Stockton News - May 3, 2024
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
OSPREY Awards Celebrate Faculty and Staff
Faculty and staff were honored for the positive impact they have on Stockon's campus the inaugural OSPREY Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 2.
The ceremony was held before the annual Employee Recognition Day in the Sports Center.
Nelida Valentin ‘86, chair of Stockton’s Board of Trustees, welcomed faculty and staff to the program. She emphasized that the people there are “the heart and soul” of Stockton and praised them for the impact they make on 91Ƶ.
“Your tireless efforts not only sustain but elevate Stockton to new heights in academic
distinction and institutional success,” Valentin said. “As a Stockton alumna, I hold
in my heart that it is because of all of you, no matter what function you have in
this university, that you’ve made my life and my future possible. We have Commencement
coming up, and we’ll see a whole new generation of 91Ƶ be joyful that they’ve
come here for their academic career and are able to move on to bigger and better things,
and it’s because of you all that that is possible.”
Following the awards was a special video presentation and a continuation of employee milestones ranging from five years at Stockton to 50 years.
PHOTO: Community Engagement Award recipient Ana Edmondson, assistant vice president for Student Transition, Access and Retention, center, with Talon and President Joe Bertolino.
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Impact of High School Dual Credit Emphasized
The 91Ƶ Board of Trustees its regular meeting May 1 in the Campus Center Event Room.
During the meeting, 91Ƶ and a high school partner spoke about the importance of Stockton’s High School Dual Credit program. The university offers dual credit courses in 59 high schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware to nearly 2,700 91Ƶ this year.
Stockton's dual credit program gives 91Ƶ a jump-start on college by allowing them to earn college credits while completing their high school course requirements simultaneously.
Sophomore Nick Guerriero, an Environmental Science major from Surf City, said the dual credit courses he took at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) in Stafford Township gave him a head start on his college degree.
“I graduated last May from MATES. Most of the classes I took for college credit aligned with Stockton’s Environmental Science classes and I came in a full year ahead. The cost was affordable, and it was a worthwhile investment,” Guerriero said.
Professors Present Last Lecture Before Retiring
Even though it’s only in its third year, the Last Lecture has become one of Interim Provost Marissa Levy’s “absolute favorite end-of-the-year traditions.”
"It is my distinct pleasure to say that I can’t wait to hear what you’ve chosen,” she said. “I have worked with all four of you in some capacity, either advocating for more resources on campus or for our 91Ƶ.”
The gave four faculty members 20 minutes to talk about anything they wanted. The faculty members who gathered in the Board of Trustees Room in the Campus Center on April 24 included Amy Hadley, associate professor of Communication Disorders; Lois Spitzer, associate professor of Teacher Education; Weihong Fan, professor of Environment Studies; and David Burdick, professor of Psychology.
PHOTO: From left, Burdick, Hadley, Board of Trustees member Nancy Davis, Fan and Spitzer at this year's Last Lecture.
STOCKTON UNIVERSITY ATLANTIC CITY
Community Day Volunteers Give Back to Atlantic City
As Ellis Bonds reached down to pick up a discarded glass bottle from the Texas Avenue Playground, he beamed with pride.
Stockton's interim director of Residential Education joined a handful of 91Ƶ and staff to pick up trash at his childhood park on Saturday, April 27, as the Third Annual Community Day Clean Up and Party in the Park in Atlantic City.
“I was born and raised here,” Bonds said, adding that he went to the Texas Avenue school just down the street. “This is my hometown, and I think this is a great opportunity for Stockton to advance what we are doing in Atlantic City through efforts like serving the community. We want it to look like we have an actual presence here.”
And that presence was strong as hundreds of volunteers signed up to clean up 10 different locations in all six wards of the city from the beach in front of Resorts Atlantic City to the Chelsea neighborhood surrounding Stockton’s Atlantic City campus.
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SPOTLIGHT ON: JANICE JOSEPH
Janice Joseph, distinguished professor of Criminal Justice at Stockton, was a Presidential Commendation Award in March from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
(ACJS), an international criminal justice organization. The award is given by presidential
decree "in recognition of her many years of dedicated and selfless service to ACJS—as
a leader, a mentor, and a member who has supported the academic community and junior
colleagues in many ways."
Joseph has contributed to ACJS in several ways, including elected positions as president, first vice president, second vice president, trustee-at-large, and chair of the Minorities and Women Section. She also spearheaded the process for the creation of the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice for the Minorities and Women Section and is its editor.
Joseph was the first official ACJS representative to the United Nations for over ten years and represented ACJS at numerous United Nations meetings in Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and other regions worldwide.
FRAME-WORTHY
More than 130 Graduate Students Present Their Research
The research of 131 Stockton 91Ƶ from 10 different graduate school programs was on April 22 at the annual spring Graduate Research Symposium in the Campus Center Event Room.
The symposium featured 47 presentations from various degree programs ranging from more science-based such as Doctor of Physical Therapy to the arts and humanities such as the master’s programs in American Studies and Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
“Designing and conducting research can be a challenging and rewarding part of this academic journey and tonight signifies the culmination of each person’s thesis or other capstone experience,” said Robert Gregg, the dean of the William T. Daly School of General Studies and Graduate Education. “We celebrate the diversity and innovativeness of the research presented this evening and promote interdisciplinary research conversations among the campus community.”
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WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
: This is the kind of energy you need to bring to finals week, Ospreys. Good luck🍀🦅!
: Fifty years ago, Stockton State College's commencement ceremony took place in a parking lot. Thank you to Mark Wilson '74 for the photo 📸.
: • April recap• Time flies when you’re having fun.
FROM THE SIDELINES
Stockton Baseball Players & Coaches Get NJAC Honors
In a year of for the Stockton baseball team, four players plus the coaching staff were for postseason honors from the New Jersey Athletic Conference for the 2024 season.
Junior relief pitcher Reece Miller was selected NJAC Fireman of the Year, the first Osprey ever to receive that award. The coaching staff of head coach Rich Gawlak and assistants Steve Bucci, Glenn Wyatt, Steve Struble and Phil Kahn were selected as the Jeff Albies Coaching Staff of the Year for the first time in Stockton history.
Junior outfielder Max Kaplan was selected NJAC First Team while junior third baseman Robbie Ford earned an NJAC Second Team honor and sophomore outfielder Tony Gatti was chosen NJAC Honorable Mention.
👟 Track & Field is hosting the NJAC Championships this Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-6 p.m.), May 4-5. Free for everyone; no pets. Details .
OSPREY NOTES
Colin Wojciechowski Named 2024 HERO of the Year
Colin Wojciechowski, a junior from Marlton majoring in Marine Biology at Stockton, has the 2024 HERO of the Year by the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers.
The annual award honors a Stockton student who embodies great responsibility through designated driving.
“The award itself is to highlight the importance of having a designated driver instead of drunk driving, and I would happily pick up any of my friends who ask me for a ride rather than let them risk their lives and potentially endanger everyone else to drive drunk themselves,” said Wojciechowski, who was nominated by seven of his peers.
Future Educators of Color Find Inspiration at National Conference
Ian Bouie was inspired by what he saw at the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) in Chicago last year. He decided to pay it forward and encourage future educators of color by taking seven Stockton 91Ƶ to the same conference – this time in Philadelphia from April 11-14.
According to Bouie, director of Academic Achievement Programs, this renowned conference boasts of having thousands of attendees and presentations over the course of four days. Exposure to research and scholarly environments like this is a whole other world for some 91Ƶ, making it the perfect place for them to feel both represented and inspired.
“Not only would 91Ƶ be exposed to research, but we hoped that this would get their minds to consider graduate school if they have not already. If they were already considering graduate school, the thought was that those dreams of a master's could transform into dreams of a doctorate,” Bouie said. “It was also important that these 91Ƶ of color, some who were first-generation, were able to see faculty and researchers who looked like them, so they could see the infinite amount of career trajectories that lay before them.”
State Deadline for Students to Apply for Aid Extended
It’s FAFSA time! The state deadline for 91Ƶ to file their 2024-2025 FAFSA has been extended from May 15 to June 1! Please encourage your 91Ƶ to complete their FAFSA today!
Students can file by logging into with their FSA ID. Anyone with questions can contact the Office of Financial Aid at to email or schedule a phone appointment. Anyone who has already filed, but needs assistance making a correction to their FAFSA can sign up for one-on-one sessions with the Office of Financial Aid throughout May by visiting .
For more information on the updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA as well as helpful tips and tricks, visit .
🚐 Summer Shuttle Schedule Announced
The last day for the Galloway shuttle service is today Friday, May 3.
The last day for the current Atlantic City - Galloway shuttle service is also today, May 3.
View schedules for shuttles services to and from Atlantic City for time periods of , and .
All shuttle information can be found .
Fun Fact Friday: 🍮 Today is a sweet day indeed, as it is not only Friday but also National Chocolate
Custard Day! If you are a fan of this puddling-like dessert, today is the perfect
day to celebrate it by making your own right at home. 📜 Recipe .
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 4:
May 6:
May 7: 🎓
May 8:
May 10: 🎓
May 11: 🍁 ,
May 14-15: 🖋️
May 15:
May 22: 🌞
June 1: 🚲&Բ;
