College Collaborates with S. Korea’s Jeju National University

Jeju National University President Hyang-Jin Hug (right) and Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. shake hands following signing of a collaborative agreement.

Stockton and Jeju National University of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) signed a memorandum of friendship and collaboration recently, citing a mutual interest in partnerships and educational opportunity. On Wednesday, Oct. 26, a delegation from the Korean institution led by Jeju President Hyang-Jin Hug toured the Stockton campus, and shared meals with Dr. Saatkamp and representatives of the faculty, administration and student body before signing the agreement.

“We are quite gratified to host our friends from Jeju National University and formalize our collaboration,” Dr. Saatkamp said. “Through the sharing of knowledge and understanding of each others’ cultures and educational systems, this partnership is for the benefit of the students and faculty of both institutions.” The partnership was spawned through work being done with Jeju National University by Steve Batzer, former member and chair of the Stockton Board of Trustees. “In speaking with representatives of the University I just felt it would be a very good fit with Stockton,” Batzer said, “and through the hard work and cooperation of President Saatkamp, here we are today.”

The Stockton and Jeju National University delegations pose for a group photo.

Dr. Saatkamp added the collaboration worked in concert with the College’s 2020 Strategic Planning Process. “Global Perspectives is one of the key themes of our plan,” he said, “and I cannot think of a project more fitting than our collaboration with this great University on the other side of the world.” Dr. Saatkamp said the institutions agreed to explore specific collaborative efforts such as faculty and student exchange programs and partnerships in research and learning experiences. “We are looking forward to a long and rewarding friendship, and many collaborative efforts,” Dr. Saatkamp concluded.
 

Stockton Receives Largest Gift in Its History

The former Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue is home to the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage.

Stockton recently announced a partnership with the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage resulting in the largest gift in College history. Mr. Michael Azeez, prominent local businessman, civic leader, philanthropist and founder of the Museum, has donated, through the Azeez Foundation, $5 million to the College as well as the Museum, its buildings and grounds. The Museum is named in honor of Mr. Azeez’s late father, Sam, a successful entrepreneur who grew up in Woodbine.

“I wish for the continuity of the Museum’s efforts to continue,” Mr. Azeez said. “There exists a synergy between the Museum, Stockton’s General Studies program, its Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, and its community partnerships. This collaboration enables the Museum to advance its goals, accessibility and visibility.”

Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. said the $5 million gift would be used to establish the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage Endowment Fund to perpetuate the Museum’s activities, support its ongoing operation and maintenance for the continuation of its mission.

Michael Azeez

The Museum is housed in a building that originated as the Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue beginning in 1893. It was a house of worship for a region that experienced a Russian Jewish immigration boom in the late 19th century. It was built by hand by the first congregation.

Michael Azeez assumed control of the buildings in 2001, which had not housed an active congregation since the 1970s. He spent several years restoring the inside and outside of the buildings and their grounds and establishing the Museum to tell the story of the area. The Museum became a teaching center focusing on perpetuating the history of the region. It partnered with Stockton and the New Jersey Holocaust Commission in education, teacher training, and the collection of oral histories and the preservation of historic photos and artifacts.
 

Stockton Council of Black Faculty and Staff 30th Annual
Awards Dinner and Dance Nov. 10

Lifetime Achievent Award Winners Michael Jacobson and Patti Harris

Longtime Stockton College Trustee Michael Jacobson, Esq., Atlantic City Dance Theatre Founder Parri Harris, Stockton Executive Director of Community Partnerships Dr. Reva Curry, and longtime employee and community volunteer Eugene “Gene” Cranmer will be honored by the Stockton Council of Black Faculty and Staff (CBFS). The Council will honor these four outstanding individuals at its 30th Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner and Dance to take place Thursday, November 10, at the Carriage House in Galloway.

“Traditionally the Council’s Dinner Dance is one of Stockton’s biggest events of the year, said CBFS President Patricial W. Collins, and this year is even more special as we are celebrating the 30th Anniversary in the same year the College is marking its 40th Anniversary of Teaching. It should be a very memorable evening.” Tickets for the event are sold out; however, donations to the Council’s Scholarship Fund are still gratefully accepted.

Mr Jacobson is a prominent local attorney and partner in the firm Cooper Lenson and the longest-serving member of Stockton’s Board of Trustees. He served for more than a quarter century, joining the Board in 1985 and holding the position of Chair twice, from 2001 to 2004 and from 1994 to 1996. He is also very active in civic and charitable activities. Mr. Jacobson will receive one of two Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The other Lifetime Achievement honor will go to Ms. Harris, the founder and Executive Director of the Atlantic City Dance Theatre Center of Cultural Learning, Inc. She is a writer, producer, director, choreographer, and dance educator. In a larger sense, she is an Atlantic City icon, having danced at the famous Club Harlem and advanced as a leading voice and advocate for the performing arts in the region. Her professional resume includes Broadway hits such as “Hello Dolly” and “Purlie”. Off-Broadway, television commercials, musical theatre and dance roles are among her many credits as a performer. One of her goals is to continue the encouragement of personal achievement and physical development of all youth. She has been the recipient of more than 25 professional and civic awards including induction in the Atlantic County Women’s Hall of Fame.

Dr. Reva Curry is the recipient of the group’s Merit Award. She has coordinated and guided numerous community partnerships at Stockton, including the Community Partnership Workgroup whose successful application resulted in the prestigious community engagement function of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Curry has worked with Professor Joseph Rubenstein to launch the Stockton Center for Community Schools, which has to date forged over 25 community partnerships in Atlantic City and the region. Homework assistance and mentoring programs, support for programming at the Atlantic City Boys and Girls Club, establishment of urban gardens at multiple sites in Atlantic City and the design of anti-bullying programs at area schools are just a few examples of her work.

A specialist in the Office of Computer and Telecommunications at Stockton for 31 years, Eugene “Gene” Cranmer is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumni honor. Mr. Cranmer began his Stockton career in the Library in 1979 and his career with the State of New Jersey two years earlier as an employee of the Division of Youth and Family Services. Having first earned an A.A. degree from Ocean County College, he completed his B.A. in Sociology at Stockton in 1993. He is co-founder and sponsor of the Stockton Employees Memorial Scholarship Fund, a member of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff, Stockton Alumni Association, the Stockton Christian Fellowship and a volunteer at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and at College graduations. A strong advocate for students’ rights, he is co-advisor of the student club Students Aiming for Excellence and has mentored numerous successful Stockton students over the years.

“This year’s honorees symbolize what the Council’s fundraising efforts are all about,” Collins said. “We are looking forward to having a lot of fun on Nov. 10 to celebrate their contributions and the positive effect they have had on our students and community.”
 

Stockton Honored by Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association at 21st Annual Installation/Awards Gala

MBCA President John Schultz (left) presents the Community Spirit Award to Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., while dinner emcee Lloyd Levenson, Esq. is at right.

Citing academic programs, economic development and cultural leadership “throughout the region,” the Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association (MBCA) presented its Community Spirit Award to Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., on behalf of the institution.

“We salute Stockton’s 40th Anniversary of Teaching as well as the College’s role in economic development and for serving as the cultural hub of the region,” said the MBCA’s Gary Hill. “Stockton’s contribution to the region has been immeasurable and certainly deserving of this honor.”

The Gala took place Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Ballroom at Resorts Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City. Master of Ceremonies for the event was Lloyd Levenson, Esq., of the law firm Cooper Levenson and the namesake of Stockton’s Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality Management and Tourism (LIGHT). Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford presided for the installation of the group’s officers and board members. “It is certainly gratifying for Stockton to be recognized by such a prestigious group as the MBCA,” Dr. Saatkamp said.

“I was humbled and honored to accept the award on behalf of our students, faculty, staff and the entire Stockton community,” he said.
 

More Than 500 Revel in Stockton’s 40th Anniversary Event

Professor Ken Tompkins.

Stockton formally recognized its 40th Anniversary of Teaching at the start of the fall semester with an event at the newly opened Campus Center.

 While the event was steeped in tradition and nostalgia, there was also a focus on the bright future of the College. 

Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. noted the College had passed several historic milestones recently, including an enrollment topping 8,000 students and an a new freshman class of 975, the largest in the history of the College.

“Growth of this magnitude simply does not happen without collaboration,” he said.  “The College is a collaboration of those who came before and those who will come after.” 
 

The evening’s program also included talks by New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks, and Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Harvey Kesselman, a member of Stockton’s first class when the College was temporarily housed in the former Mayflower Hotel on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. 

“You had to be a risk-taker to come here in 1971, but Stockton appealed to me at many different levels.”
Dr. Kesselman said. Robert Gregg, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, and Dr. Ken Tompkins, co-editors of “Reaching 40,” the book on Stockton history they co-edited, discussed the volume and the making of it.

“Ken and I exchanged more than 5,000 e-mails during the journey," Gregg said.
 

Stockton Embarks on Comprehensive Campaign

Dr. Philip T. Ellmore.

During the recent Stockton 40th Anniversary of Teaching celebration, the College announced the launch of the public portion of its first comprehensive campaign.  

The $20 million campaign, themed “You Make the Difference,” has already accounted for $18 million of the goal.

Anthony Coppola, chair of the Richard Stockton College Foundation, noted how important the campaign is, particularly during the present difficult economic climate for New Jersey students and their families. 
 

To participate in the campaign or to learn other ways to help support Stockton, please visit  www.stockton.edu  and click on the “support Stockton” tab at the top of the home page.
 

Stockton Foundation assets have more than tripled in the last decade. In 2003, assets were just under $4 million. In 2011 they were close to $19 million.

Source: Stockton College Office of Development