barney received the award for his ongoing work against human trafficking. Sgt. Stuart received the award for her work revitalizing Stockton’s Neighborhood Watch program and increasing student interest in community service.

Projects on the main Galloway campus included a campus clean-up, a workshop to train emerging activists, packaging books to send overseas with the Books Without Borders organization and various artistic projects.

At the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage, the college’s Cape May County instructional site, collection of non-perishable food items will continue through the end of January, said Jane Stark, museum executive director, who cited the “extreme need” for food donations in the area.

In Atlantic City, faculty, staff and students were joined by volunteers from AtlantiCare’s Family Success Centers in painting the auditorium at the Police Athletic League center on New York Avenue. Members of the college community also worked with the AHEART donation organization, the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, Atlantic City Revive, the Eastern Service Workers Association and other organizations in the city.

Hammonton volunteers helped older adults create greeting cards at the Greenbrier Nursing Home, cleaned up the Hammonton walking path and helped he Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society with archiving.

In Manahawkin, volunteers made get-well cards and participated in a technology workshop to help others learn basic operations of electronic devices, such as tablets and laptops. They also organized mailers for the Lighthouse Film Festival, gave a workshop on emergency preparedness and basic first aid with the Stafford First Aid Squad and Stockton’s Dennis Lepore, and gathered stories from victims of Superstorm Sandy for an oral history archive.

Stockton’s Day of Service is sponsored by the Office of the President and the MLK Day of Service Planning Committee, co-chaired by Tomé and Brian Jackson, the president’s chief of staff.

To view photos from the day's events, click MLK Day of Service

 


 

Stockton to Host ELS Intensive English Program for International Students

Stockton will become a host site for the Intensive English program operated by ELS Educational Services later this year, enabling the college to reach more international students seeking to study for a degree in the United States.

ELS, located in Princeton and owned by Bennesse, which also owns Berlitz, is the largest provider of on-campus English for academic purposes. It has an international recruitment network and operates more than 60 centers worldwide, including 50 on U.S. campuses.

Stockton Provost and Executive Vice President Harvey Kesselman said the importance of international students in U.S. classrooms cannot be overlooked in today’s globalized economy. 

“Across the world, colleges and universities view exposure to international education and experiences as an imperative to preparing students for an increasingly competitive global workforce,” Dr. Kesselman said. “These students will enrich the Stockton community by sharing their perspectives, communicating across cultures and will have the opportunity to create lifelong friendships and career networks with our domestic students.”

The international students admitted to the ELS program will study English until they reach a certain level of competency, at which point they will be eligible to matriculate into Stockton as full time, degree-seeking students. The program also helps them integrate into life on campus and in the United States.

Stockton’s Center is slated to open on Aug. 25, 2014.  

India Karavackas, director of Stockton’s Office of International Services, said, “The global
mobility of students is growing, with greater numbers studying abroad every year. 

“By sending our students abroad and receiving international students into our classrooms, we are opening pathways for our students to learn about other cultures, societies and norms,” Karavackas continued. “The ability to communicate across cultures or speak a foreign language will serve them well in the workforce.”

Students are given three housing options arranged by the company: on campus, off-campus apartments or homestays with local families, Karavackas explained.

More than 650 colleges and universities worldwide accept completion of the ELS intensive English for Academic Purposes program as demonstration of English proficiency for their admission requirement, ELS stated.

Click for more information on Stockton’s Office of International Services


 

Stockton Coastal Research Center Hired to Remap Delaware Bay Flood Zones

 Dr. Stewart Farrell, director of the Coastal Research Center.

Stockton’s Coastal Research Center (CRC) has been hired by Middle and Lower townships to remap the Cape May County Bayshore region flood maps.

Many of the homes along the Delaware Bay shoreline are currently considered to be in a velocity zone by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preliminary flood maps released this past fall. Residents of the townships hope remapping will result in smaller velocity zones and lower insurance premiums.

The CRC will work with the townships and the mapping team to provide data backing up any changes to the maps.

Dr. Stewart Farrell, director of the Coastal Research Center, and the coastal research team, will review in detail the preliminary working maps to find inconsistencies, contradictions and issues related to flood potential. The team will conduct field studies of all existing bulkheads or other shore protection structures built along the Delaware Bay shorelines, especially since 2008, and prepare a documented list of their findings. They will also evaluate flood zone changes since the last adopted maps were published.

“We will put together, with township assistance, a set of discrepancies with data we can substantiate, to gain FEMA acceptance of the changes desired in the final set of maps put out to the public,” Dr. Farrell said.

The CRC will also rely on relevant data from the public to support changes to the existing working maps.

“The CRC data will add a layer of information to have the best maps available to adopt in the future,” Dr. Farrell said.

Click for more information on Stockton's Coastal Research Center.

 


 

Special Olympics New Jersey Draws 180 Athletes, Vincent Lombardi Trophy to Campus

President Herman Saatkamp participated in a ceremonial puck drop at the Special Olympics New Jersey floor hockey tournament at the Stockton College Sports Center Jan. 11.

Fourteen teams, totaling about 180 athletes, participated in the Special Olympics New Jersey floor hockey tournament on Jan. 11 in the Sports Center. Runners and walkers also participated in the “Jingle All the Way” 3K Fun Run/Walk.

Special Olympics athletes and the public viewed the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which will be awarded to the winning team at the Feb. 2 Super Bowl, during the “Join the Huddle” tour. The tour travels via the 14,000-pound “Huddle Shuttle” and showcases a replica stadium locker room with New York Jets, New York Giants, Super Bowl and Vince Lombardi memorabilia. 

Members of Stockton’s athletic teams volunteered during the event and had the opportunity to take pictures with the trophy inside the “Huddle Shuttle.”

The Special Olympics New Jersey fundraising events help advance the goal of Special Olympics New Jersey, to provide free year-round training and competition in 24 Olympic-type sports to more than 23,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

For photos from the event, click Special Olympics

 


 

Stockton Center on Successful Aging, Gerontology Minor Achieve National Visibility

The Stockton Center on Successful Aging (SCOSA) and Stockton’s Gerontology Minor (GERO) are increasing their reputation and influence nationally. Over the past few weeks, SCOSA and the GERO program have enjoyed national recognition through the efforts of faculty and staff.
    
Dr. Lisa Cox, associate professor of Social Work and SCOSA Research Chair & Fellow, published an article, “Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Older HIV-Infected Adults” in Aging Today, the American Society on Aging’s (ASA) bimonthly newspaper. The article was made available online to over 6,000 members of the ASA, and will soon be in member mailboxes.
     
Dr. Cox was also selected to participate as a Scholar in the 160 hour Interprofessional Faculty Development Collaborative Program offered by the New Jersey Geriatric Education Center (GEC) in collaboration with the Central Plains, Gateway, and Consortium of New York GECs. This unique interprofessional learning community allows Dr. Cox to interact with other scholars from diverse disciplines and leading academicians in geriatrics and gerontology throughout the nation.
    
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) recently made a Special Issue of the Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics Education available free-of-charge for a limited time to all of its 5000+ members. The society seeks member input on plans to implement accreditation of gerontology programs. The issue, devoted to papers on accreditation, was organized and edited by Dr. David Burdick, director of SCOSA and professor of Gerontology, in his former role as chair of the Academic Program Development Committee of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE).

Dr. Burdick is currently chair of AGHE’s Advancement Committee, which has nearly completed phase one of an AGHE Endowment Campaign by raising $100,000 in donations over the past six years.  One third of this total was raised last year under Dr. Burdick’s leadership due to a challenge grant he acquired from the Retirement Research Foundation.

Dr. Elizabeth Elmore, professor of Economics and Gerontology, was recently elected for a two-year term to the Executive Committee of AGHE. The appointment will commence at the AGHE’s 40th annual meeting in Denver, CO at the end of February. Dr. Elmore is a founding member of Stockton’s Gerontology Program and has recently been involved as an active member of AGHE’s K-12 Committee and coordinator of the committee’s Children’s Book Award, given each year to a children’s book that helps to convey the realities of aging rather than negative stereotypes.

Gina Maguire, SCOSA program assistant and adjunct professor of Gerontology, recently had an article published in The New Social Worker, a quarterly magazine for social work students and recent graduates, titled, “What I learned in Miss Martha’s Pre-School.” Maguire is currently expanding SCOSA’s programming into Southern Ocean County, primarily at Stockton’s Manahawkin Educational Site.

SCOSA also recently confirmed an agreement with the Arthritis Foundation– Delaware Valley Chapter to co-present SCOSA’s annual festival on May 13. A planning committee will convene to organize the festival.

As always, SCOSA’s Older Adult Education program, which encourages vitality through intellectual stimulation, is robust and full of programming for the Spring.

To read Dr. Cox’s article in Aging Today, click here.
To see Dr. Burdick’s Special Issue of Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, click here.
To read Maguire’s article in The New Social Worker, click here


 

Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism Outlines Atlantic City Market Trends

Atlantic City’s tourism industry saw a continuation of the trend toward visitors spending more and staying longer, although the resort drew fewer visitors overall in the third quarter of 2013, according to the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (LIGHT) at Stockton.

LIGHT recently released its Atlantic City Tourism Performance Indicators (AC-TPI) report analyzing the resort’s tourism market.

The AC-TPI focuses on three key metrics, the Atlantic City Luxury Tax, (which reflects the level of resort entertainment spending), the Atlantic City Casino Parking Fee (which reflects transportation levels and spending), and the Atlantic County Hotel Occupancy Fee, (which reflects overnight tourist spending on accommodations.)

The results for the third quarter of 2013 indicate:
• Modest gains were realized in both the Atlantic City Luxury Tax and Atlantic County Hotel Occupancy Fee during the quarter, though these were largely as a result of an extremely impressive August 2013.
• The Atlantic City Parking Fee continues its long-term trend of declines.
• The Atlantic County Hotel Occupancy Fee hit a new record monthly high in August of 2013, a figure that had not been surpassed since August of 2008.
• Taken on the whole, it appears Atlantic City is continuing a trend of the past couple years, in which short-term day trippers, who now have gaming options closer to home, are being replaced by longer term overnight visitors.

“It's a better quality customer,” said Dr. Brian Tyrrell, associate professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Stockton’s School of Business. “Records for the best months ever were realized in August of 2013 for both the Atlantic City Luxury Tax and the Atlantic County Hotel Occupancy Fee. With both of these non-gaming metrics, we also saw record quarterly receipts, despite depressed figures in July.” 

Tyrrell noted that the volume of visitors continued its negative trend, as evidenced by the Atlantic City Casino Parking Fee.

“Still, the positive trends in non-gaming revenue that had transpired for several quarters leading up to Hurricane Sandy could be materializing again,” Tyrrell said. “While the total number of visitors to Atlantic City continued to decline in the third quarter of 2013, the trend toward increased revenue from non-gaming sources shows signs of continuing.”

Dr. Israel Posner, executive director of LIGHT, said, ““Since 2010, Atlantic City Luxury Tax collection has grown an average of 11 percent per year, suggesting that the transition toward a more diverse visitor experience is well underway.”

At the January meeting of LIGHT’s advisory board, Andy Dolce, founder of Dolce Hotels and Resorts, which manages 26 conference centers, hotels and resorts including Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, was named chairman.

Dolce founded Dolce International, now Dolce Hotels and Resorts, in 1981 and turned the company into one of the world's leading conference center companies in the hospitality industry, with properties throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. The company has about 4,000 employees and manages some 5,000 rooms in North America and Europe.

Dolce was joined on the board by three new members:  Mark Blum, publisher of The Press of Atlantic City, Scott Kreeger, president and COO of Revel Casino Hotel, and Rick Mazer, regional president and general manager of Caesars Entertainment’s Harrah’s Atlantic City.

Click for the complete Atlantic City-Tourism Performance Indicators third-quarter report.


Stockton Statistic:

In its first full year of operation, Stockton’s Kramer Hall instructional site, located at 30 Front St. in Hammonton, hosted over 200 events in its state-of-the-art facility. The 13,900-square-foot facility features five classrooms, two seminar rooms, a 24-station computer lab and an art gallery.

In the coming year, Stockton will partner with Atlantic Cape Community College (ACCC) to allow their students to take courses at Kramer Hall. This opportunity provides for a more seamless transition to Stockton should the students decide to enroll in our upper level classes.

For more information, visit: www.stockton.edu/Hammonton

To read the 2012-2013 Annual Report for the Hammonton and Manahawkin Instructional Sites, click here.

 

Stockton Home | President's Office Home