Stockton students turned over cards to reveal the 25 million-dollar amount raised in the “You Make The Difference” campaign at a July 9 celebration held at Stockton Seaview.
“You Make the Difference - The Campaign for Stockton College” generated donations and gifts of $25,363,687 - far exceeding the original goal of $20 million set by President Herman Saatkamp in 2011.
Students, faculty, staff and New Jersey’s citizenry as a whole will benefit from the $25.36 million raised by Stockton in its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which concluded on June 30.
“Through the generosity and hard work of many, Stockton has become a force for economic, cultural and civic engagement in the region and state, while continuing to grow as a center for academic excellence,” said President Herman Saatkamp.
The campaign, which began with a silent phase in 2007 and publicly kicked off in 2011, helped transform Stockton’s main campus.
Gifts and donations led to the additions of The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, The Lloyd D. Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (LIGHT), the renaming of The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage and the Anne Azeez Hall and Kramer Hall instructional sites.
Scholarships also increased exponentially during the campaign, with 53 new endowed scholarships and 42 new annual scholarships.
Trustee Dr. James Yoh committed $500,000 in 2010 to establish the Yoh Scholarship Fund, while in 2011, an anonymous donor gave the college a $1 million endowment to be used for the direct support of students with exceptional financial hardships.
The College Foundation’s annual scholarships awards, funded from the Annual Scholarship Benefit Gala and other sources, grew more than fivefold: from $142,213 awarded in 2007, to over $600,000 expected to be awarded in Fiscal Year 2015.
At the campaign celebration held at Stockton Seaview, 20 students slowly turned over cards spelling out “You Make the Difference,” and ultimately revealed the 25 million-dollar figure.
Curtis Bashaw, chair of the Board of Trustees, credited President Saatkamp with initiating plans for a comprehensive campaign in 2003, during his first year at Stockton. He also applauded the fact that over 500 members of the college’s faculty and staff donated more than $700,000 to support students, faculty and programs during the campaign.
Richard Walker, chairman of the Foundation, noted that its assets grew from $6.9 million in 2007 to $27.2 million in 2014.
“It was the forward thinking from the president that led us into the first comprehensive campaign and with the adoption and implementation of the Foundation’s Strategic Plan during the past two years, his vision will continue,” Walker said.
Dr. Philip Ellmore, chief development officer and executive director of the College Foundation, told the gathering that the two essential ingredients to a successful campaign are: “vision and leadership,” as embodied by President Saatkamp.
“Make no mistake, this is his campaign, built on his vision. He helped us believe what at first only he could see,” said Dr. Ellmore.
President Saatkamp thanked the donors, the trustees, the Foundation board and Development staff for their incredible efforts in making the campaign a success.
“‘You Make the Difference’ is much more than a campaign slogan,” President Saatkamp said. “Those are words to live by every day, as together, the people of southern New Jersey and the Stockton community, build a brighter tomorrow for all of us - and for all the generations to come.”
To view the “You Make the Difference” Closing Campaign video produced by Stockton Production Services, click here.
Dr. Matt Dane Baker, executive dean of Philadelphia University's College of Science, Health and Liberal Arts; Dr. Harvey Kesselman, provost and executive vice president; Dr. Theresa Bartolotta, dean of the School of Health Sciences; Jon M. Regis, M.D., president and CEO of Reliance Medical Group; the Hon. Don Guardian, mayor of Atlantic City; Vince Papaccio, executive vice president and COO of Reliance Medical Group; and Dr. Stephen Spinelli Jr., president of Philadelphia University, after a press conference July 1 at City Hall in Atlantic City
Stockton is partnering with Philadelphia University and Reliance Medical Group to offer an Atlantic City-based Physician Assistant Studies Master’s Program. The program will allow graduates to receive their bachelor’s degrees from Stockton’s School of Health Sciences and their master’s in Physician Assistant Studies from Philadelphia University.
Reliance, which has 30 practices in Atlantic, Cape May, Camden, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties, will take the medical and clinical lead in this groundbreaking program.
All courses in the five-year program will be provided at facilities in Atlantic City, although the site has not yet been determined.
Students will spend the first three years taking Stockton courses and then matriculate to Philadelphia University for the final two years. Qualified students will receive their bachelor’s degree from Stockton at the end of year four. Students will not have to apply for separate graduate school admission, and will be on a faster track to complete their advanced degrees. Similar programs often take six years to complete.
Stockton plans to admit up to 12 high school graduates as freshmen in the program beginning in the Fall 2015 semester and to eventually expand to 20 students.
Physician Assistant students enrolled in the satellite program in Atlantic City will have full access to Stockton’s facilities – including the library, computer labs, and fitness center.
In addition, Philadelphia University will establish labs on Stockton’s campus for select courses, including a cadaver anatomy lab and a simulation lab.
Reliance will provide a medical director for the program and help place students in clinical rotations with doctors and hospitals.
Charles Ingram, vice president for Administration and Finance, Lieut. Cynthia Parker, and Police Chief Gregory Coffin, after Lieut. Parker received the Officer of the Year Award at the Board of Trustees meeting on July 9.
Lieut. Cynthia Parker was named Officer of the Year at the Board of Trustees meeting held on July 9.
“Lieut. Parker stepped up to fill the role as Interim Chief of Police this past year and did so with the utmost professionalism,” said Charles Ingram, vice president for Administration and Finance. “With positive energy and creativity, she was able to keep the department unified and morale strong through situations that at times required a great deal of compassion and strength.”
He noted that among the many challenges was the unusually high amount of snowfall that required many early morning phone calls to discuss the safety of the campus community and their commute.
“She succeeded in her leadership role with steadfast determination while also keeping her sense of humor,” Ingram said.
He introduced Police Chief Greg Coffin, who presented Lieut. Parker with the award.
“Although I am very honored to receive the award, I truly believe the members of our Police Department and the college should be recognized for the extraordinary efforts they put forth to keep the positive reputation and professional attitudes that our department has been known for,” Lieut. Parker said. “I am truly impressed by the teamwork and professionalism exhibited by the members of Stockton.”
Lieut. Parker also successfully completed the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police “Command Leadership” Academy this year. The course is a rigorous 14-week course developed through the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Stockton has been selected as the “Greenest College in New Jersey” by College Prowler, which produces print guides and a website using reviews from students, parents and professionals.
College Prowler rates each school on a scale of 1-10, and defines the rankings by stating: “Green living is steadily becoming the norm. These days, schools boast a high number of LEED-certified facilities and sustainability initiatives.”
Stockton’s Campus Center has been awarded the LEED® Gold certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Stockton’s 154,000-square-foot Campus Center, which opened in May 2011, achieved this internationally recognized gold certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies.
Stockton’s campus is in the Pinelands National Reserve and its Environmental Studies program is one of the oldest and best in the nation. The college also protects and manages 1,500 acres of forestlands under New Jersey’s first comprehensive forest management plan on public land.
A new Center for Sustainability is expected to open at Stockton in Spring 2015. The college plans to break ground in August for the 3,800-square-foot facility to advance the Sustainability Program with hands-on training in alternative energy and conservation.
The $900,000 facility off Louisville Avenue will include a classroom with cutting-edge interactive technology, a large laboratory focused on alternative energy and energy efficiency, as well as faculty offices and a student workspace.
The building was designed cooperatively by Stockton Sustainability faculty and the architectural team to be a one-of-a-kind, high performance facility.
Stockton was also recognized as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada by The Princeton Review this year. The guide highlighted Stockton's “ahead-of-its-time geothermal heating and cooling system,” among other features.
College Prowler, owned by Niche, was started at in 2002 by Carnegie Mellon graduate Luke Skurman and is headquartered in Pittsburgh. For more information, click here.
Service–Learning data from Academic Year 2013-14 showed growth in the number of faculty, courses and students participating in the program. Sixty-four faculty members participated and 99 courses offered Service-Learning credit over the past year. About 1,895 students logged 12,975 hours of service, volunteering with 165 community partners.
Since 2011, the number of Service- Learning courses offered has grown 46 percent, faculty has increased by 8 percent, and students, 38 percent.
For the second time, the Schools of Health Sciences, Business, and Social and Behavioral Sciences (SOBL) comprised the largest component of student majors, representing 60 percent of all Service-Learning students, with SOBL offering the most courses.
To learn more about Stockton’s Service-Learning program in its 2013-2014 Annual Report, click here.
